Transcendence Blu-ray extras are better than the movie

Every year or so there is a life-changing movie released in cinemas that completely alters the way an individual may perceive film. Generally these movies are epic, thought-provoking and ultimately very captivating. Pardon my slang, but Transcendence ain’t one of those movies. Released back in April to negative reviews, the film has now arrived on Blu-ray/DVD and isn’t much better despite the high definition treatment.

The movie tells the story of Dr. Will Caster, played convincingly by the talented Johnny Depp, an influential leader in the field of artificial intelligence. Caster is working to create a sentient machine that combines mankind’s collective intelligence with true human emotion. As with most films of this genre, this protagonist has his share of issues – the main one being that several radical extremists want him dead. Apparently they aren’t fans of technology. After a threat on his life, Caster records and uploads his mind and thoughts into a supercomputer to achieve, ahem, transcendence. Nice, right?

Before I move forward in my own review, I’d just like to point out that I am a kind person. I’d like to think of myself as a positive journalist. I try my darndest to stay upbeat. In keeping with my encouraging philosophies, I’ll try to remain as positive as I can in this review. With that being said, let’s focus on the good in the Transcendence Blu-ray, shall we?

For starters, you can’t go wrong with the cast. While some critics heavily criticized the characters in the film, I though the actors and actresses who portrayed them did a good job. I’ve always been a fan of Depp’s. The man can do no wrong. The same can be said of Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy. Despite a dull script, these three actors successfully managed to keep things fresh and interesting.

That should count for something, right? I certainly think so.

One of the things that the Blu-ray release has going for it is the inclusion of several special features. I’m a sucker for behind-the-scenes material. To that end, Transcendence does not disappoint. There are a handful of special features including an interview with cast and crew to discuss the concept of the film’s plot, a chat with the director on how he went about keeping things visually appealing, and a cool tidbit with scientists and filmmakers discussing the potential of artificial intelligence in the world. There are also trailers and viral videos.

Transcendence runs approximately 119 minutes and is presented in 1080p high definition 16×9 2.4:1. The picture is clear and the sound is just as stellar thanks to Dolby Digital. This seems to be the standard when it comes to Warner Brothers’ releases. Not bad.

Given the fact that Transcendence barely recovered its $100 million dollar budget, I’m not quite sure how this Blu-ray is going to sell. I’m not quite sure I’d recommend dropping $20 plus bucks on this one. You want my opinion? I say wait until it arrives on Netflix.

Trust me on this one. You’ll be glad you did. However, if you’re a hardcore Johnny Depp or sci-fi fan, then you can order your copy from the links below.