Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Depp on the Internet





TRANSCENDENCE-2014-Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp), a doctor working with artificial intelligence is shot with a radioactive bullet by an anti-A.I. terrorist group. While he's dying, his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) borrows a computer program from a dead colleague and with the help of Caster's friend Max (Paul Bettany), they upload his mind into a computer. After they connect him to the internet, Max has second thoughts about what they've done. Later the terrorist group kidnaps Max and their leader Bree (Kate Mara) convinces Max to join them. Once Caster is on line he can control everything even helping a government agent (Cillian Murphy) arrest the terrorists. Meanwhile another scientist (Morgan Freeman) figures it all out while computer Will and Evelyn set up headquarters in a dying mid-west town. It's obvious things will get out of hand when Will saves a dying contractor and takes over his body, much to Evelyn's displeasure. The government decides to shut down the internet and blame it all on the poor terrorists (who's stupid actions actually caused the whole thing in the first place). Evelyn also comes to regret her actions and when their compound is under siege Caster says “We're not gonna fight them. We are going to transcend them”. A violent finale leads to a poignant ending where the world is changed drastically. 

This movie isn't as bad as I thought it would be and has good acting and SFX but it's too long! As of this writing it's the only directorial effort by Wally Pfister.

Thanks for reading!

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