Technology has become so apart of everyday life, that even the simplest tasks often require use of it. Even now with smart phones it seems, ‘there’s an app for that’. What’s left yet to wonder, is how far is humanity and society willing to take it? When will there be enough technology to meet everyone’s needs, or is it already past that point? In 2018, a movie was released that shows the dangers of having too much tech integrated into human interaction and society. Upgrade illustrates firsthand the gift and curse that technology has become, and how much worse it can get if not checked.
In Upgrade he hops into the driver’s seat as ‘Grey’, a car mechanic who is almost frozen in time, an old soul in a new world where technology is outgrowing him.
Logan Marshall-Green is slowly but surely getting more chances to be a leading man. In Upgrade he hops into the driver’s seat as ‘Grey’, a car mechanic who is almost frozen in time, an old soul in a new world where technology is outgrowing him. A tragedy occurs when he and his wife are attacked, with her passing and him surviving as a quadriplegic having lost the use of most of his body. When given the chance to find those involved, he undergoes a surgery to receive an AI computer chip known as ‘Stem’ in order to give him back his motor function, with also adding a much needed edge in his quest for vengeance. That’s the good part, but unfortunately things are never that simple. Stem is there to help, but it’s possible that everything isn’t as it seems, and something bigger may be at play.
Writer/director Leigh Whannell tackles this intriguing idea in his second go around as a director, introducing an abstract story that shows both the pros and cons of a potential break through like this one. The special FX are top notch, the editing is next level, and even the fight scenes are ridiculously post-modern and ahead of its time. Green was a solid choice as the lead, though his role as Grey is akin to that of Reeves as Neo in the Matrix trilogy, with much of it revolving more around the concept than around the characters themselves. The biggest lessons the movie provides are that of the costs of progressing too quickly. All too often movies and characters highlight the risks of great things falling into the wrong hands, and Upgrade is as acute as ever in putting the consequences of that on display in a monumental way. Artificial Intelligence is a neat idea, but it must be thought through before everyone is allowed unfettered access to it.
Upgrade is a movie that one can go back to many times, even though there are reveals in it that are not so obvious in the first watch. Whannell is definitely not going away after this one, nor should he. Ideas like this only come from people of high intellect or insanity, but whatever side of the fence he’s on, it certainly culminates into an entertaining picture. Upgrade can be purchased online on either Amazon or Apple TV.
