Interesting ideas are conceived yet poorly realised in Transcendence, with director Wally Pfister proving his ineptitude as a storyteller while evoking a career worst performance from Johnny Depp.

Wally Pfister’s directorial debut has the look of many Christopher Nolan greats (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) of which he lensed too much acclaim. Yet when watching the cold, dull, mechanical strut of Transcendence, appreciation is felt even more for what Nolan does with his high concept blockbusters.

Where Nolan grew into a confident and skilful storyteller of epic movies, Pfister swings away at this first attempt at the plate and misses wildly, taking down with him any notion that a makeup free Johnny Depp can open a film. The again, Depp in war-paint couldn’t do much for The Lone Ranger either.

Depp stars as Dr. Will Caster, a rock star of the artificial intelligence world whose near goal of breaking down the wall between man and machine – or what he calls “transcendence” – draws the ire of anti-technology activists who respond with a poison laced bullet.

Facing certain death, Will’s wife Evelyn (Rebecca hall) and loyal friend Max (Paul Bettany) upload his conscious onto a computer, where Will taps into and becomes the master of oceans of information, transforming into a God like creation, with the computer screen the pulpit from which he layeth the new word to a congregation reliant on technology.

It is an interesting concept, isn’t it? The idea of an artificial, all knowing god, who can not only heal the sick but turn them into super developed creatures. Yet in Pfister’s hands Transcendence neither thrills nor illuminates. In fact in many respects it is downright cowardly in its failure to pursue its many themes, with threads of ideas never woven into a whole.

The most interesting is its skirting of faith and religion in this sci-fi story. While we witness the cult of technology given its cyber god, the impact of this evolution on a spiritual level is touched upon yet never fully explored, as is the question of treating the sick with ethically troublesome science.

Cue the most interesting character in Transcendence, Max. At the beginning of the film he is a clear disciple to Will’s vision, yet a conversion both philosophical and spiritual transpires throughout that has him not only resist this new movement, but also has him curiously wearing a crucifix by the films conclusion.

Yet whether it be Jack Paglen’s clunky script or a lack of nerve from Pfister, no room is allowed for this journey to be on display, and the film becomes that much less interesting because of it.

Still, Bettany does prove to be the best performance in a film festered with dull portrayals of underwritten characters. Worst of them all is Depp, the very man who adorns the promotional material for his film, who in turn delivers an achingly lazy performance, complete with mumbled, baritone delivery of dialogue and an almost stone faced demeanour throughout. Rare is the engaging straight man role for Depp, and this is a career worst.

Rebecca Hall isn’t much better with her chemistry with Depp non-existent, and Morgan Freeman seems to be there for name recognition only.

In the end it feels as though Transcendence is one big missed opportunity. It may also very well be Pfister’s hello and good bye to directing a film of this magnitude, unless plodding box office bombs have become the in-thing.