Like many ambitious films that try to do something new, Transcendence released to a rather negative response by critics, citing the fact that its story was full of inconsistencies and lapses in logic. Will Caster (Johnny Depp), an artificial intelligence researcher in the film, attempts to create a sentient computer that can think and act for itself. After being mortally wounded by a terrorist group that despises technological advancement Caster, with the help of his wife, uploads his conciousness into the the prototype computer, and gains an almost universal knowledge of human history after connecting himself to the internet. The new and improved Caster eventually gains the ability to release nano-particles into the real world and directly control the actions of humans through them. Predictably, Caster is eventually destroyed through government fear he could control the world, leaving Earth in ruin and without any form of technology. In Serial Experiments Lain... Well, it's basically a more comprehensive version of Transcendence. The anime focuses on Lain, a schoolgirl who slowly comes to the realisation that she's not really human, but an autonomous, physical computer program that can traverse both the physical world and its digital counterpart: the Wired. Under the tutelage of Masami Eiri, a man who secretly uploaded his conciousness to the Wired, Lain is increasingly encouraged to embrace her digital roots and subsequently become a goddess that can freely control the events of both the physical and digital worlds. Minus a counterpart to the character of Lain in Transcendence, the film's plot is almost identical in nature to Serial Experiments, dealing with the same concepts, themes and possible eventualities as the anime does. Only the anime did it better and over 10 years earlier. Are there any other Hollywood films you think share more than just a passing resemblance to a beloved anime? Let us know in the comments below.
Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.
