#theyre close enough physically to be in john's control

[nukuome]

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[saints-row-2]

film watch day 8: Upgrade

i really really wanted to love Upgrade. i was certain it was going to be a sure thing; anything about people with AIs or aliens or demons sharing their consciousness is on a fast track to my favourites list. in the end though, while i loved a lot about Upgrade, i ultimately felt the film was less than the sum of its parts.

Upgrade is about the improbably named Grey Trace, who is assaulted by a group of men who murder his wife and leave him quadriplegic. Grey is quickly convinced by weird tech genius Eron to become part of a top-secret new experiment that would implant a chip in his spine that would grant him the ability to walk. with that chip comes STEM, an AI who is as eager to find the killers of his wife as Grey is. 

the ‘revenge thriller’ genre is one of the most overused in the universe, and with runaway brilliance in it like John Wick or even this year’s Mandy, its hard to have a stand-out film in the genre anymore. i was immediately put-off by the concept when i first read the synopsis, but was hopeful Upgrade’s unique premise would help it out. and the answer is... kind of?

Upgrade is a very violent movie with a handful of fight scenes that are far and away the best moments of the movie. theyre incredibly well choreographed and filmed. i havent seen any of cinematographer Stefan Duscio’s work before, but i was really fucking impressed. and Leigh Whannell, obviously an old hand at portraying violence after Saw, shines in these scenes. the camera work in the film is fucking great, and did some really cool shit with steady-cams. i thought the sound editing was inspired as well. this is a really good film to like, watch.

my main issue with Upgrade, after the convoluted plot, is the main actor. Logan Marshall-Green, who kind of looks like someone making a bad photofit of Tom Hardy, is bizarrely uncharismatic in this movie. i wasnt sure if the director was trying to make him seem like a cold, terrifying threat like John Wick, but if thats what Whannell wanted, he didnt succeed. watching the film i largely felt like Grey was kind of dumb, and like every badass quip and little speech was something the character had been rehearsing in his head. it came across like he really, really wanted to be cool and scary, but he sure as hell didnt feel it. hes often pretty funny, and i do wish they leant into making him more of a non-action orientated dumbass; the comic scenes were often really good, i just found him utterly unconvincing as an action hero badass. 

i think the most unforgivable part was how weak his relationship with his wife was. huge chunks of the film he doesnt even seem to be particularly thinking about her. i really dont know why the film bothered to include her at all, other than convention; i would have assumed ‘these people severed my spinal cord and tried to kill me’ would be enough to seek revenge. it feels lazy, and the kind of misogyny where having women as throw-away dead bodies and sadness fuel is so usual you dont even stop to question if its necessary. 

in scenes were Marshall-Green is still and silent, hes much better. this isnt meant to be a blow against Marshall-Green; i just wanted to highlight the amount of skill at play in the way the quieter moments of the movie are shot. times when Grey is silent and taking in the scene around him are often very powerful, and i was really impressed by how the film pulled the quiet parts off. 

the real scene-stealer is STEM. Simon Maiden (STEM’s voice actor) is the unsung hero of this movie, because i found his performance way more fucking engaging that Marshall-Green’s. hes sometimes funny, sometimes charismatic, and often chilling. his quick charming of Grey and their back-and-forth was great at times, and while i thought his evolution as a character was obvious, its fucking so good.

i will say this; Logan Marshall-Green’s physical performance is fantastic. his robotic motions and the difference in behaviour when Grey and when STEM are in control is an incredibly piece of acting. 

its a pity that the plot ultimately is so convoluted while also being weirdly simplistic. the film opens up questions about there being much bigger mysteries ahead, and then immediately drops them to bring the ending back around to the most obvious answer. i really wanted something more from it. of the ending twists one is weak, and the other is fucking excellent. genuinely theres some really great concepts in this movie, and i really appreciated a lot of the ideas... just not all of them.

Upgrade is, obviously, a cyberpunk film. i found myself really scratching my head at the politics of it, though. it hints at things, but if there was a political message behind it, its not entirely clear what it is that people rely on technology because they want to escape from reality? shit i mean, i guess, thats kinda the point of entertainment in general.

Upgrade isnt a movie entirely without merit, but i was mostly left wanting more than what the film gave me. its a good film with some cool ideas that came really close to being a great film, which is always going to be more frustrating to me.