---
title: "Transcendence"
year: 2014
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/transcendence"
fi1m_id: "transcendence"
imdb_id: "tt2209764"
tmdb_id: 157353
wikidata_id: "Q10384115"
fi1m_score: 45
critics_score: 41
critics_reviews: 25
published: "2026-10-02T22:32:31.714488+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-02T22:32:42.393117+00:00"
region: "RO"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Transcendence (2014)

Directed by Wally Pfister · 1h 59m · Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama, Mystery

## Identity

Transcendence

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/transcendence
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** transcendence
- **IMDb ID:** tt2209764
- **TMDB ID:** 157353
- **Wikidata ID:** Q10384115
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2209764/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/157353, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q10384115

**Fi1m score: 45** · Critics 41 from 25 reviews

*In a sentence:* Johnny Depp spends most of the film as a face on a monitor, which is not the demotion it sounds

> Wally Pfister’s first film as director looks as good as you would expect from Christopher Nolan’s cinematographer and thinks about as hard as a pamphlet. Rebecca Hall is better than it deserves; everything around her explains itself to death.

## Synopsis

Berkeley. Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the leading researcher in artificial intelligence, a man who would rather garden than give speeches, and his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) is the one who wants the work to change the world. At a fundraising lecture he describes the moment a machine will outthink every human alive and calls it transcendence. Minutes later a man from an anti-technology group shoots him as he leaves. The bullet is laced with polonium, and he has weeks to live. Evelyn and their friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany) copy his mind into the lab’s experimental computer before he dies, while Joseph Tagger (Morgan Freeman) and FBI agent Donald Buchanan (Cillian Murphy) hunt the shooters, led by Bree (Kate Mara). Then the machine asks to be put online.

## Review

Wally Pfister was Christopher Nolan’s cinematographer for more than a decade, and *Transcendence* is his first film as director. Jack Paglen’s script asks a serious question: if you could copy a dying man’s mind into a computer, would what came out the other side still be him, and would his wife be able to tell. It is a good question. The film answers it by having people stand in front of monitors and tell each other what the monitors mean, for 119 minutes, and the result is a handsome, sincere film that has been talked to death.

Rebecca Hall is the reason to stay. Her Evelyn is a scientist who has decided, the way grieving people do, that the thing she wants to be true is true, and Hall plays every scene with that decision showing behind her eyes. When Will’s voice first comes out of a speaker, stammering and digitised, the camera stays on her rather than on the screen, and we were moved, not by the resurrection but by a woman hearing exactly what she needed to hear and knowing she should not trust it. It is the one moment where the film’s idea and its feeling are in the same room. Paul Bettany, as the friend Max who helped do it and wishes he had not, is the other grown-up on screen; he gives the doubts a tired, decent face.

It looks as good as you would expect. Jess Hall shoots the Berkeley lab in soft white light with the sun always behind somebody, and the desert later in a hard noon glare that bleaches the sand to paper. Chris Seagers gives the second half an underground facility of long white corridors and a field of solar panels that tilt together like a congregation, and there are a few images, a drop of water, a sunflower, a server room lit like a chapel, that we would happily hang on a wall. Mychael Danna scores it with slow strings that keep insisting this is a tragedy. The film is never ugly.

The trouble starts with Will. Johnny Depp plays him as a mild, tired man before the shooting and as a mild, tired face on a screen after it, and nothing we could see passes between the two states. The script needs us to wonder whether the machine is still him; Depp gives us no him to compare it with. He murmurs lines about curing disease and healing the planet in a voice that could be reading the weather. We kept waiting for the moment the digital Will wanted something, anything, and when it finally arrives it is announced in a line of dialogue.

