Not even Depp can save this script, which is almost completely in the pathetic, mixing some elementary ideas from movies like "Lawnmover Man" (1992) and also a storytelling style from not so well-done movies like "Independence Day" (1996). Unfortunately the storytelling is at par with the latter, full of logical errors, totally overblown exaggerated technical assumptions based on very little if anything, twists that leave the viewer without explanation and plot holes big enough to fly a Boeing 727 trough. It's sad that the makers, when having a chance to address the relevant and very real problems and virtues with AI and Nano Technology, they allow this opportunity to be wasted on a tepid story where alleged highly intelligent people acts more or less like some buffoons. The actors do what's necessary, but not more and in most cases less. Paul Bettany ("Max") does the better job, while Rebecca Hall ("Evelyn") is not convincing at all. Morgan Freeman has a somewhat smaller role as "Joseph Tagger", but there are too many stupid moments to render his interpretation as anything else as ridiculously mediocre considering how good an actor he can be. Probably not his fault. Granted he wasn't the focus here, but nevertheless. Depp also disappoints as "Will Caster" going through the motions, but somehow feeling almost absent on the screen, also when in physical form. One main gripe I have is that Evelyn's behavior as an highly intelligent woman when exposed to the fate of her boyfriend is overshadowed of her alleged love for him, driving her to illogical decisions. This may be acceptable if only her love had been believable. It's not. As it is presented now the audience have to assume this is how she felt, which is never a good sign. Compare this to how the love between "Neo" and "Trinity" in "Matrix Reloaded" is presented and where I think you can feel and more importantly understand their love for each other in the more dramatic moments of that movie. It's more than skin deep, which is not the case in "Transcendence". A big disappointment in short. I wanted to give this a "2", but I add one point for a somewhat poetic attempt of an ending.

Just as the writers involved with various Star Trek projects did, the writers of this film set out to deliberately manipulate the reaction of the audience to something "beyond" themselves. The writers wanted us to fear the possibility of becoming anything more than the isolated entities our minds are doomed to now remain.With Star Trek, the boogeyman was the Borg and the threat that humanity would cease to have "individuality"; in this film, it is the "transcendent" AI. At least in the instance of the Borg, we were shown that they used violence and force to achieve their loftier goal, just as Communism failed because it tried to use force to achieve something noble. In this movie, there was even less reason to fear the (r)evolution, since no one who becomes part of this collective does so against their free will. Quite to the contrary, it is the "freedom fighters" who resort to brutal violence to achieve their purpose. Only at the very end of the movie are we given even a hint that perhaps that fear was foolish and misplaced.That hint at the end was not enough to make up for the brazen attempt to drag my wife and I down into the muck of our emotions and make us wallow in baseless fear for the second half of the movie. We weren't angry at or afraid of the transcendent AI; we are afraid of small-minded humans who lack capacity to realize that existing in utter isolation is NOT such a wonderful thing, and equally afraid of those, like the writers of this film, who would exploit the small-minded for their own benefit.This film had potential to make people think. Instead the writers pandered to what they knew would resonate and sell, and in the process did their minute part to hold humanity back from its real-life transcendence.

Warner Bros summary refers to anti-technology terrorists which I can't help put presume that it is a way of diminishing anyone who questions the ethics of AI technology in some areas, i.e. merging man with machine. Questioning the ethics does not make someone anti-technology. It makes them free thinking individuals whose perspectives can be rather helpful in the ongoing debate. It just seems to be an attempt to program people to accept it without question by associating them with terrorists. Subtle but definitely intentional.

A man uses advanced technology to connect people, heal the injured, and grant people superhuman abilities that make their lives easier. He is the villain.A group that hates this man and wants to destroy his work shoot him with a poisoned bullet, kill dozens of researchers, torture and kill innocent people, and generally act like technophobic terrorists. They are the heroes.With such an idiotic mix-up in the film's basic premise, it was never going to be great, but it's compounded with rubbish action, stupid science, completely illogical plotting, and nonsensical character motivations.This film is a waste of a big budget and a great cast. I hate it more than words can express.