Well, at least he lost the white face paint...
"Transcendence" is a new movie starring Johnny Depp that, get this, is NOT directed by Tim Burton and is therefore a palatable piece of media. Johnny Depp portrays Dr. Will Caster, a brilliant mathematician and computer researcher who is targeted by the anti-technology group RIFT and is rapidly dying as an effect of an assassination attempt. As his body decays, his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) constructs a computer to replicate his brain patterns and preserve his mind.
The movie follows the course of Will, in computer form, as his mind expands and becomes more powerful, controlling much of the internet's power and building an underground research complex to continue experimentation and technological developments. Will soon becomes near omnipotent and the military, allied with RIFT, attempts to shut him down.
The film is well-paced and thrilling, but the intrigue of the film does not come from the spectacle of CGI or the brief battle scenes, but rather from the chaotic mind of Will. The film adeptly serves as both a sci-fi movie and a psychological thriller as Will's mind is brought into question. The main question that hangs over the entire film is whether Will's mind was successful transferred into the computer or is the AI simply pretending to be him? However, the larger question is whether a computer can successfully replicate a human mind to the point that there is no difference between the replication and the original. Can a human mind truly be created? These questions culminate in one of the final scenes of the movie which brings into the question the motivations of every major character. The final moments of the movie indicate the tiniest glimmer of hope imaginable but leaves the film with a resonant sense of completion.
"Transcendence" earns a "Watch It" for surprising philosophical questions exemplified in an engaging sci-fi thriller. I must confess, as soon as I saw Mr. Depp's face on the poster of this film I set my expectations as low as possible and came out shockingly impressed.
As always, please leave your comments below and let me know what you thought of "Transcendence."
