Transcendence (2014)

Johnny Depp spends most of Transcendence as a talking head on a computer, and it’s a strange way to use Johnny Depp. The idea is good. A dying scientist gets uploaded into a machine, and his wife has to decide whether the thing on the screen is still her husband. Rebecca Hall carries that question, and she’s the only one in the movie who seems to feel anything. The rest is people standing around a desert lab, nodding at solar panels. Paul Bettany is stuck looking worried, and Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy spend the last hour waiting for a plan. The movie also opens by showing you where it ends up, which drains the suspense before it starts. It made $103 million worldwide on a reported $100 to $150 million, with a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. A 3.9 because the big question is real and the movie answers it with a shrug. $13.06 says your laptop asks to install an update tonight and you click remind me tomorrow with brand new suspicion.

What works: Rebecca Hall makes Evelyn’s grief and doubt feel real, and the early race against the clock to save Will has actual tension.

What doesn’t: Once Will goes digital, the movie turns into a slow parade of lab tours and worried faces, and no scene earns the big ideas.

Who it’s for: People who like arguing about whether an uploaded mind is still a person, and don’t mind a movie that asks very slowly.