Every year or so there is a life-changing movie released in cinemas that completely alters the way an individual may perceive film. Generally these movies are epic, thought-provoking and ultimately very captivating. Pardon my slang, but Transcendence ain’t one of those movies. Released back in April to negative reviews, the film has now arrived on Blu-ray/DVD and isn’t much better despite the high definition treatment.

The movie tells the story of Dr. Will Caster, played convincingly by the talented Johnny Depp, an influential leader in the field of artificial intelligence. Caster is working to create a sentient machine that combines mankind’s collective intelligence with true human emotion. As with most films of this genre, this protagonist has his share of issues – the main one being that several radical extremists want him dead. Apparently they aren’t fans of technology. After a threat on his life, Caster records and uploads his mind and thoughts into a supercomputer to achieve, ahem, transcendence. Nice, right?

Before I move forward in my own review, I’d just like to point out that I am a kind person. I’d like to think of myself as a positive journalist. I try my darndest to stay upbeat. In keeping with my encouraging philosophies, I’ll try to remain as positive as I can in this review. With that being said, let’s focus on the good in the Transcendence Blu-ray, shall we?

For starters, you can’t go wrong with the cast. While some critics heavily criticized the characters in the film, I though the actors and actresses who portrayed them did a good job. I’ve always been a fan of Depp’s. The man can do no wrong. The same can be said of Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy. Despite a dull script, these three actors successfully managed to keep things fresh and interesting.

That should count for something, right? I certainly think so.

One of the things that the Blu-ray release has going for it is the inclusion of several special features. I’m a sucker for behind-the-scenes material. To that end, Transcendence does not disappoint. There are a handful of special features including an interview with cast and crew to discuss the concept of the film’s plot, a chat with the director on how he went about keeping things visually appealing, and a cool tidbit with scientists and filmmakers discussing the potential of artificial intelligence in the world. There are also trailers and viral videos.

Transcendence runs approximately 119 minutes and is presented in 1080p high definition 16×9 2.4:1. The picture is clear and the sound is just as stellar thanks to Dolby Digital. This seems to be the standard when it comes to Warner Brothers’ releases. Not bad.

Given the fact that Transcendence barely recovered its $100 million dollar budget, I’m not quite sure how this Blu-ray is going to sell. I’m not quite sure I’d recommend dropping $20 plus bucks on this one. You want my opinion? I say wait until it arrives on Netflix.

Trust me on this one. You’ll be glad you did. However, if you’re a hardcore Johnny Depp or sci-fi fan, then you can order your copy from the links below.

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We’ve all seen movies featuring sentient computers: 2001: A Space Odyssey, WarGames, Eagle Eye, Demon Seed, Colossus: The Forbin Project, TRON, and of course the Terminator movies. And we all know how badly things usually go once the computers become more intelligent and “alive” than their human counterparts. But what would happen if a human’s intelligence and essence were to be uploaded into a super computer?

That’s the question posed by the new sci-fi thriller Transcendence. Johnny Depp stars as a computer genius who has helped develop a supercomputer known as PINN, a creation that is as “alive” as a machine can be. But a fringe group of techno-terrorists believe that PINN and other pieces of technology like it threaten our very being on the planet (kind of like The Terminator‘s SkyNet), so they bomb several computer labs and attempt to assassinate Depp’s Dr. Caster. He doesn’t die from the shooting, but it turns out the bullet was laced with radioactive material that was detected too late to save him, so his wife decides to take the PINN project one step further and upload her husband onto the hard drives. What could possibly go wrong?

I want to say Transcendence is an amazing piece of speculative science fiction brought to us by producer Christopher Nolan and directed by Nolan’s long-time cinematographer Wally Pfister … but I can’t. Transcendence is a supremely stupid movie, made all the more maddening by gigantic plot holes and a complete disregard for any sense of time. Oh, and any suspense the movie may have had – will the computer take over the world or will they stop it – is non-existent because THE MOVIE STARTS AT THE END! It’s all a flashback, so we know the outcome before the story even starts. The movie becomes a complete waste of time at that point.

And Johnny Depp must have felt the same way because he looks supremely bored during the entire movie. Yes, he’s dead and what we see is a visual representation of his character on all of the video screens, but what is supposed to be his mechanical coolness just comes off as “I’m here to collect a paycheck.” This movie demonstrates very well why computers like HAL 9000, Colossus and Her‘s Samantha are so much more effective – we don’t see the actors doing the voices. Intonation is much more effective when there isn’t a face with a blank expression. I think Depp was so bored that he kept screwing around with an accent that never materialized fully, but it must have kept him entertained.

The rest of the cast isn’t much better. Morgan Freeman could be playing a slightly more bewildered version of Lucius Fox and Rebecca Hall seems to have one blank expression throughout the movie. Paul Bettany is the only lead who actually gives anything resembling a performance. Then there’s that time issue I mentioned earlier. We know the flashback takes place five years earlier from the end of the movie. But things happen, like a massive, massive underground facility with miles and miles of solar panels above ground is constructed in what seems to be a few weeks. I don’t think even a supercomputer has that ability, even when it’s giving the local residents of an almost ghost town in the middle of the desert superhuman abilities. (Nanobots!) Did I mention this movie is stupid? And to make matters worse, the script is by newcomer Jack Paglen who has been tapped to write the new theatrical Battlestar Galactica reboot! Frack!

Pfister did not serve as his own cinematographer, but the film looks fine. In fact, it’s all a bit Nolan-y right down to the final “what the hell” shot that cuts to black right before the credits roll. It reminded me just a bit too much of that final shot from Inception. I can understand Nolan’s influence on Pfister, but there’s a fine line between imitation and plagiarism. Pfister pretty much copies Nolan’s style with a script that Nolan would have tossed into the nearest waste basket. It could have been a terrific movie if the concept had just been fleshed out a bit more and had we not been asked to just accept all of the massive leaps in logic. And if they hadn’t given away the end at the beginning! With all of the talent involved, the final product simply does not compute.

CliqueClack has partnered with Warner Brothers Pictures and Allied Integrated Marketing to offer readers in the DC areas an opportunity to attend an advance screening of the new sci-fi drama Transcendence starring Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Morgan Freeman

Dr. Will Caster (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 (Hall) and best friend Max Waters (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.

The screening will take place Tuesday, April 15 at 7:00 PM.

A limited number of passes are available for each screening location and are available for download by clicking on the following links:

• AMC Georgetown, 3111 K St. NW, Washington, DC
• AMC White Marsh, 8141 Honeygo Blvd, White Marsh, MD

Passes are available on a first come, first served basis. When they’re gone, they’re gone. CliqueClack is not distributing the passes for this event and has no control over the total number of passes available. No comments will be accepted. Seating is also first come, first served so plan to arrive early. CliqueClack is not responsible for seating arrangements at the theater.

Take a look at the film’s trailer and click on the appropriate link to download your passes! Transcendence opens on Friday, April 18.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QheoYw1BKJ4