Lynn Belvedere

TRANSCENDENCE

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Dr. Will Caster with his highly controversial experiments, has become famous as the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence with the creation of PINN. He has been unsuccessfully working to create a god-like sentient computer network, that has greater-than-human intelligence plus knowledge about everyone and everything from now until the beginning of time, but with full ethical standards and the full range of human emotions.

Directorial debut of cinematographer Wally Pfister, TRANSCENDENCE is both stylish and entertaining Sci-Fi, and at its core this film is an eternal love story of Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) and his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall). There also is an interesting and unique science fiction premise, about the creation of a fully realised artificial intelligence that is fully self-aware. So we go on a journey of discovery where we can determine, if the newly created artificial intelligence with its extraordinary superpowers and its nano-technology, is it either benevolent or malevolent?

A clever story about grief, loss, love that posed some interesting questions, about how far some people are willing to go to keep their partner alive.

With strong and believable performances from the A-list main cast, TRANSCENDENCE is not quite another of those oft-filmed themes of a sentient machine taking over the entire world, but it is a very different take on how to create an Artificial Intelligence, so this movie is highly recommended for all science-fiction fans.

A massive and brutal edit is required, as the excessively slow pace of the dialogue/story, plus the excessively slow pacing of the visual panoramas, the running time of 119 minutes is a huge problem, as it needs cuts totalling at least twenty minutes.

Please let there be a tighter-edited sequel, as there are several interesting possibilities, since the ending certainly sets itself up for many sequels.

Starring Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Paul Bettany, Cole Hauser, Clifton Collins Jr, Josh Stewart, Olivia Dudley,

OFLC Classification: rated M (Science fiction themes and violence)

Official Website: http://www.transcendencemovie.com/

Published by Lynn Belvedere

Once we were old enough, my parents took the whole family to the Sydney CBD cinemas every week. Thus began a lifetime interest, in going to the cinema every week, and became a passionate cinephile by watching all those very heavily edited ''Australian Film Censorship Board'' true cinéaste versions of brand new release ''Cinematograph Films''. Greater Union always gave my father (who worked in Cinema Distribution Exhibition) guest double movie passes, to every first-night ''red carpet Opening Night'' at The State Theatre Cinema at 49 Market Street. Up until his death, my dad always received ''two house seats'' for every Opening Night performance events at the Theatre Royal SYDNEY and at Her Majesty's Theatre SYDNEY. As a child, when mum choose not to go, I often went with him, to those live performance events. As a young child, I remember being taken for each new show, at both The New Theatre at 60 Sussex Street, and the Phillip Street Theatre when located at 150 Elizabeth Street, and for classical music concerts at Sydney Town Hall. = = = ★★★★★ = = = Being happy is a choice, and I have always viewed my life, as material ready be made into a series of amazing tentpole movies. My New Years Resolution is kept every year: ''Get to see/review five new live theatre shows each week, and get to see/review six new cinema movies each week'', plus is one of the Australian Cinema Pioneers, and apparently have seen far too much already, but always wanting to experience more and more each year. I am also able to do almost everything that I enjoy doing. Yes, I do have a great daytime job in I.T. as ''Software Design Project Manager'', PLUS each evening until quite late - - - Australian Cinematograph Films historical censorship consultant - product-placement consultant - mystery-shopper consultant - playwright, writer, author, director, producer, photographer, cinematographer, color-grader, subtitles proofreader - arts/ drama/ music/ film critic and judge, journalist, member FIPRESCI & FCCA & AFCA, member AACTA accredited film reviewer-critic-writer, accredited IMDB.COM critic-reviewer-author, projectionist, plus an innovative iconoclast - - - ★★★★★ LYNN BELVEDERE ★★★★★ - - - [usr 5] - - -