Transcendence

"Yesterday, Dr. Will Caster was only human..."

2014 1h 59m EN

😐

6.1

MID

★6.1TMDB · 5,980

ThrillerScience FictionDramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Two leading computer scientists work toward their goal of Technological Singularity, as a radical anti-technology organization fights to prevent them from creating a world where computers can transcend the abilities of the human brain.

“Yesterday, Dr. Will Caster was only human...”

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Cast

Johnny Depp
Dr. Will Caster
Rebecca Hall
Evelyn Caster
Morgan Freeman
Joseph Tagger
Paul Bettany
Max Waters
Cillian Murphy
Agent Donald Buchanan
Kate Mara
Bree
Cole Hauser
Colonel Stevens
Clifton Collins Jr.
Martin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wally Pfister
Writers: Jack Paglen
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$100M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 12 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CAST

Did you know

269+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Wally Pfister, shot by Jess Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mychael Danna. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor David Rosenbloom shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Johnny Depp and Rebecca Hall and Morgan Freeman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Yesterday, Dr. Will Caster was only human...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wally Pfister directs. Jess Hall behind the camera. Mychael Danna scores. David Rosenbloom cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1$100M budget — tentpole studio territory.
2Released 12 years ago.
3269+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
4Directed by Wally Pfister, shot by Jess Hall. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Mychael Danna. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor David Rosenbloom shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Johnny Depp and Rebecca Hall and Morgan Freeman carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Yesterday, Dr. Will Caster was only human...".
9IMDB entry: tt2209764 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 19 themes, including "mind control", "artificial intelligence (a.i.)", "computer virus", "technology".
11Released under 13 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jess Hall
Original score: Mychael Danna
Editing: David Rosenbloom
Production design: Chris Seagers
Costume design: George L. Little
Makeup / hair: Luisa Abel
VFX supervisor: Nathan McGuinness
Sound: Mark Mangini
Stunt coordinator: Wade Allen
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $100,000,000
Box office: $103,039,258
Return: 103% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Transcendence (2014)

Also by

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The Tick
2016 · ★ 7.0

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Community reviews

What people are saying

jw2022-01-07
★ 4/10
flat as empty paper When the FBI guy (Cillian Murphy) gives a clueless monologue for the first time, I wondered whether that was a potshot. The second time, it became clear the writer has no clue what he's writing about. No, the blender meme wasn't about Luddism. Plots involving AIs have been around for decades, and they always require a good amount of suspension of disbelief. But they should never be stupid. (Nor should the AIs.) Here, both are. There is no depth to the story, no suspense, no unexpected developments either. These topics - AI, Nanites, Dr. Frankenstein improving the world - has been written about competently, oftentimes. A good copy would've done. When this script tries to be deep, philosophical even, it fails. But that's not the worst of it. The only actor to get to express some (some!) emotional range and depth is Rebecca Hall in her role as Eveyln Caster. The other actors, good as they are, have very little to work with - all the characters are flat and schematic. The partner: loving. The concerned friend: despairing. The father figure: caring. The terrorists: self-righteous. The FBI: sober. The townspeople: stupid hicks. And so on. The obvious questions don't get asked, the less obvious - hey, the AI and a number of characters are supposed to be highly intelligent! - aren't asked either. And so the movie plods along to its expected end. Even acclaimed actors have a hard time to breathe life and sense in a papier mâché puppet. "Transcendence" (2014) is another WOMBAT: Waste Of Money, Brains, And Time. Don't waste yours.

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