Extremely ambitious film project “Excellence” - a science fiction film from Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio cost one hundred million dollars, however, the amount spent does not correspond to the ideas of the broad masses about Hollywood products. The main attraction of the creators was the participation of a favorite of the public, Johnny Depp, but the picture will scare away idle lovers of popcorn, it is intended for an erudite and demanding audience.
A film about the boundary of human evolution
Films about robots, artificial intelligence, smart supermachines long ago did not lead the audience into blissful admiration. The film industry has been actively discussing this topic almost since its inception, the era of silent cinema. And one of the significant fresh tapes on this subject is the sentimental drama "She" directed by Spike Jones. But the line that separates the film "Excellence" from others, reviews of film critics called the creators' attempt to expand the boundaries of human evolution. The stories that tell about the ability of the robot to adopt sensitivity and emotions from homo sapiens are a dime a dozen, and the brainchild of Pfister will demonstrate a person’s attempt to borrow his immortal shell from a robot (machine).
Creators
The sci-fi movie of 2014 was created by the joint efforts of two beginners and one professional. Screenwriter Jack Paglen quite recently vegetated in the unknown and put his written stories far to the shelf. This could go on forever, perhaps the world would never know about the potential of the screenwriter. But the film "Excellence" reviews of his fans called him the springboard in Jack's career. Now he is invited by Ridley Scott himself to collaborate on the sequel to Prometheus. Another newcomer is participating in the project - the director, who for many years has been an cameraman, albeit a very successful one. Of the eight full-length films of the master Christopher Nolan, seven was shot by him, and Wally Pfister deservedly received an Oscar for his work on the film "The Beginning". However, there is nothing overwhelming in his debut, in the intellectual thriller thrilling conceptual coldness, the Nolan mood is noticeably present. And it is no secret that the author of The Dark Knight patronizes his budding colleague in every possible way and acts as an executive producer. The soundtracks for the film "Excellence", created by composer Michael Dunn, well reinforce the atmosphere of the impending apocalypse with almost infrasonic waves.
Plot
The film “Excellence” is criticized by individual viewers for the lack of innovation in the storyline. The story unfolds in the near future, where the life of mankind is unthinkable without technology. The narrator is the neuroscientist Max Waters (performed by Paul Bettany), works in creative union with the brilliant scientist Will Custer (Johnny Depp) and his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall). Caster is on the verge of a unique discovery - he managed to create a supercomputer, endowed not only with intelligence, but also with feelings. Opponents of scientific and technological progress do not believe that the latest developments will benefit mankind, they sign a death sentence to the professor. At the opening presentation, one of the activists of the extremist group RIFT shoots Custer at point blank range, the bullet turns out to be poisoned with polonium. Having lost his body shell, the hero of Depp does not die, he moves to cyberspace, thereby trying to open the path to immortality for humanity.
Consequences of resurrection
Will will be resurrected, thanks to his distraught wife and colleague Max, in the form of a computer digital image. The digital image of the protagonist first of all requires an Internet connection, after which he actively begins to solve the financial problems of his widow, and then proceeds to expand. And although the deceased husband does not forget to pay attention to his wife for his activities, more and more Evelyn can not get rid of the anxiety that haunts her. It seems to her that digital Will is not her husband, but a different personality, or rather, a program imitating a professor. And she, and the government agents who learned about the incident, are preparing for the worst, and it is not clear who will have the superiority. The film in Russian, thanks to professional dubbing, looks no worse than the original.
The Demonic Charm of Johnny Depp
The film “Superiority” is called by fans' reviews a unique opportunity to see Johnny Depp in a role unusual for his acting career over the past ten years. Throughout this period, an actor whose characters in the past radiated a serious threat or were outright psychos (Dean Corso in “The Ninth Gate”, Spencer Armacost from “The Astronaut’s Wife”, William Blake from “Dead Man”), openly fooling around and noticeably tired of incessant Jackov Vorobiev. Superiority is a completely different matter: the film with Johnny Depp brings the artist back to Dead Man and The Ninth Gate, giving him the long-awaited opportunity to use the inimitable, simply diabolical charm. And the actor’s secondary task was to revive a very strict conceptual design, so that the project would not repeat the sad fate of the “Loop of Time”.
The selection of "retinue"
"Excellence" - a film, supporting actors in which supporting roles can easily be called Depp's retinue. However, their selection took a lot of time. It was originally planned to invite Rooney Mara to the role of the scientist-genius’s wife , who, like the ex-captain Voroby’s charm, fits perfectly with the evoked sense of danger. However, the role was given to Rebecca Hall, whose charm is more ambivalent. Buddy Maguire and James McEvoy could become Max's buddy-colleague, but English actor Paul Bettany got around them . Famous artists Killian Murphy, Morgan Freeman and Rooney's older sister Kate Mara were also able to strengthen the trio of central characters. Owing to their acting skills and unpredictably lyrical lyricism in the metachorror of authorial intonation, the meaning of the film is proudly closer to the viewer than in the trilogy about Batman or Nolan’s “Beginnings”. And it was Kate Mara who was able to revive individual Nolanian dead episodes (sci-fi), make them lively and exciting, and piercing moments.
Technical part
The virtuality of the protagonist affects the overall impression of the visual series of the picture “Excellence”. The film: actors and their roles, special effects and even action scenes - looks at least strange. Since episodes worthy of a movie masterpiece in the declared IMAX format, you can literally count on the fingers. It's amazing, because Wally Pfister probably knows how to build a bright, inimitable visual series. But the novice filmmaker was most likely confused and did not calculate his strength at all when he chose a too many-sided, controversial and vivid story for his film debut. On the film "Excellence" reviews are extremely controversial. Many who watched note that satisfaction after viewing gives way to regret about the unused fully unlimited potential of the story, about what the creators never managed to achieve. On the other hand, what could be expected from a large-scale studio project. It’s not “Admixture” by Shane Carrat - a bold film that actively appeals to the intellect of the audience, and without an impressive budget.
Scholastic nature
Inveterate film lovers understand that the main idea of ​​the film (the unsafe innovations of the NTP) over the past years has become far from new and played from A to Z. From the cult "Space Odyssey", through the chaotic 70-80 years ("War Games", "Terminator", "Tron" and others) and the dashing 90s with their horror stories about "virtual reality" to modern attempts to humanize the problem. Currently, the place of a malicious and dangerous supercomputer is occupied by the conditional Facebook. In comparison with the film "She" the film "Excellence" reviews are called the day before yesterday, even in the very formulation of the question. Pfister's movie is a formal experiment, perfect, perfect, but, unfortunately, not particularly touching. Almost like a computer, from this perspective, the viewer sees an appropriate and organic combination of content and form.
Meditative fantasy
"Excellence" is a fascinating, albeit slightly old-fashioned, science-fiction science fiction film. The director nevertheless managed to transform the project from a dry popular science treatise into a somewhat imperfect, but surprisingly meditative fiction. Pfister’s work cannot be categorically disliked, and should not be skipped. When the rental is full of entertainment monsters alone, finding such a movie is a rarity. Carefully looking at it, you understand that such a film at the box office initially had no chance.