10 Terrible Movies That Wasted A Truly Brilliant Concept
1. Transcendence
The Concept: Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is a scientist who specialises in artificial intelligence.
After he's shot with a bullet and is left with a month to live, Will's consciousness is uploaded into a quantum computer, which leads to him gaining control over technology in ways nobody ever thought possible.
Why The Movie Failed: Transcendence is one of the biggest blockbuster disappointments of the century, since it had literally everything going for it.
First-time director Wally Pfister had just won an Oscar for shooting Christopher Nolan's Inception, the talented, respected cast included Morgan Freeman, Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany, and it had a strong central idea to develop.
But, amazingly - in spite of the amount of talent in front of and behind the camera - its flaws are almost too plentiful to list.
Transcendence's biggest misstep is that it chokes on its own ambition. The film gets more and more ridiculous as it goes along (Will eventually manages to create a new, organic body... somehow), resulting in the human drama being overshadowed by the silly spectacle and nonsensical plot developments.
Like The Host, Transcendence tried to go big, when it should've aimed lower - and simpler.
The idea of a human having the power to infiltrate and control infrastructure on a global level is fascinating - and relevant, considering the technology-fuelled society we live in - but that strong premise is wasted on one of the stupidest sci-fi scripts in modern history.
Any other movies with great ideas and poor execution? Leave your picks in the comments section!