Upgrade

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SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Upgrade blends science fiction, action, and body horror into one twisted, darkly humorous package. The movie follows Grey, an old-fashioned guy living in a world where everything—including people—is enhanced by futuristic technology. After a group of thugs kills his wife and leaves him paralyzed, Grey agrees to receive an untested implant (called STEM), which restores the use of his limbs. The results are near miraculous, and it’s not long before Grey realizes that STEM can also give him the power to take his revenge.

     Upgrade throws a lot of ideas at the screen, and even though they don’t all stick, the final product still makes quite an impression. The movie earns most of its thrills in the action department, where creative choreography makes for several distinctive (and incredibly chaotic) fight and chase scenes. The John Wick franchise made a name for itself with no-holds-barred action sequences, and Upgrade captures something of the same spirit.It also earns points for a sick sense of humor, an imaginative science fiction setting, and some honest-to-goodness themes. Logan Marshall-Green does some notable physical acting in the lead role, and though Betty Gabriel (Get Out) has to play second fiddle to him for most of the movie, she makes herself known.

photo courtesy of theverge.com

     If you can stomach a fair bit of gore—which the movie delights in sprinkling in every so often—Upgrade is almost always visually interesting. It takes place in the future, so there’s naturally going to be a CGI cityscape and some flashy technology, which Upgrade manages to do pretty well despite its shoestring budget. But even when its CGI fades into the background, the movie has style: minimalistic settings complemented (frequently) by color-saturated lighting.

     In many places, however, Upgrade’s component pieces let it down. On a story level, there are dead ends and unexplained plot points that keep it from being entirely cohesive or convincing. And engaging though it may be, the audience keeps getting jerked out of the action thanks to poor acting, weak dialogue, and a few jokes that fail because the movie’s not tonally committed to them. These are things that shouldn’t ruin the sum experience, but some viewers might not have the patience to wade through them.

photo courtesy of irishfilmcritic.com

     FINAL VERDICT: Upgrade feels like a solid rough draft of a movie: interesting ideas and plenty of creative audacity, but not sure-footed enough to stick the landing.

TRAILER
Watch the Red Band trailer here.

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