Upgrade

In an interview with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk mentioned that he was about to announce something interesting in the area of connecting the brain with the digital world (this was immediately forgotten, because the newspapers only wrote about him smoking a joint with Joe). If this is what he had in mind, then we have something to look forward to. Whannell’s Upgrade is surprising both with its excellent action scenes and a story that works great. It's like Robocop, but more realistic, and it certainly has something to say with its nice ending and captivating visuals. Even though it has a bit of a B-movie plot, it has a lot of heart – and no shortage of blood. (09/09/2018)

John Wick meets Robocop and Black Mirror. I had fun and it didn't seem stupid to me at all. Quite the contrary. The world of the future surprised me with its thoughtfulness, and I was excited by all imaginative implants, especially the weapon implants. Although... there was no time for any major explaining or pausing over the action of the protagonist, the plot is not superb, everything is resolved briskly on the march, and thanks to the direction it has style and thanks to the script, it makes sense. Last time I was this pleased was when I watched District 9. (10/06/2020)

Grey's wife was just killed by a group of thugs and he ended up in a wheelchair. But his days aren't over, thanks to an experimental chip and artificial intelligence, he's started walking again and can get his revenge, and the computer in his body is willing to help him do it. Upgrade is an action-packed B-movie that's surprisingly smarter than it looks at first glance. Plus, it has some great uncompromising and brutal action, so it's fun to watch. It's just a shame there wasn't someone more capable and charismatic in the lead role. But it's still very much above average in its genre. (08/24/2018)

It’s fun when a futuristic idyll turns into Death Wish under the baton of a smart-ass computer like out of Space Odyssey. It’s even more fun when Whannell doesn’t give a crap about the characters and serves one interesting idea after another so thoughtful viewers would not get bored and would not mind that they can see far into the premise. A narration without major peaks, but also without hesitation and with an ending that arrives at the right moment and doesn’t disappoint. For a little love, a lot of attractive fun. (11/01/2018)

This is one of those films where the plausible psychological evolution of the main character, following a brutal attack and the loss of his beloved wife, is completely brushed aside and subordinated to him being able to joke and be tough, immediately after getting “superpowers”. To be clear, in this particular case it didn’t bother me at all, but it’s worth noting in case someone went to this film expecting some serious technological sci-fi. Upgrade is nothing but a light-weight B-movie. A quality and proud B-movie with a lot of nice ideas, plenty of original tricks and a confident technical aspect. I would compare it a little to the new Dredd, but as an experience, Upgrade is a notch higher. What’s fun is that many of the things that seem silly while watching make a lot more sense when you understand the points. On the other hand, I’m not quite sure whether everything that makes sense while watching, still make sense in hindsight. In any case, I’m happy that, after five years, Whannell has written something interesting again, and happier still that he found a director. (08/15/2018)