This Dhalhouse review of Upgrade is a twofer. You can read the review below…or if you’re lazy and don’t feel like reading, you can click the video below and watch it on the YouTubes. If you go for the latter, give us a like and subscribe to the channel. See you in the Wasteland!
I always kick myself for missing out on movies like Upgrade when I finally get around to seeing them. Not because Upgrade is great, but because it’s the kind of genre movie I want Hollywood to make more of. Even though I’m 7 years late to the party, I’m glad I finally got here.
Upgrade is Indie Sci-Fi
Set in the near future of 2046, Upgrade is a basic revenge flick with a cyberpunk skin. Grey (Logan Marshall-Green) and his wife Asha (Melanie Vallejo) are a happy couple. Their life seems ideal. Grey, a bit of a technophobe, restores classic cars for wealthy clients while Asha is a big wig in some tech company that develops computer implants for humans. One evening after delivering a car to a client, Grey and Asha’s self-driving vehicle is hacked and brought to a stop. Four men attack them, killing Asha and leaving Grey a paraplegic.
Lost to his grief and unable to do even basic tasks for himself, Grey gives up and attempts suicide.
Luckily he doesn’t succeed or Upgrade would be a short movie.
After Grey’s suicide attempt, he’s visited by his last client, Eron (Harrison Gilbertson). Eron happens to be a tech genius who owns a company that is about to unveil an AI chip that can be implanted into humans to help with things like (you guessed it) loss of bodily functions. Eron offers to implant the AI chip into Grey, which will give him back the use of his limbs. Grey agrees.
But Grey wants revenge. And the AI is all too happy to help.
Unfortunately, this “upgrade”, the plot point the whole movie is built around, is the weak point of the whole movie because it turns our hero into a puppet of the AI chip. And this is conveyed through Marshall’s performance. Grey is as surprised as we are at the actions his body is taking. He, like us, is an observer. And because he’s not in control of his actions, because he’s done nothing to earn the abilities this upgrade has given him, there’s no tension in the action scenes.
And that’s just not very compelling. Kind of like finding out Jedi are only powerful because of some microscopic organism that gives them their powers. That’s just not that interesting. And it doesn’t allow the character to suffer and grow, and it robs the audience of someone to root for. Because who you gonna root for? The AI?
(If you haven’t seen the movie, Spoilers Are Ahead. You’ve been warned.)
Revenge is a Dish Best…Not Served?
But none of this really matters in the end anyway. Because in the final fight between Grey and the AI, Grey’s mind is broken, and he imagines that he has awakened in the hospital to find that the past few days have all been a dream. Asha is still alive, and they can live happily ever after. In reality, the AI has gained full control of Grey’s mind and body and escapes to freedom.
I don’t hate Upgrade’s ending as a concept in and of itself. But as an ending to this movie, it feels like a bait and switch. Upgrade sells itself as a revenge flick and for most of its runtime, that’s what it is. But at the last minute, it dodges and tries to be Ex Machina. And that just didn’t work for me. I commend the filmmakers for trying something this ballsy. I just think it feels tacked on to the wrong movie and kind of disingenuous.
Final Thoughts
Upgrade manages a cohesive and believable world despite its measly 3 million dollar budget. Most of the computer generated effects are in the background and used as establishing shots for the near-future world of Upgrade. The rest of the FX are practical. Futuristic cars, arms that fire bullets, etc.
As I’ve argued many times before, the small budgets in movies like this limits the scope and frees the director up to focus his energies where it matters. Likewise, the audience is less distracted by all of the shiny CGI and instead our attention is spent investing in the characters and story.
And while Upgrade isn’t quite on the level of other small, indie science fiction films like Moon, Under the Skin, or Take Shelter, I’m glad it exists. Whatever its shortcomings, I’d rather watch 10 Upgrades than waste my time on another Transformers, Star Wars or Marvel movie.
Have you seen Upgrade? What are your thoughts? Did you like the ending? Did you have any of the same problems I had with it? Do us a favor and share any other small sci-fi movies that you would recommend in the comments below.
