Review of Transcendence (2014) by Anthony F — 01 Oct 2014

All the negativity surrounding this movie is both sad and somewhat disgraceful. Wally Pfister, in his directorial debut, is extremely strong and shows he's a capable filmmaker. I agree that for part of the script, the film was convoluted.

Unlike almost every film where you can split it into three acts, this film is divided in half: the first half of the film focuses on RIFT, uploading Will Caster's consciousness into a supercomputer and what to do next.

The film here is all over the place, and while there are some good things about it, it's mainly frustrating. The second half focuses on the building of Brightwood, a secret facility in the middle of nowhere, and Evelyn's debate to believe if Will is actually "alive," along with the intervention of military forces and the inevitable singularity Will Caster talked and studied about.

Even if the plot and script are criticized greatly, this film deserves so much more credit, mainly for its production and Pfister's stunning direction. The fact this has a lower rating than any of the Transformers films (other than Age of Extinction) is a disgrace in itself.