Fresh from over a decade serving as Christopher Nolan’s
director of photography, Wally Pfister strikes out with his directional debut Transcendence, a technological
science-fiction thriller. Genius artificial intelligence designer Will Caster
(Johnny Depp) is critically injured by a member of an underground anti-A.I.
resistance group and his wife (Rebecca Hall) and best friend (Paul Bettany)
realise the only way to ensure his survival is to upload his consciousness into
an advanced supercomputer. As Will’s mind begins to become assimilated into the
A.I., it begins designing and constructing new technology, reaching a state of
such ambition his wife and friends begin to wonder if the decision they made
was for the better or worse.
Before taking a look at the film, it’s important to note
that upon initial release in America, the film has flopped: having discovered
that it tanked at the box office and received almost unanimously damning
reviews, I went into the cinema to see Transcendence
feeling very apprehensive, being a fan of Pfister’s work and intrigued by
the trailer. I honestly cannot understand the general feeling of resentment towards
the film. It’s not perfect, there are numerous problems, but they hardly justify
the tirade of critical raspberries aimed in its direction.
So let’s begin with the good things the film has to offer:
above anything else, it is a visual treat. Incorporating vast, X-Files-ish technological landscapes and
sporting a starkly realistic colour palette, it’s one of the few examples of a
film that is determined to make its science feel grounded in a realistic
environment. The cinematography is alternatively intimate and expansive, and
almost feels like D.O.P. Jess Hall is attempting to imitate Pfister’s own look,
many shot compositions and camera angles feeling very reminiscent of his
Oscar-winning work for Inception.
Performance-wise, the marketing for the film has placed
Johnny Depp at the front and centre – understandably so as the most bankable
star – but his understated, HAL-esque façade pales in comparison to the real star
of the film: Paul Bettany as Max Waters. As a man torn between loyalty to his
friends and to humanity as a whole, Bettany is the pragmatic and emotional core
of the story. Rebecca Hall turns in a perfectly fine performance, although the
appearances of Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy and Josh Stewart feel more like
set dressing and Pfister showing off the friends he’s made by working so
closely with Nolan.
The issues of the film begin in the story department.
Despite a plot that raises a number of questions regularly seen in modern
science-fiction e.g. ‘Where do we draw the line between man and machine?’,
these ideas are rather clumsily handled and often disregarded in favour of a
more intimate character drama. This is not to say that the drama isn’t without
merit, but it feels like the real focus of the film has been snatched away from
the film-makers. The film is about half an hour too short, and as such a lot of
the character and plot developments feel rushed, and there is a great deal of
liberty taken with time frames, the passing of two years seemingly having no
effect on the characters or where they’re headed.
Transcendence is
not a terrible film, that much should be obvious to any discerning audience. It’s
a highly ambitious first feature, and Pfister should be admired for at least
trying to make a film that is actually about
something, rather than just a lot of empty spectacle. For all its pacing
and plot issues, it shows a lot of promise and I look forward to Pfisters’ next
feature.
3 Stars
