Does the name Wally Pfister ring a bell? Well, it should. Chances are you’ve seen a film or two shot through his lens over the past few years. Pfister is an Oscar-winning cinematographer best known for his work with Christopher Nolan, having worked with him on all his films since Memento in 2000. Now it appears he’s caught the directing bug, and Transcendence is his directorial debut (and one which bears remarkable similarities to the high-concept films that Nolan excels at, so if you’re not excited by now, you should put this down and seek help).

Dr. Will Caster (Depp) is an artificial intelligence researcher whose life goal is to create a sentient machine that possesses the collective intelligence of everything ever known. His work is revolutionary but controversial, and has made him the target of radical anti-technology extremists. After an assassination attempt on Will fails but leaves him terminally ill, he is driven more than ever towards his goal, ultimately uploading his mind into a super-intelligent computer in a final act of devotion. But what begins as a breakthrough beyond even Will’s wildest dreams quickly evolves into an insatiable quest for power – and there may be no way to stop him.

In addition to Depp doing his most compelling work since his pre-Jack Sparrow era, Pfister has also assembled a remarkable cast including Paul Bettany, Kate Mara and fellow Nolanites Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy and Rebecca Hall. That, along with a top-notch, thought-provoking script and mind-bending special effects makes for one hell of a film. Unmissable.