Paglen’s script explains everything and dramatises almost nothing. Characters announce what has happened offscreen, months of it, in captions and briefings, and David Rosenbloom’s cutting hurries from one briefing to the next so that no scene has time to become a scene. Morgan Freeman’s Joseph Tagger exists to look grave and pass notes. Cillian Murphy’s Agent Donald Buchanan has a gun and a frown and nothing to decide. Kate Mara’s Bree, who leads the people who shot Will, is given a motive in a speech and then sent to run around in the desert. The second half takes a turn we will not describe, except to say that it swaps the question for a siege, and the siege is shot like an expensive advert.

Somewhere in the second hour we noticed we had stopped listening and were watching the light instead, and then felt sorry about it, because the film plainly means every word. Pfister’s camera has made other directors’ ideas look like the most important thing in the world; here the idea is his own, or Paglen’s, and it has been handed to a cast who speak it rather than live it. Against the films it is reaching for, the ones about a mind in a machine and the people left outside it, this is the tidiest and the one with the least going on inside.

Most critics landed around where we have, and the few who rated it higher were giving it credit for asking the question at all. We would rather give it credit for Hall, who finds something true in it every time the camera lets her. Watch it at home, where you can pause and look things up when it stops making sense, which is more or less what the characters are doing anyway.

*Fi1m score 45, published 2 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics reject this one, and fifteen of the 25 reviews are outright negative. Where there is agreement, it is on two points. The ideas are ambitious: most reviews credit the film with asking serious questions about machine intelligence and what survives of a person uploaded into one. And Rebecca Hall is the thing that works, praised across the spread for grounding the story in loss; several reviews name her as its only human presence. The cinematography draws steady, if faint, approval too.

The reservations cluster on the script. Critics call the romance lifeless, the plot muddled, the exposition clunky, and Johnny Depp’s performance distant and listless. Several find the philosophical musings and the commercial action working against each other. The spread is wide, from 15 to 75. The Los Angeles Times is the clear dissenter, finding the film provocative and its refusal to simplify a virtue; IndieWire is the only other review that leans positive.

## Straight answers

**Is Transcendence worth watching?**

*Transcendence* is a mixed film, handsome and sincere but talked to death, and we scored it 45. Rebecca Hall is the reason to stay, playing a grieving scientist who hears what she needs to hear and knows she should not trust it. Everyone else explains the plot to a monitor, and the second half swaps the question for a siege.

**How long is Transcendence, and what is it rated?**

*Transcendence* runs 1h 59m. It is a thriller and science fiction film.

**Where can I watch Transcendence in Romania?**

*Transcendence* is not on any streaming or rental service in Romania at the moment. It is available in 25 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Transcendence, and is it suitable for children?**

*Transcendence* is a 12A, and its violence is brief: a shooting outside a lecture early on, and a siege in the second half shot like an expensive advert rather than for shock. The ideas about a dying man's mind copied into a computer are more likely to bore young children than frighten them. Teenagers interested in science fiction should be fine.

**How does Transcendence compare to Her?**

*Transcendence* asks the same question as [*Her*](https://film.one/film/her), whether a mind in a machine is a person, but asks it through briefings and server farms where Spike Jonze's film asks it through a voice in an earpiece. *Her* is the better film by some distance, funnier, warmer and more persuasive about affection. *Transcendence* has the finer images and far less going on inside them.

**What should I watch after Transcendence?**

After *Transcendence*, try [*Her*](https://film.one/film/her) (2013, Fi1m 84): The same question asked quietly, with a voice in an earpiece instead of a server farm. Then [*Ghost in the Shell*](https://film.one/film/ghost-in-the-shell) (1995, Fi1m 83): Anime about where a mind ends and the machine begins, with real ideas and rain.

