Screenplay Review: Transcendence

"Imagine. All the intelligence of everyone ever born in one entity."

          The science fiction genre is one that people always seem to be hungry for and at the same time hold to a high standard and in return a high level of scrutiny. This is welcomed however as too many films and screenplays are given freedom from criticism because they attempt to be ambitious or have grandiose elements to their themes. Ambition alone is never enough to warrant muddled execution around it which so often plagues highly anticipated films. Jack Paglen's attempt at combining ambition with substance in his script Transcendence is relatively successful. Transcendence’s main story features a man and wife named Will and Evelyn Caster who happen to be scientists working on pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence. They are joined by their colleague and friend Max Waters who has differing opinions than those of Will and his wife. Although he has a differing opinion as to the consequences of sentiment computers, Max continues to encourage his colleagues progression. Not everyone is so happy to do so as a group of militant fighters known as the RIFT begin to murder everyone involved with artificial intelligence in order to stop the creation of a sentient being. During a lecture on his work, Will is critically injured in an attack by RIFT and in pure desperation Evelyn attempts to upload his genetic material into a computer despite being warned of the destruction it could cause if the computer were to become aware of its' own existence.

          The strength of the script is evident in two elements, the first of which is the explanation of what transcendence is and the consequences of it. Paglan attempts to show us inside the mind of a machine that has more power and intelligence than anyone in the history of mankind through visual cues that both educate and confuse with their complexity. This also eliminates the need for an entire film drowned in expository dialog à la Christopher Nolan where characters are constantly explaining plot elements to each other. The second strength is the immediate consequences transcendence has on the relationship between Evelyn and her husband Will. Evelyn's obsession with maintaining a relationship with her husband despite the warnings around her are portrayed with tenderness that evoke a strong sense of empathy. However, this is nicely countered with the cold reality of how myopic her refusal to let go of Will makes her and everything she ignores in the process of his resurrection. Yes, this is another science fiction story portraying the negatives of artificial intelligence and the horrible consequences once that A.I. begins to turn on their creators, but Paglan’s script offers more in terms of humanizing the transition than other forays into the same storyline.