UPGRADE – Review

Something of an ‘80s throwback, UPGRADE is a peculiar modernist Frankenstein tale. It’s generally more thrilling than chilling but a fun time-waster and is mostly recommended. Logan Marshall-Green stars as Grey Trace, a working-class mechanic in the near future who restores vintage muscle cars. He has no use for current trends in technology though his gorgeous wife Asha (Melanie Vallejo) is employed by a hi-tech corporation run by Eron (Harrison Gilbertson), a creepy Steve Jobs-type tech mogul. After a self-driving car malfunctions, the couple is ambushed by a gang of scary thugs who somehow shoot bullets out of their hands though they don’t appear to be carrying guns. The attack leaves Asha dead and Grey in a wheelchair, a quadriplegic thirsty for revenge. He agrees to sign on as a guinea pig for Eron’s experimental new computer chip called STEM, which is surgically attached to his spinal cord and will ‘upgrade’ his broken body. Soon STEM is not only speaking to Grey Knight Rider-style (voiced by Simon Maiden – though no one else can hear it), he’s controlling his body, getting him up out of that wheelchair. With his new super-strength, speed, and Spidey-senses, Grey is soon tracking down the creeps that killed his wife

There’s not a single original idea in UPGRADE, a pastiche of THE TERMINATOR, ROBOCOP, MINORITY REPORT, and LAWNMOWER MAN combined with the type of Bronsonesque revenge story we’ve seen many times. But Director/writer Leigh Whannell, best known for the Saw and Insidious films, stages the action scenes with enough energy and humor to make us temporarily forget we’ve seen this all before. The first time STEM turns Grey’s body into an ass-kicking machine, with every punch and kick mathematically computed to exact the most harm to its target, is a genuinely startling and crowd-pleasing scene.  As the story progresses, Whannell’s script offers more lofty ideas about technology and the extent to which our bodies are our own. Much credit should go to Logan Marshall-Green who does very well in a tricky and demanding role. Some may find UPGRADE routine and predictable, but keep your expectations low and you’re likely to have a good time.

3 of 5 Stars