Ray Kurzweil's theories are fascinating, but it is hard to explain them in a movie, as this offering demonstrates.
This film is a sort of docudrama, with an "A-line" of people being interviewed and a "B-Line" intended to add a dramatic element that tells of a virtual personality called Ramona who is becoming more and more human-like as the film progresses.
Unfortunately, the B-line is somewhat corny and fails to do justice to the concept. Ramona has this strange, pixie-like companion that accompanies her throughout the movie, apparently in an effort to make the film more appealing to children. Instead, it just comes across as somewhat silly and condescending. Some of the acting is wooden, and motivational speaker Tony Robbins is wedged into the film for little reason other than to take up time.
The Turing Test scene misrepresents the Turing Test, which is supposed to determine whether a computer can think like a human. However, long before this point arrives, Ramona acts and talks in a very human-like fashion. So what is the point of the test?
Finally, the author's ego expands to fill the whole movie at the end when we learn from Ramona in the climactic scene that "It's all about Ray," which is apparently to say that Kurzweil is what gives everything in the entire film meaning and purpose.
This film raises some fascinating and important issues and I suppose the storyline is intended to make it more palatable to a wider range of people, but I wouldn't expect great drama when watching this film.
This film is a sort of docudrama, with an "A-line" of people being interviewed and a "B-Line" intended to add a dramatic element that tells of a virtual personality called Ramona who is becoming more and more human-like as the film progresses.
Unfortunately, the B-line is somewhat corny and fails to do justice to the concept. Ramona has this strange, pixie-like companion that accompanies her throughout the movie, apparently in an effort to make the film more appealing to children. Instead, it just comes across as somewhat silly and condescending. Some of the acting is wooden, and motivational speaker Tony Robbins is wedged into the film for little reason other than to take up time.
The Turing Test scene misrepresents the Turing Test, which is supposed to determine whether a computer can think like a human. However, long before this point arrives, Ramona acts and talks in a very human-like fashion. So what is the point of the test?
Finally, the author's ego expands to fill the whole movie at the end when we learn from Ramona in the climactic scene that "It's all about Ray," which is apparently to say that Kurzweil is what gives everything in the entire film meaning and purpose.
This film raises some fascinating and important issues and I suppose the storyline is intended to make it more palatable to a wider range of people, but I wouldn't expect great drama when watching this film.