Transcendence (2014)

A scientist's drive for artificial intelligence, takes on dangerous implications when his consciousness is uploaded into one such program.

Director:

Wally Pfister

Writer:

Jack Paglen

Stars:

Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman

3 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johnny Depp	...	Will Caster
Rebecca Hall	...	Evelyn Caster
Paul Bettany	...	Max Waters
Cillian Murphy	...	Agent Buchanan
Kate Mara	...	Bree
Cole Hauser	...	Colonel Stevens
Morgan Freeman	...	Joseph Tagger
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Martin
Cory Hardrict	...	Joel Edmund
Falk Hentschel	...	Bob
Josh Stewart	...	Paul
Luce Rains	...	Roger
Fernando Chien	...	Heng
Steven Liu	...	Chiu
Xander Berkeley	...	Dr. Thomas Casey

Storyline

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed-to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can...but if they should. Their worst fears are realized as Will's thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.

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Plot Keywords:

scientist | artificial intelligence | technology | power outage | consciousness | 

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Taglines:

Dr. Will Caster is dying to keep a secret

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end when the camera pans through the quantum computer array, on the left is Japanese katakana written on the left side. This means "computing".

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Goofs

In Bree's camp, there is a sign that reads "No Autherized Persons Allowed" (authorized is misspelled).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Max Waters: They say there's power in Boston. Some phone service in Denver. But things are far from what they were. Maybe it was all invevitable. An unavoidable collision between mankind and technology. The Internet was meant to make the world a smaller place. But it actually feels smaller without it. I knew Will and Evelyn Caster better than anyone. I knew their brillance. Their dedication to what they believed in. And to what they loved.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Movie Flops of the Last Decade (2020)

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Soundtracks

Happy Birthday to You
Written by Mildred J. Hill (as Mildred Hill) and Patty S. Hill (as Patty Hill)

User Reviews

A good film let down by an underused supporting cast.

Despite many flaws and missed potential, I did I find this to be an enjoyable film. It has a pleasing storyline and the character arcs of Will, Evelyn and Max were well done. Sadly, the film let itself down with the supporting cast. While well acted, the film does nothing with the supporting cast and their roles are diminished by this. They are interesting characters who should have added substance and story to the film and instead they are overlooked and under- utilised. There are far too few scenes away from the main three characters of the film, where there should have been more. The cinematography is lovely. Thankfully, the main cast are great actors so it's not a problem having to watch them for the majority of the film. The concept is good, and it isn't over-embellished. However, once it's finished I was just left with a real 'what was the point of everyone else, why didn't they build on that?' feeling, a waste of some very good actors.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

UK China USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2014 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Transcendence

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,886,386, 20 April 2014

Gross USA:

$23,022,309

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$103,039,258

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alcon Entertainment, DMG Entertainment, Straight Up Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Datasat Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1