Expectations were incredibly high for “Transcendence” and for good reasons. Not only is this an all-star cast (Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy), but also Wally Pfister’s directorial debut. After being a cinematographer on Nolan’s critically acclaimed “The Dark Knight” trilogy and “Inception,” there is no reason to think that his first directed film wouldn’t flop. Unfortunately, that is the case. It wasn’t by all means a bad movie, but it didn’t fully reach its potential.

Johnny Depp plays the extremely intelligent scientist, Dr. Will Caster, who was on the verge of a technological breakthrough until an anti-tech extremist group cut him off from progressing any further. Before dying from a radioactive bullet wound, his associates (Rebecca Hall and Paul Bettany) transmit Caster’s mind into a sentient artificial intelligence that can hack into anything around the world. With Caster’s expanding “mind” and his wife, played by Rebecca Hall, they carry on their work in the almost-abandoned town of Brightwood. Technology improves lives, as ‘Transcendence’ clearly shows. But as Ms. Caster and her A.I. husband make continuous breakthroughs, the film indirectly asks the audience “Can this new technology enhance human lives, or does it take away their humanity?” I wish this was more emphasized in the movie as this very interesting concept is underplayed.

With a half-baked script, the actors did their best with what they had, but they ended up being caricatures of what they are instead of being actual characters. Johnny Depp’s Will Caster had no character development and showed no motivation leading up to him being shot, and I wouldn’t care if his legacy lived on or not. And that “technological revolution” that’s been thrown around constantly with the marketing of this film – it wasn’t entirely explained until the later half of the movie. In the beginning of the film, Will Caster promises that he will “heal the planet,” but it’s not explained how this will actually happen. So when Caster is shot, there is no anxiety of what humanity will miss if his vision is not realized. Though the issue gets addressed in the last half of movie, a big opportunity to create anticipation is missed. If the film had better written characters and a better visual explanation of how transcendence works in the first act, the message that the movie wanted to convey would’ve been more clear and impactful.

Wally Pfister’s visual talent shows here, as ‘Transcendence’ is really pleasing to look at. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help the monotonous energy and slow pace. I’m not sure if it was because of Pfister’s first time directing, or the average script. But seriously, this is a “technological revolution that can heal the planet!” Where’s the excitement? It does have some intriguing moments during the third act, however, but it wasn’t enough to hold up the movie over all.

There was no reason for this project to fail, but it did. I haven’t been this disappointed in a movie since last year’s “A Good Day To Die Hard”. This is a mediocre film that could’ve been a lot more. The film crew had something special, but their execution was missed by a mile.

D+