Leigh Whannell's "UPGRADE"
Review by Dennis D. McDonald
As revenge tales go UPGRADE looks like it has been cobbled together from a massive list of familiar near-future sci-fi story elements leavened by frequent dollops of short, intense, and bloody violence. We even get superbly crafted crash-focused car chases. What sets this film apart, though, are the extremely high quality production values including excellent editing, beautifully crafted near-future technology, and evocative set design that ranges from extraordinarily gritty to elegantly austere.
The story focuses on a technologically resistant guy who, following a horrific car crash, is implanted with a future-tech computer chip that will enable him to walk again. He discovers, however, that there’s a catch about this miraculous new technology that lets him leave his wheelchair: it seems to have a mind of its own. He embarks on a tour of revenge targeting those who engineered the car crash. Complications—and LOTS of blood and broken bodies—follow.
I don’t know what the budget for this film was but you can see every penny on the screen. The photography and sets are world class. I’ve included a few images with this review below.
Review copyright (c) 2023 by Dennis D. McDonald
