The three teasers for Wally Pfister‘s directorial debut TRANSCENDENCE left us wondering what would unfold for us when a full length trailer finally hit, and here it is. Before the teasers after the official synopsis came out, I was wondering what the inspiration was. We’ve seen several sci-fi movies that address artificial intelligence, and the result is usually terrifying. What happens when humans harness such abilities? Well, here’s how Pfister and scribe Jack Paglen see it:
“Some scientists refer to this as the singularity…I call it transendence.”
Synopsis:
Dr. Will Caster is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed—to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn and friend Max, both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can… but if they should. Their worst fears are realized as Will’s thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power—to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.
TRANSCENDENCE starring Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Morgan Freeman hits theaters on April 17, 2014.