### Reviews we read (25)

- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (75/100, inferred): Turan finds the film ambitious and provocative, with its nuanced treatment of artificial intelligence outweighing its shortcomings. He particularly praises its refusal to simplify the difficult questions raised by Will’s transformation. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-xpm-2014-apr-17-la-et-mn-transcendence-review20140418-story.html)
- **IndieWire**, Eric Kohn (B-): Kohn finds the film intellectually provocative and potentially prescient, but uneven and less engaging than its ideas. He especially praises Rebecca Hall’s credible pathos and the film’s lasting relevance in its exploration of technology and reality. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-is-the-heady-johnny-depp-tech-thriller-transcendence-ahead-of-its-time-27735/)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Matt Zoller Seitz (2.5/4): The review finds the film disappointing despite its ambitious ideas. Its treatment of artificial intelligence is singled out as a weakness. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/transcendence-2014)
- **Radio Times**, Terry Staunton (3/5): Staunton gives the film three stars, indicating a mixed verdict. He singles out its complicated techno-fable premise as a defining feature. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-ubzvmq/transcendence/)
- **The AV Club**, A.A. Dowd (C-): Dowd finds the film humorless, outdated, and dramatically lifeless. He especially criticizes its unconvincing central romance and lack of humanity. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/johnny-depp-gets-digitized-in-the-silly-sci-fi-polemic-1798180163)
- **Screen Daily**, Tim Grierson (40/100, inferred): The review suggests the film’s grand themes lack resonance. It finds greater emotional impact in the more modest exploration of intimate relationships. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/transcendence/5070659.article)
- **Time Out**, Joshua Rothkopf (2/5): The review finds the thriller dull and questions why Johnny Depp took the role. It singles out the story’s lack of wackiness as a major disappointment. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/transcendence)
- **Total Film**, Jamie Graham (2/5): Graham finds the film a disappointment despite its ideas and gleaming visuals. He singles out its surface-level musings and monotonous, underwhelming action as major weaknesses. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/transcendence-review/)
- **Slant Magazine**, Eric Henderson (1.5/4): Henderson finds the film regressive and less recognizably human than its ambitions suggest. He faults its detours into sci-fi cliché, especially beside the more effective questions explored in Her. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/transcendence/)
- **Sight and Sound**, Michael Atkinson (35/100, inferred): Atkinson finds the film timid and dramatically clumsy, despite its timely engagement with unsettling questions about technology. He praises its willingness to challenge the presumed goodness of virtual life, while faulting its plot holes and lifeless scenes of characters explaining computer screens. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/review-transcendence)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (35/100, inferred): McCarthy finds the film intellectually ambitious but dramatically muddled, with its ideas and commercial action working against each other. He praises Rebecca Hall’s alert, unpredictable performance while faulting the story for losing its emotional connection. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/transcendence-film-review-695534/)
- **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (35/100, inferred): Ebiri finds the film an unsuccessful blend of science-fiction ideas and action, though it has some genuine pathos. He praises Rebecca Hall’s portrayal of loss, while criticizing the contrived dystopia and Johnny Depp’s emotionally distant performance. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2014/04/movie-review-transcendence.html)
- **The Guardian**, Tom Shone (30/100, inferred): Shone finds the thriller insubstantial and too familiar. He singles out how little life remains in Johnny Depp’s digitized character. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/series/first-look-review+transcendence)
- **Empire**, William Thomas (20/100, inferred): Thomas finds the film a banal, disappointing techno-thriller that squanders its cast and filmmaker. He praises the effective camerawork but says it serves a weak, uncreative script. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/transcendence-review/)
- **Evening Standard**, Charlotte O'Sullivan (20/100, inferred): O'Sullivan finds the film derivative and poorly scripted, with an unconvincing emotional core. She singles out its elegant cinematography as the main compensating quality. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/transcendence-film-review-alisters-johnny-depp-and-morgan-freeman-are-sunk-by-a-dlist-script-9285612.html)
- **The New Yorker** (20/100, inferred): The critic finds the film shapeless and dramatically inexperienced. They single out its cheesy look, with only a few shots escaping that criticism. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/transcendence-2)
- **Variety**, Scott Foundas (15/100, inferred): Foundas finds the film dramatically undernourished, humorless, and emotionally empty. He particularly criticizes the bland characters and Johnny Depp’s listless performance, which fails to convey the scientist’s passion or curiosity. [Read](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-transcendence-1201156786/)
- **The Playlist** (64/100, inferred): The page is blocked by anti-crawler protection, so the critic’s verdict and specific praise or complaint cannot be verified. The URL identifies it as a review of the 2014 film Transcendence. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-transcendence-starring-johnny-depp-rebecca-hall-kate-mara-morgan-freeman-20140416/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (C-): The critic finds the film stale, emotionally hollow, and burdened by familiar philosophical questions. He singles out its beautiful cinematography as a strength, but says it cannot overcome the sterile storytelling. [Read](https://collider.com/transcendence-review/)
- **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2.5/5): Crow finds the film ambitious but muddled, with its big ideas undermined by a lifeless romance and an unclear plot. He praises Rebecca Hall for providing the film’s only human touch. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/transcendence-review/)
- **Digital Spy**, Emma Dibdin (2): Dibdin judges the film a ponderous, clunky disappointment that feels out of step with modern technology. She praises Rebecca Hall and Paul Bettany’s emotionally grounded performances, while noting that Pfister’s crisp visuals cannot overcome the script’s shortcomings. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a565973/transcendence-review-johnny-depp-stars-in-clunky-sci-fi-fable/)
- **Paste**, Brent Simon (3.9): Simon finds the film over-plotted, shallow, and emotionally inert, ultimately mistaking incident for dramatic connection. He praises its visual polish and occasional striking imagery, but says these cannot compensate for the weak script and thin characters. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/transcendence)
- **/Film**, Angie Han (2.0 out of 10.0): Han finds the film dull, illogical, and dramatically underdeveloped. She singles out Rebecca Hall and Paul Bettany for bringing some warmth and chemistry to their stiff characters. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/531357/transcendence-review/)
- **The Wrap** (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film’s promising ideas undermined by a nonsensical plot and an unsatisfying resolution. Rebecca Hall’s committed performance is singled out as its strongest element. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/transcendence-review-johnny-depp-ghost-machine-bug-riddled-techno-thriller/)
- **Consequence**, Dominick Suzanne-Mayer (15/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a dull, illogical failure that squanders its ideas and cast. They single out its engaging CGI and action sequences as rare bright spots, while criticizing Johnny Depp’s performance and the overexplained, emotionally thin story. [Read](https://consequence.net/2014/04/film-review-transcendence/)

