There's no surprise here; no nuance. And without any understanding of its subject matter or any interest in making others understand, either, Transcendence gives you very little reason to care.

Pfister and Paglen are going for emotional intimacy, but they forgot to add enough shading to their ensemble to land any kind of punch.

Pfister manages to put up one eye-catching image after another, yet never engages us for more than a moment.

Pfister's shown he can replicate Nolan in broad strokes but, like an AI's inability to prove its self-awareness, he misses the inexplicable piece that makes a story feel human.