Image copyright © by Marcus Trahan

Transcendence

(2014)

I tried my best to like this, but in the end it’s just another out-of-control supercomputer story. Ancestors include 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Colossus: the Forbin Project (1970), Resident Evil (2002) and its sequels, the Terminator films. Even my novella “PRESS ENTER.” That would be okay if it brought something new to the table, but there really wasn’t anything. Johnny Depp dies and his brain is transferred over to a computer, and he slowly begins asserting himself, building an underground, fortified city in the desert. The usual fireworks at the end. Despite all that, it’s really slow-paced and quite boring most of the time.