Upgrade

Upgrade is unfortunately in the club of great movies that completely flew under the radar when first released. But that might actually work to its advantage, as this is definitely one of those movies where the less you know going in, the better. The only reason I was aware of Upgrade is because of writer/director Leigh Whannell (Saw, Insidious), and the fact I'd heard plenty of great things from friends who'd seen it. The film takes the all-too-familiar premise of a man looking to avenge the murder of his wife, and puts an interesting new sci-fi spin on it. Whannell clearly loves the classics, because Upgrade's influences are easy to spot - RoboCop, Blade Runner, Dredd, Death Wish. They've all been thrown in a blender, and what comes out is something that feels like its own movie, while also paying tribute to everything that inspired Whannell to become a filmmaker in the first place. Upgrade is violent, thought-provoking, funny, surprising, with some terrific fight sequences, an awesome soundtrack, and a dynamite performance from Logan Marshall-Green. I also get the feeling I'm gonna love it even more the next time I watch it. Highly recommended for fans of sci-fi/action.

Really enjoyed this movie. A very good dose of future technology and where it would lead us to. We are already seeing the birth of some of the concepts shown in this movie and like with any technology there will be good usage and bad. I dont understand the bad comments on violence as it is "indirect" (without giving away). Fast paced and suspenseful. Logan Marshall-Green acted well without any "overacting" or showing off. Screen play and direction were very good. It is original concept and I did not see any connection with Death wish or other movies - not even close or people did not understand the movie?

I'll give this film credit for putting a fresh spin on the overdone revenge film. The action is very unique, while also evoking memories of the Wachowskis' work on The Matrix. I really enjoyed the Vangelis-esque score used throughout. It helped create that dark, futuristic atmosphere necessary for the story. Even if you think you see where the story is going, it manages to go in unexpected directions. Between the cool concept, great sets, and dark themes, Upgrade is just that, an upgrade to the typical revenge action thriller.

After watching this movie you will realize how bad every other major sci-fi has been in the past several years. This is a film with an excellent story, great cast, direction is on point, and the sci-fi is well developed. The gore is in your face ;) but it adds style to the movie and depth to the plot which one realizes later in the movie.

A classic to remember. Look forward to seeing this again.

I went into this movie having no clue what it was about and wasn't expecting much, but I loved it.

There are innumerable movies with huge budgets that simply fall flat, and Upgrade, with a Budget of around $5,000,000, which doesn't cover the cost of catering on some of these huge budgeted flops, honestly looked like it cost a lot more than it actually did.

Intelligent script, good action, very few unnecessary scenes, and though I thought it was sure to let me down, a very good ending.

And although I have seen much of Logan Marshall-Green's work and was never a huge fan, he does a very good job here.

Recommended.