At the heart of many a science fiction story dwells a duo of fears, each innate, interconnected and communal in their status. The inevitability of our mortality proves frequent sci-fi fodder, as does the mourning for lives already lost or destined to be, including our own. In Transcendence, director Wally Pfister and writer Jack Paglen build a film out of collective existential anxieties, as filtered through the oft-proposed answer to the encroaching end of the ordinary lifespan: the ever-increasing imprint of technology.
Combining human thought with computer processing is the basic field of Will Caster’s (Johnny Depp, The Lone Ranger) expertise, his ambitions climbing in concert with the aspirations of his wife and lab partner, Evelyn (Rebecca Hall, Closed Circuit), to heal the world. An anti-technology terrorist group expresses their vehement protest through a series of violent deeds that act not to quell, but to expedite the Casters’ research. Migrating his consciousness into a machine to create a singular, sentient, simulated being becomes the only way that Will can survive, but in doing so, he risks transforming from corporeal man to virtual potential monster.
Transcendence crafts its narrative from the ethical and moral quandaries arising from its central scenario, namely the persistence of existence at any cost. A variety of issues are posited, ranging from the boundaries of scientific interference to the incursion of emotion into objective endeavours; however for all the film’s pondering, it remains superficial and simplistic. The usual components typify the cursory treatment of everything including the underlying themes, with thinly drawn characters serving binary options, plot developments springing from convenience instead of logic, and dialogue spouting tech-talk clichés best left in decades long since passed.
Take the primary source of tension in the feature, the battle between the central pair and those wary of any plan that allows an electronic approximation of a person to expand and evolve to omnipotent computer-generated standing. Will and Evelyn’s mentor, Joseph Tagger (Morgan Freeman, Last Vegas), and their colleague, Max Waters (Paul Bettany, Margin Call), represent varying degrees of disapproval, as do the more blatant adversaries of an investigating FBI agent (Cillian Murphy, Broken) and the leader of the resistance (Kate Mara, TV’s House of Cards), the purpose of the quartet never in question. As the film’s protagonist couple test the limits of what it means to be alive, their opponents herald not just death, but immutable impermanence.
Without any subtlety, the debut effort from cinematographer turned filmmaker Pfister and first-time scribe Paglen makes plain their cautionary conclusions to the concept of life and love extended through artificial intelligence, although the execution of their ideas proves less engaging than the aesthetic. Pfister is better known as the man behind the lens of Christopher Nolan’s seven films since Memento, winning an Academy Award for Inception, and it is in the steely darkness of the visuals and lingering long shots that Transcendence elicits intrigue. The depth and texture that can be seen in the admittedly special-effects laden images can’t be felt in the flimsy story and its attempts to marry smarts with sentiment.
Little is asked of the cast, yet credit must go to performers that deliver exactly what is needed – be it a slightly off-putting eccentric genius in the form of Depp, or a grief-stricken, love-struck focal point in the form of Hall. While the former plays in the expected territory, the latter convincingly commits to the spate of incredulous decisions that characterise the writing of her role, which could have elicited hearty laughs in lesser hands. Their supports prove successful in their presence over their efforts, from a line-up more interesting and varied than most big budget efforts. Indeed, a step above the usual blockbuster is what the entire film aims to be, attempting to augment its fear-fuelled sci-fi musings and love story basis beyond the seen-before standard. Alas, trying to transcend normality and floundering with the restrictions of reality is a fate shared both on screen and off.
Rating: 2 ½ out of 5 stars
Transcendence
Director: Wally Pfister
UK / USA / China, 2014, 119 mins
Release date: April 24
Distributor: Roadshow
Rated: M
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