Upgrade

This review may contain spoilers!

An ambitiously unique concept that is hampered by a flawed execution of the story. I would give Upgrade a 6/10.

This is a dystopian thriller that does the 'dangerous' A.I. storyline a little differently than what we've seen in the past; after mechanic, Grey, is left quadriplegic after a terrible assault he must accept the assistance of a computer implant that will allow him to walk again and exact his revenge. The film comes from the producers of Get Out and Happy Death Day so it's no great surprise to see a nice display of dark wit, in fact, the grim sense of humour is the strength of this feature consistently. This is a film that escalates well and examines how a symbiotic relationship between man and machine can turn from supportive to toxic, equally the dramatic intensity of the action escalates alongside this message. Visually this film has a very clear sense of what it is trying to achieve; the claustrophobic close-ups that indicate Grey's pain after becoming a quadriplegic to the jarring, jerky camera movements when he gains the ability to walk again. The deliberate camera movements and unnatural way of filming fight sequences really is great foreshadowing of the true nature of Stem and what he is ultimately revealed to be. The special effects are highly commendable too, with futuristic landscapes and vehicles hinting at a dystopian future that resembles a world not too far removed from our own, the designs are sophisticated and make you intrigued as the story unfolds. Even the score for the film has a shrill, alarming pitch that will grow more and more unnerving throughout, turning a backing track for action into a tense theme of transition.

Logan Marshall-Green, who played Grey Trace, does a great job as the protagonist for this film; he plays the moments of despair his character faces extremely well and his moments of indecision in the face of intense events really grounds this role. Betty Gabriel, who played Cortez, is quite a mild-mannered and likeable detective role with some witty repartee; yet as the feature progressed Gabriel developed an intensity to her character and you could see this character very capably closing in on the actions of the protagonist. Clayton Jacobson, who played Manny, is quite a minor role yet a nice touch to the film; a man of few words with a tough look about him who very comedically runs a very handicapped friendly seedy bar. Melanie Vallejo, who played Asha Trace, is exceptionally charismatic and full of life onscreen; Vallejo is very relaxed and has some nice romantic chemistry with Marshall-Green.

However, the best performance came from Simon Maiden, who voiced Stem. When first introduced to this character we are greeted by a very proper-sounding voice who evidenced a dry wit. Stem adds the aspect to the film that we're quite eager for and really shifts the dynamic of the narrative. Maiden's very monotonous and calm delivery of some frankly grim and dark lines are unnerving and highlights the transition of Stem from protagonist to antagonist. The casual malice that Stem delivers by the end of the film makes him seem hungry and possessive, through Maiden the film really achieves a lot of what it sets out to do.

This film never really tries to be subtle, in fact, you'll never really be too surprised with the direction and development of the story. A bit more disappointing than that is how transparent the themes of the film are; we're constantly being reminded to fear technology and what it can progress into but it's quite shallow in how this theme is delivered. The ending of the film attempts to pull off a major twist of making Stem the antagonist, but by this point, you're fairly aware of what's going to happen and how things are going to play out. The fact this reveal and the discussion around Stem's motivations are so rushed is disappointing and the swift transition into an unhappy ending isn't satisfying to watch as an audience member. The unhappy ending is bold and quite clever, but the journey there clearly needed a lot more work.

Linda Cropper, who played Pamela, feels ridiculously miscast in her role as Marshall-Green's mother; the pair never really display much chemistry and Cropper feels a bit tacked on to the rest of the film. Harrison Gilbertson, who played Eron, overexaggerates his role's lack of social awkwardness to the extent his role comes off as forced; Gilbertson doesn't really hide anything back and it's pretty clear his submissive yet antagonistic qualities set him up for his role in the endgame of the film. Benedict Hardie, who played Fisk, is a puzzling antagonist to watch; this role doesn't feel like a soldier and his bleeding heart about being an 'upgraded human' is a source of worldbuilding that never really gets explored.