OVERVIEW: The secrets to building super intelligence emerge in “Transcendence,” arriving onto Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital HD on July 22 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. “Transcendence” stars Oscar® nominee Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean” series) as a researcher whose quest to create an all-knowing and all-feeling machine threatens to destroy mankind.

SYNOPSIS: In “Transcendence,” 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.

FILM REVIEW: Super-producer Chris Nolan and sidekick/director Wally Pfister (Both for The Dark Knight Rises, 2011), brings us this intellectually over-the-top sci-fi flick about artificial intelligence gone wrong. About ten minutes into the flick, I found myself thinking about the multitude of ways this movie could really be the next big thing in the science-fiction genre: The subject matter is awesome, the plot is great thus far and a few of the lead actors are class-A. This includes the likes of Johnny Depp and veteran iconic actor Morgan Freeman (Oblivion, 2013). However, at about thirty minutes in to the one hundred and nineteen minute play time, a single thought crossed my mind and it was something I could not believe I found myself entertaining. That thought was: “Is it at all possible that this could turn out to be one of the worst, if not the worst, science-fiction movie I have seen in years?” Thankfully, the answer to that question came in a positive way, in the form a few interesting technological concepts thrown out periodically: Just enough to ensure that I didn’t sink into deep despair about the overall plot of the movie.

As it turns out, nothing is wrong with the plot. However, it’s the execution that will make one question the overall greatness of this flick. Therefore, we’re not looking at whether or not the movie is simply good or bad, but more like whether or not the movie is good or great. Every scene is meticulously staged, most actors are on point with the quality of acting and every plot point is built up to reveal something huge, with thought provoking ‘thriller music’ and a sense of intrigue to follow; Though very little action takes place. The dialogue between main characters is interesting. However, there is the exception of the chemistry between the two lead characters and their love interest, simply not working throughout the movie. And interestingly enough, this flick seemingly tries to debate the ethics of sentient intelligence and fails miserably because the discussions are possibly too far above audiences ‘will’ to comprehend for a two hour flick. 

As I touched on previously, for a sci-fi action flick, there is very little action to fall back on in this movie. This effectively leaves audiences to rely on understanding the overall plot and concept in order to regard it as a great addition to the sci-fi genre. Another questionable part of the concept came in the form of the film seemingly presenting science as something against the natural order of things. This is not how you do sci-fi in 2014, in my humble option. Science should be perceived as fun, cool and amazing. One can’t preach about the ill-effects of science without debating it with some semblance of intellect. This is a bit of a disappointment, especially for Nolan fans, considering his latest effort, Interstellar (2014 [according to IMDB]) is just about to be released later in the year. Let’s just hope this was just an anomaly, on Chris Nolan’s part. Nevertheless, the movie is not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a good movie worth watching. I think the expectancy is much higher since we’re dealing with such noted producers and directors; Hence, my reluctance to give it a rating higher than three and a half out of five stars.

BLU-RAY: The film is presented in widescreen in a 1.85:1 aspect ration preserving its theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good, a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement to the picture. It also includes  English, French  and Spanish subtitles.

VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.40:1) 16x9

AUDIO:
DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1/DVS English, Dolby Digital 5.1 Latin Spanish, Canadian French, Brazilian Portuguese

Subtitles - English SDH, Latin Spanish, Parisian French, Brazilian Portuguese

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and hi-def sound. 

DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away. 

Digital Copy provides consumers with a choice of formats from a variety of partners, including options to watch on iPhone®,
iPad®, Android, computers and more.

UltraViolet™ is the revolutionary way for consumers to collect their movies and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets
consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United States
and Canada.

What Is Transcendence?

Wally Pfister: A Singular Vision

Guarding the Threat

The Promise of A.I.

It’s Me

Singularity

R.I.F.T

Trailer 1

Trailer 2