Upgrade is wickedly brilliant!★★★★

In a twisted story about a car mechanic named Grey who becomes a part cyborg after an incident that left his wife dead.

Upgrade, is a sci-fi action thriller with a starkly gross approach and is hugely entertaining. For the most part, the film delivers an engaging story about a guy who lives in a near-futuristic world, where everything is dependent on androids. Despite the technological advancements, Grey prefers to use the “old school way”- a complete opposite to his wife who works for a savvy AI company.

The thing that makes this film remarkably entertaining is that it’s not pretentious in any way. It’s a low budget film, but it managed to break away from it, making way for a unique and brilliant narrative.  The main character symbolising an average person becoming someone great, equipped with extensive knowledge and skills through an AI implant called Stem is something that most audiences would be interested to see. It aims to entertain in a chilling vibe with all the uncertainties and fears a regular person would have.

I also noticed a few movie references that hints inspiration to this film. One memorable picture is the final action scene of one-on-one combat between Grey and Fisk reminded me of The Matrix movie. There is also that strange and cold atmosphere that Stem gives out, made me think of A Space Odyssey. Lastly, the film’s rawness and gruesome element suggested a memory from the Saw series.

An excellent sci-fi action horror/thriller with an unexpected twist and a refreshing sense of humour that doesn’t even try but delivers. I would say slightly out of this world, but it’s scary cause it might actually happen.

Opens May 31