Upgrade Movie Review

Upgrade (2018)

Watch the trailer
Written by: Leigh Whannell
Directed by: Leigh Whannell
Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson
Rated: R

Plot
Set in the near future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life. Self-identified technophobe Grey has his world turned upside down after a car crash with his only hope for revenge being an experimental computer chip implant called Stem.

Verdict
While this feels rooted in pulpy B movie tropes, it's a well made movie. The fight scenes are worth seeing by themselves, but the plot packs in more than a few twists and surprises. The story gets better as the movie continues. While this leans more towards technology run amok than how reliance on technology is bad, it's entertaining none the less with a great last act.
Watch it.

Review
Writer/director Whannel is best known for writing Saw (2004) and Insidious (2011). This is the second movie he's directed, produced by Blum House who did Get Out and The Purge.

This has a B movie, pulp feel to it, but what sets it apart is that it's surprisingly well made. The story is great, and just when you think you know what's going on, you realize how little you know.
Grey Trace has quite the name. He's a mechanic living in an advanced technological world that has no place for him. He rejects this technology to instead work on classic cars from the seventies.

When his wife's driverless car malfunctions causing a crash, they are both subsequently attacked. She's killed and he is left paralyzed. There is a big question as to why they were attacked. At first I wrote it off as an easy way to get the plot started, but that question is a big part of the movie.

The dialog between Grey and his wife is stilted. It's part exposition to tell us about the technology and to show us the feelings the couple has for each other. This is not the movie's strong point. The first few scenes don't quite work. Why would a mechanic work in his unlit garage with only a one bulb work lamp? It makes no sense. I found it silly that a driverless car doesn't have an auto shut off feature, but we get part of an explanation later in the movie.

 

It's an interesting world with tinges of Black Mirror, but Black Mirror does an excellent job of exploring a technological concept to such a full degree that anything else pales in comparison. In Grey's world, drones are everywhere, equipped with facial recognition. Though as the cop states, criminals find ways to evade. It's an intriguing thought as our world approaches less privacy in the name of security.
This hints at regular humans and the superior upgraded humans, but that concept is voiced, not explored.

After his accident, a tech innovator offers Grey an opportunity to regain the use of his body. A computer chip, STEM, can bridge the gap between his brain and body. Being mobile again, Grey wants to track down the men that attacked him and his wife. He just wants to know why, and the cops haven't been much help.
I liked that once he was mobile again, Grey moved with a disconnect. His movements are very precise and sometimes choppy like he's being controlled. It's subtle, but a nice touch.

Following his first lead to a rough neighborhood, we learn what STEM can do. The fight scenes are really cool. The camera moves fluidly as the computer chip provides Grey with super human reflexes. Grey beats the guy up easily, but he has no control of his body. He begs the man to stay down as his body pummels the guy. This gets gory at a few points, none worse than the first fight. While it's not shock purely to gross you out, the implication, and what we do see, is more than enough.

I liked the villain, the one that initially attacked Grey and his wife. He's former military, augmented with a few upgrades. While the gun embedded in his arm is pretty cool, there's another upgrade that stretches credibility.
I wanted to know more of how upgraded humans fit into society. Are they just mercenaries? It's a neat idea, but it doesn't have a solid foundation. I would imagine that with the degree of upgrades we see, smaller ones would have trickled into everyday life.

This has a few twists and reveals. We do learn why Grey and his wife were targeted. It's a moment where the movie feeds you just enough where you have that "aha" moment, but that's just the start. The full picture of what's going on is just crazy. You may think you know who is behind it, but chances are you're in for a surprise. I like the way this ended. The movie maintains a quick pace, but the last act brings everything together.