If you're anything like me, the mere existence of this film will make you very happy. Leigh Whanell's Upgrade is the kind of movie that we just don't see enough of anymore. The kind of genre fare that we saw a lot of in the early 80s. Think of Cronenberg, Carpenter, and the first Terminator and you won't be too far off. It's interesting to get something like this now, actually. Not that there isn't a great selection of modern genre films coming out, because there definitely is, but Upgrade just has this lovely retro feel to it that makes it stand out. Essentially it follows a man who becomes paralysed and loses his wife after a brutal attack. Luckily for him, a millionaire that he was fixing a car for has developed technology that will allow him to walk again. He decides to use this to get revenge on the gang that killed his wife, but as you might think, it's not going to be that simple.
In a film where the concept and action are really at the forefront, I really have to applaud the plot of Upgrade. Okay, it's not the most complex thing in the world, but there's some really interesting developments here, especially towards the end. The reveals of what exactly is going on makes for something that's actually pretty unsettling. It does lose some of its madcap fun when it starts implementing these twists, but the ideas behind the reveals are what truly stand out, and compensate for that. It doesn't explore the ideas of moral grey and artificial intelligence as well as it maybe could have done, but the discussion of these things at the end actually works, and gives the film a fairly interesting dark edge as a result.
But hoo boy, let's talk about the action. This is what really makes this one special. There's a real crunch and rip to the fight scenes in Upgrade. The action is visceral and gory and pleasingly insane. When Grey Trace (Logan Marshall Green's fantastically minimalist hero) and Stem (his gloriously violent robot companion) fight, magic happens. The way Grey slides about the room under Stem's influence is just so cool to watch. That, combined with the sheer brutality of some of these fights, makes Upgrade a boatload of fun. It swaps size and CGI for something fresh, and different, and soars because of it. But the weight and the stakes keep this action interesting. One scene where Grey has to drag himself through a building to find help is particularly tense, and there's a great one on one near the climax that reminds us that he may not be as overpowered as we thought.....
The whole look and feel of the thing is fun too. The neo noir style gives Upgrade a distinct feel, and the inclusion of drones and self driving cars give the science fiction some real plausibility. The film feels believable, which is handy for a story that could have been so far fetched. It's far removed from our world, but we still believe in it, and that's what makes good sci-fi world building. It just doesn't feel like anything else that's come out this year. The whole atmosphere melds with the frenzied violence, and they blend together so well.
Upgrade isn't a revolutionary film by any means, but it does feel fresh. It compensates for its relative simplicity by giving us something that we don't really see now. The film is furiously paced and dripping with gore, and as a result, it stands out. Combine that with how well it weaves in its vision of the near future, and you have a winner. If you love genre cinema like I do, it's unmissable. It's crunchy, and fun, and loaded with action. It doesn't do anything especially new, but it draws on genre classics to give us a deliciously retro sci-fi action gorefest, and if that description doesn't excite you, then we probably couldn't be friends. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you like your sci-fi gory, it's not to be missed.
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