Here's why Transcendence is big on talk and small on do. Review by: Matt Cummings The idea of a world gone mad has produced several great films over the past several years, including Oblivion , Ender's Game , and Pacific Rim . In these, man deals with the end of his existence, brought on by a terrible epoch; in the case of Transcendence , we get to see the disaster as it unfolds. The result is filled with messy storytelling and performances we want to like, and a cautionary tale that feels all used up. Artificial Intelligence researcher Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is one of several scientists leading the charge to incorporate man into machines. After coordinated attacks by home-grown terrorists, that apparatus is nearly destroyed, leaving several teams dead and Caster condemned to a slow irradiated end. A radical decision is made: merge science from the various labs to transfer Caster's mind into a computer. His wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and friend Max (P