Watched Transcendence, it was okay. Not good, not really bad, just blah. If you want to watch it in a theater, wait until it hits the discount theater (I went during the matinee time, instead of prime time).
There could have been so much more done to show what a person in a computer could do to out think people that is was quite sad, plus the ending could have been much better.
What should have happened:
The first attack can be a surprise, but Will should have been ready for the second. From there, use his nanotechnology fired from pressurized air cannons to auto-steer to hit the artillery. Clouds of robosquitos attack the group, and anyone with a flamethrower is attacked by the fired nanotech. The RIFT, mercs, and government types take shelter in the building they prepped with copper sheathing, and bunker down.
Will then goes to meet with Dr Tagger, and asks why he never called in the 2 years Will has been building his facility. The government agent replies that the only number available goes to an automated service. Will just looks at him in a 'you idiot' expression, and Dr Tagger facepalms. Will states that all armed RIFT members will remain within the building, the mercs can only go out if they are unarmed, while the government agent and Dr Tagger are welcome to wander around. Will explains that a year earlier he invested in an asteroid rendezvous launch, and the probe contained the necessary equipment to start Von Neumanning the rock. It has power to keep Will alive, a computer core for Will to think, and enough nanotech to slowly build. The facility shown in the movie was just the distraction to focus everyone's attention.
As they are talking, have one of the mercs decide to make a run for the main facility. The other mercs cover the fanatic, and Will cannot stop him. The merc has a USB hookup to upload the virus that was developed, and is goingto upload it into Will's main core. (somehow) the fanatic manages to get into the facility, and heads for the main core. Will turns to Bree, and explains that he cannot stop the fanatic. He tells her that if the fanatic reaches his core and uploads the virus, that ~50 million people are going to die within 24 hrs (plane crashes, critical medical support, etc). If she can delay her fanatic by a minute, Will can make those systems autonomous (with reduced efficiency, since Will was coordinating everything). Also, if the fanatic succeeds, it will cause the deaths of ~2 billion people over the next year.
She tries to call him over the radio, but her radio is broken (gunfire). Will lets her speak over the building comm systems, but the fanatic refuses to listen. Relaying through the fanatic's radio Bree tries again, but the fanatic tosses it away, thinking Will is trying to deceive him. The fanatic reaches the core, and uploads the virus. Will mentions that he only managed to get the number down to ~15 million within 24 hrs.
As the virus spreads, you see the world going dark. Will and Evelyn have uploaded to the asteroid, so are safe. The Agent and Dr tagger look at Bree, and tell her that her fanatic just killed humanity, as we will have to relearn everything. She looks at them, defiant, as they got rid of the AI threat. But then the mercs walk over. One of them mentions that he has a daughter on life support in a hospital, and her actions just killed his daughter. He shoots her, but not a killing shot. Several mercs follow, each of them giving a name, and that she killed their relative. Each gunshot also shows the expression that her fear and fanaticism in her beliefs has just killed humanity. She finally falls down, to die alone and miserable.
Followup:
Dr Waters travels to Will and Evelyn's house, and starts to take care of their garden. He had loved Evelyn, and had promised to take care of her. The least he can do now is take care of the garden.
Will is standing on the surface of the asteroid, with his wife, and they look out over the stars, seeing all the potential.
The employees of Will's company also come together, and they hold hands. You see the nanotechnology connect them briefly, and they say they will help humanity recover.
Lesson - fanaticism is the enemy, not technology.