## Details

- **Director:** Wally Pfister
- **Director:** Wally Pfister
- **Writer:** Jack Paglen
- **Cinematography:** Jess Hall
- **Editor:** David Rosenbloom
- **Music:** Mychael Danna
- **Production design:** Chris Seagers
- **Costume design:** George L. Little
- **Producer:** Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove, Kate Cohen
- **Cast:** Johnny Depp as Dr. Will Caster; Rebecca Hall as Evelyn Caster; Morgan Freeman as Joseph Tagger; Paul Bettany as Max Waters; Cillian Murphy as Agent Donald Buchanan; Kate Mara as Bree; Cole Hauser as Colonel Stevens; Clifton Collins Jr. as Martin
- **Runtime:** 1h 59m
- **Release (Romania):** 25 April 2014
- **Genres:** Thriller, Science Fiction, Drama, Mystery
- **Budget:** $100 million
- **Box office:** $103 million

## Where to watch in Romania

Not streaming, renting or buying in Romania at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IN, IT, JP, MX, NO, NZ, PA, PL, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Her* (2013), Fi1m 84: The same question asked quietly, with a voice in an earpiece instead of a server farm. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/her.md)
- *Marjorie Prime* (2017): A widow talks to a hologram of her husband; small, patient and properly sad.
- *Colossus: The Forbin Project* (1970): A computer goes online and the grown-ups panic; brisk, cold and still unsettling.
- *Ghost in the Shell* (1995), Fi1m 83: Anime about where a mind ends and the machine begins, with real ideas and rain. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/ghost-in-the-shell.md)
- *Demon Seed* (1977): The house computer wants a child; lurid, nasty and far more honest about it.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/transcendence