Transcendence (2014)

A scientist's drive for artificial intelligence takes on dangerous implications when his own 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 | mind upload | 

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Taglines:

Yesterday Dr. Will Caster was only human

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, some bloody images, brief strong language and sensuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ewan McGregor and Tom Hardy turned down the role of Max, due to scheduling conflicts.

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Goofs

A Turing-complete A.I. with the capabilities of that depicted within this movie would require storage space of the magnitude of Petabytes, if not Exabytes. When Evelyn hastily uploads the "Will" consciousness to the Internet, the process takes only a matter of a few seconds (and this over a satellite Internet connection.) To actually upload such an amount of data using the best (as of 2016) fiber-optic Internet connection would in fact take years, if not decades.

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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 Movies that Ripped Off Anime (2019)

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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

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros. [United States]

Country:

UK China USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 April 2014 (USA)

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