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When a brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed and his wife dead, Grey’s world is crushed. However, his luck changes when a billionaire inventor offers him an experimental cure in the form of a body implant called STEM. STEM not only returns Grey to his feet but also upgrades him with superhuman strength and agility, which he then uses to seek out the men that destroyed his life.
The Good
Upgrade does a beautiful job of turning a simple story of loss and revenge into a twisted science fiction film. The movie gives a perfect depiction of a broken man whose world is flipped on its head by what seems like a random act of violence.
After Receiving the implant, Grey wastes no time hunting down the men who killed his wife. And though some of his earlier decisions were infuriating, on getting to the film’s end, so many things fell into place.
(Don’t Worry, No Spoilers Here)
The real fun begins when (at various points in the film), STEM takes over Grey’s body, and we get to see the cybernetic duo display insane moves. But it’s Logan Marshall Green’s (Grey) horrified facial expressions during these action scenes, that sold the intensity of the situation. Seeing pure fear and disgust on the face of a man about to rip a person’s face in half, was both fun and amazing.
The Bad
While Upgrade focuses on Grey’s journey for revenge through STEM’s help. Other characters such as Fisk and Detective Cortez end up starved of attention.
This becomes a more significant problem when the Movie tries to expand on these characters, without informing the audience about their motivations.
For instance, Fisk’s disgust for non-upgraded humans seems to appear out of nowhere. And at no point is Detective Cortez’s interest in Grey’s case ever explained. Even Asha (Grey’s Wife) has little development. And while this didn’t kill the movie, it did make any scene without Grey less exciting.
Verdict
Upgrade
Movie title: Upgrade
Review
Upgrade takes a different approach to an old storyline and creates an exciting and unexplored world. This coupled with a clever twist and well-captured action scenes, make Upgrade worth a watch.
Overall
4User Review
( votes)Pros
- Great Action Scenes
- Great Storyline
- Great Ending
Cons
- There’s No Reason to Skip
Good movie with an unexpected ending