A scientist's drive for artificial intelligence takes on dangerous implications when his own consciousness is uploaded into one such program.A scientist's drive for artificial intelligence takes on dangerous implications when his own consciousness is uploaded into one such program.A scientist's drive for artificial intelligence takes on dangerous implications when his own consciousness is uploaded into one such program.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaContinuing his outspoken advocacy for the use of film stock over digital formats, cinematographer Wally Pfister not only chose to shoot the film in the anamorphic format on 35mm film instead of on a digital camera, but also finished the film photochemically, refusing to use a digital intermediate.
- GoofsWill Caster is killed by the highly toxic radio-active element, Polonium (the same one used to murder Alexander Litvinenko in true-life in 2006). Despite its toxicity (scientists estimate that 1 gram could kill 50 million people), his wife and friends are allowed to remain with him in close proximity until his death. Whilst intact skin is actually a barrier to the passage of alpha radiation particles to a nearby person (so we could let them off this goof), we later see Caster's cremated ashes being tossed into the breeze above a river for all to breath in. These are hardly actions that any homeland security or radiation expert would conceivably have allowed to happen.
- Quotes
Will Caster: For 130,000 years, our capacity to reason has remained unchanged. The combined intellect of the neuroscientists, mathematicians and... hackers... in this auditoirum pales in comparison to the most basic A.I. Once online, a sentient machine will quickly overcome the limits of biology. And in a short time, its analytic power will become greater than the collective intelligence of every person born in the history of the world. So imagine such an entity with a full range of human emotion. Even self-awareness. Some scientists refer to this as "the Singularity." I call it "Transcendence."
- ConnectionsFeatured in Half in the Bag: Transcendence and the Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
- SoundtracksGenesis
Written by Jorma Kaukonen
Performed by Jorma Kaukonen
Courtesy of RCA Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
Featured review
Intriguing storyline which goes to the heart of human existence
Truly the questions this film asks leave me wondering. So let's start with the film itself, as a scifi thriller, it's beautifully executed with some stunning visuals, to the extent that sometimes it has the feel of a travel advertisement. The story hangs together well, with strong central performances which keep you engaged. Some of the ethics are quite complex, and you have to ask if the machine's intent is really hostile, or is that just the interpretation characters are putting on it because they don't understand. And we fear what we do not understand. The intent here is clearly to tell a story in such a way that you walk away thinking about it. Job done. I came away thoroughly entertained, and thinking more about singularity and transcendence than I have in quite a while. If you are after a Saturday afternoon blockbuster with a lot of action, this might not be the film for you, but if you prefer your action with a little more intrigue, this is a great film.
helpful•294137
- Sjhm
- Apr 18, 2014
Details
Box office
- 1 hour 59 minutes
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content



















































