Two leading computer scientists work toward their goal of Technological Singularity, as a radical anti-technology organization fights to prevent them from creating a world where computers can transcend the abilities of the human brain.

If the shot above looks exceptionally (or Inception-ally) familiar, it might be because it’s from the first film directed by Wally Pfister, Christopher Nolan’s longtime cinematographer. In Transcendence, which hits *theaters April 18, Depp plays a computer scientist (below) *studying “the singularity,” the point at which artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence. “It’s a very timely subject as we find we have to update the software on our cell phones before we can even make a call,” says Pfister. Depp’s character literally gets uploaded into the mainframe, becoming a ghost in the machine (above, with costars Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, and Rebecca Hall) after he’s attacked by anti-technology activists. It’s an out-there premise, even if the film’s star is looking uncharacteristically tame. “I don’t think we’ve seen him this way in a long time,” says Pfister, laughing. “Just a pair of glasses on and a pretty normal haircut.”