Logan Marshall-Green has always, to my mind, been the poor man's Tom Hardy. They look similar, and while Tom has more acting chops, Logan works hard to match him in cerebral, challenging, and largely unpredictable roles. And while Upgrade (starring Logan Marshall-Green) is arguably a tech-heavy, dystopian parallel to the upcoming super-antihero flick Venom (starring, you guessed it, Tom Hardy), it showcases talents of Logan that I had not seen before.
Upgrade is seemingly the story of one Grey Trace (Marshall-Green), a hardworking mechanic who works with his hands and both dislikes and mistrusts the increasingly robotic, electronic, and digital advancements around him. Set in the near future, the movie depicts a world of surveillance drones, fully automated houses, electric cars (wait...we already have those), and robotically-enhanced people. Really, in many ways, this film feels like a precursor to Blade Runner in its cynicism and suspicion of technology.
Grey becomes paralyzed after a car accident when his wife is killed and his neck is broken by a group of four villainous men. Not long after, a tech genius client offers him an experimental surgery to implant his new invention, STEM. It's a tiny device meant to attach to anything and work to improve it. He agrees, hoping to regain use of his limbs. And, of course, it works! But Grey begins to hear a voice in his head, a man's voice that seems to know far more than he himself. It's STEM, whose consciousness often dialogues with Grey while remaining largely subservient.
With STEM's abilities to connect online, Grey hunts down the men who killed his wife and paralyzed him. This is where the movie really kicks into high gear, and writer/director Leigh Whannell's skills come to violent life. Stefan Duscio's amazing cinematography perfectly captures the unheimlich, augmented reality of the protagonist's body and experience. And then there's Marshall-Green, whose physical work is the best I've seen in a film since Eddie Redmayne played Stephen Hawking. Through some magic of filmmaking and storytelling, we are totally with him as he navigates the world in his new and improved body. We understand his horror when, as he confronts his assailants, he allows STEM to take control of his body and brutalize the baddies.
I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but the film features a couple of twists I simply did not see coming. Sure, it's all a little far-fetched, but it's one of the most effective combinations of science fiction and horror I've seen in some time. Maybe it's just because I like body horror, maybe it's because I like Marshall-Green. Whatever the reason, this was a delightful way to spend a hot summer afternoon.
IMDb: Upgrade
Grey becomes paralyzed after a car accident when his wife is killed and his neck is broken by a group of four villainous men. Not long after, a tech genius client offers him an experimental surgery to implant his new invention, STEM. It's a tiny device meant to attach to anything and work to improve it. He agrees, hoping to regain use of his limbs. And, of course, it works! But Grey begins to hear a voice in his head, a man's voice that seems to know far more than he himself. It's STEM, whose consciousness often dialogues with Grey while remaining largely subservient.
With STEM's abilities to connect online, Grey hunts down the men who killed his wife and paralyzed him. This is where the movie really kicks into high gear, and writer/director Leigh Whannell's skills come to violent life. Stefan Duscio's amazing cinematography perfectly captures the unheimlich, augmented reality of the protagonist's body and experience. And then there's Marshall-Green, whose physical work is the best I've seen in a film since Eddie Redmayne played Stephen Hawking. Through some magic of filmmaking and storytelling, we are totally with him as he navigates the world in his new and improved body. We understand his horror when, as he confronts his assailants, he allows STEM to take control of his body and brutalize the baddies.
I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but the film features a couple of twists I simply did not see coming. Sure, it's all a little far-fetched, but it's one of the most effective combinations of science fiction and horror I've seen in some time. Maybe it's just because I like body horror, maybe it's because I like Marshall-Green. Whatever the reason, this was a delightful way to spend a hot summer afternoon.
IMDb: Upgrade
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