Ed's Review Dot Com

Alcon Entertainment, DMG Entertainment, Straight Up Films,

Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, Cole Hauser, Clifton Collins Jr.

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the premier scientist in the field of neural networks. Along with his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and a few close partners, he has studied artificial intelligence, but also made himself a target of a group of rebels who fear that the new technology will ruin humanity.

This is a very thought provoking film. I found myself enthralled with the science and technology presented but at the same time, this film was very human. I have seen this story before, where the dangers of computers becoming smarter than humans and then trying to take over and subjugate the frail humans, but this is a whole different take on it. Born out of desperation, Caster wants to help people, but is it really still Caster, or has he lost what makes him human? Are the rebels right, or are they just paranoid? None of these answers are obvious, and like life, everything is a little bit grey, with no clear black and white. The look of the film is beautiful. The soundtrack doesn’t interfere, but blends perfectly with the film. And actually Johnny Depp was an excellent choice for this film. He brings his childish innocence that he can do so well, but is able to convince us that he really is the uber-intelligent scientist that he portrays. Morgan Freeman’s role is not huge, but it’s absolutely essential that Dr. Caster has someone to depend on, besides his wife of course, and Freeman really lights up ever scene he is in.

There’s a lot for everyone in this movie. It’s certainly an excellent science fiction film for the geek in us. It’s got a strong ethical element that is very thought provoking, and it’s a pretty darn good love story too. As a bonus, the battle scenes are not bad either. All in all, this is a good all around movie. I would think that even Johnny Depp haters (you know you’re out there) would appreciate his performance in this film. I really found it excellent, and well worth the price of admission. I’ve seen some really good films lately, but this was really one of the best I’ve seen in a long time. I really enjoyed everything about this movie, and I highly recommend it.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog