Rise of the machine

Transcendence

Director: Wally Pfister

Writer: Jack Paglen

Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy

Runtime: 119 minutes

Certification: 12A

Rating: 4/5

No one likes a know-it-all. But for Evelyn Castor (Rebecca Hall), her significant other, her partner in science and in life, Will Castor (Johnny Depp) really does know it all. This is after a deadly assassination attempt with a bullet laced in radiation slowly starts to shut down his body. Evelyn has the brilliant idea of uploading every single aspect of Will’s brain onto a smart computer, thereby creating the world’s first artificial intelligence of this scale. Once the transfer is complete, Will becomes the most intelligent, crafty being on the planet. As soon as this “Will” taps into the internet, something that enables him to accessing every known bit of information around the world, he becomes quite the useful company to have around.

Think of it as ARIA from the film _Eagle Eye _acting as a loving guardian angel, watching over your safety, instead of trying to (spoilers for the film for anyone who hasn’t seen it) use you to kill every important member of the United States government. Because the love Will had for Evelyn has also been directly lifted from his brain to this AI, he does everything to look out for her. It’s touching, love knowing no bounds, not even physical death, but this being a science-fiction drama, it turns into something more creepy, which makes us question just what it is about another human being that makes us fall utterly in love.

But with a creation this powerful, comes obvious dangers associated with this. The question of this new Will’s true identity of course comes into question here, the fear of “has he turned too evil” and “will he use his potentially limitless powers for good or bad” are the burning issues that need addressing before supposedly the world’s safety is compromised. Or at least this is what the anti-technology domestic terrorist group Revolutionary Independence From Technology (RIFT) is most concerned about. Curiously enough, despite their strong, violent objections (they are the ones responsible for Will’s radiation bullet wound), they themselves are not so opposed to benefiting from slick technology. Poor writing or intentional hypocrisy? You be the judge of that one. Led by Bree (Kate Mara), who looks dark and mysterious, she reveals herself to be not just in this for the dumb fun of blood and body counts, but actually has a legitimate reason of her own to be taking part in such a dangerous operation.

If you can look past the obvious major flaw without which the rest of the film cannot continue, the idea that sticking some electrodes into a person’s brain can somehow extract absolutely everything about that person to an inanimate storage unit, a process that takes quite a period of time that ultimately does absolutely no damage whatsoever to the uploader, Transcendence is an admirable, intelligent film pampered by wonderfully slick designs. First-time director Wally Pfister comes to grips with the many genre aspects of the film, quickly moving through the events with snappy sequences.

Taking refuge quite literally in the middle of nowhere, Evelyn sets up a brand new underground research laboratory to continue her work with her husband. Incidentally, this is thanks to Will’s large contribution to her financial well-being. Being a super AI allows him to play the stock market incredibly well, one of the many benefits of having this sort of guy around. Even the remote, rundown location was found by him. There he develops a remarkable set of scientific advancements, a lot of them that seem quite simply out of this world. Does the film require a stretch of the imagination? Yes. But once fully immersed into the narrative, so much fun can be had toying with the endless possibilities Will the hologram presents.

But at the heart of it all is the fascinating exploration of the romance between Evelyn and Will. It’s certainly one that is no doubt doomed for failure. Will is technically there, but then it can be argued that he is not, he watches and analyses her every move and emotion, although the same cannot be said for what she can do with him. Caught in this struggle is the magnificent Rebecca Hall, intelligent and devoted to her scientific cause, not quite seeing what all the big fuss is about when her colleagues Joseph Tagger (Morgan Freeman) and Max Waters (Paul Bettany) remain sceptical. The strain that is placed between the couple becomes more evident as Will grows more powerful and “aware” so to speak, and as can be expected of someone in this highly unusual predicament, the unravelling of her once-perfect life is quite the dramatic one.

It’s the fact that Will starts playing God that seems to be causing the biggest friction. Illnesses are being cured, and there appears to be no limit as to what this new Will is capable of. The plot brings up moral dilemmas, ones that cannot be fully shaped perhaps in the medium of film. It’s really up to the audience to have a think afterwards. And where the film really hooks its viewers is with its intriguing initial concept, that is slowly expanded, with a touch of Wally Pfister’s neat visual flourishes.

The film’s poor box-office showing, something that will cost Alcon Entertainment a lot of money, is a great shame. Its hefty budget of $100 million looks to have been spent in creating just the right futuristic atmosphere, and with its strong performances rom a star-studded cast plus exciting premise, this sci-fi thriller should have done better. The “action” finale is underwhelming, but when it all quietens down, there is an air of touching poignancy, something the film works hard towards achieving.