Good morning blog!
Blogging at 8am certainly adds a new perspective into things. Usually I blog in the middle of the night and the neighbour's dogs will be howling for whatever reason. But now I am accompanied by the rhythmic sound birds chirping and it's making me sleepy. 1000% sleep deprived because I spent yesterday running around campus and Wednesday night watching the Churpremiere of Transcendence.
OMG! Pixelated Johnny Depp!
YES! I am a HUGE fan of Johnny Depp since Pirates of The Caribbean. I got SOLD for the movie the moment I saw the poster with his face on it. And to make the movie even more attractive, the internet idol, Morgan Freeman is also in it. Unfortunately luck is working against me and I didn't manage to score any tickets for Transcendence. However, I am lucky to have super friends like Elie who gave me her pair of tickets! Quote Mr Editor:
"Elie, if you don't give Steph your tickets, she might bite you..."
I'll be really devastated BUT no I don't bite!
I realize how Cathay Cineplex uses paper cutouts as premiere tickets!
Just like the tickets from Hunger Games: Catching Fire!
Oh and did I mention that Cathay Cineplex is the only cinema with special screening halls. I feel so special!
An extra classy hall
A few small halls for premiere screenings
Anyways, enough of my ticket drama! Back to Transcendence. I rated the movie around ★★★★★★★★☆☆ (8/10)! Very high rating so it means.. DEFINITELY WORTH WATCHING! I can see a trend soon with everyone rushing to watch this movie.
Transcendence is a Sci-Fi movie that talk about how a scientist, Will Carter (Johnny Depp) is attacked by extremists and only had a month left to live, at most. His wife, Evelyn Carter (Rebecca Hall) was devastated but at the same time, determined to let Will continue living in the digital world by saving his brain's electrical impulses. With the help of Max Waters, the '3rd smartest person' of the trio, they successfully digitized Will's brain.
Evelyn Carter and Max Waters
However, Max soon realizes that the AI they created may not really be Will. What happens next? Find out by watching the movie in the cinema or reading my..
Anyways, one reason why I gave a score of 8 is because of the amazing special effects. Since this is a Sci-Fi movie, a lot of elements is very technological and innovative. For instance, Will's face was like in tiny pixel and in 3D so that it gives us the feeling that it is actually Will but trapped inside an iPad! There are also scenes where broken structures were rebuilt in a matter of seconds using nanotechnology.
All the important cast standing in Will's 'core'
Creepy Will Carter when he just got scanned into the computer.
If I was to group the movie was another similar movie, I would say it feels very much like Inception. Why? Because it is making us play a guessing game of is this really Will or is it just some software trying to act like Will? Much like how we're trying to know is Lenoardo DiCaprio is stuck in his dream or not.
Will Carter is a very down to earth kind of scientist. He didn't enjoy being rich and famous. He is simply trying to make this world a better place.
"Evelyn is the one trying to change the world. I just want to understand it."
An epic and story-critical quote by Will when he was giving speech at a scientific conference. However, when he got digitized, the first thing he wanted to do is to get connected to Wall Street and upgrade himself. He instructed Evelyn to build a solar panel field to sustain his power needs. He also made breakthroughs in nanotechnology and used it on people to create super humans. It appears that he is building his own army and being so power crazy, that it seems that Will never became an AI in the first place. Max warned Evelyn of this and she herself is not sure whether the AI really is Will or not.
Evelyn and some guy standing in the soon to be destroyed (or not) solar panel field.
The movie also involves a strong element of love. Will and Evelyn are so in love that his last concern is that Evelyn will be alone. Honestly, I teared a little when Will died. Partially because it's Johnny Depp, but mostly because Evelyn was so sad. Definitely prepare a tissue for this scene if you are as emotional as I am. It is also Evelyn's love that blinded her from seeing the potential danger of uploading Will's mind on the internet. In the end, all Will wanted to do is to love Evelyn as he did before. To hug her, kiss her and touch her once more.
Oh Oh! This movie also reminded me of the song Human by Christina Perri. Will is a very good machine but ultimately, his 'human' love overpowered his machine desire for survival. Transcendence also showed the vulnerable side of humans and our dependence on electricity and the internet. It is like the whole world stopped and everyone is living in poverty.
The two different sides of technology is another central theme. Use it well and it will enhance our standard of living, but use it poorly and it will hinder us. And there is only a very fine line separating the two. The fact that Will managed to collect all sorts of information just by scanning social media, again shows how exposed and careless we are.
The 2 hour movie is very well structured, with a slow storyline instead of jumping from scene to scene. There is also no rush in ending the movie, instead going at its own tempo. No details were left out nor where there any unexplained or illogical elements. I especially enjoyed the fact that the characters are not superheroes. They make mistakes and have their own flaws.
Overall, I think the movie is worth watching even if you are not a Sci-Fi fan. I usually watch movies like Frozen and Mr Peabody & Sherman, but even I enjoyed this Sci-Fi movie.
Okay, that's it for now! I should really pay attention in class.
Bye~
