B-movies are fine offerings for moviegoers who just want to enjoy a cool concept or familiar genre tropes, without demand for deeper cinematic complexity or depth – so long as the movie can deliver on its own basic promise. Upgrade is indeed such a film, in that it’s about as stripped-down and basic as a B-movie can be – yet it delivers on what it promises, and for viewers not expecting much more than what the trailers sell, that just might be enough.
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The story follows Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), a man living in the future, but is obsessed with tinkering with things from the past. After finishing a particularly challenging muscle car restoration for a young tech mogul, Grey invites his wife Asha (Melanie Vallejo) to join him for the big presentation of his work. As an influential tech industry figure herself, Asha immediately recognizes the young mogul as Eron (Harrison Gilbertson), the reclusive tech genius whose company is the most innovative in field. Eron reveals a new prototype to the Traces that will change the world: a super-computer implant called “Stem.”
Soon after, Grey and Asha are victims of a vicious attack that leaves Asha dead, and Grey paralyzed. Eron approaches Grey in the hospital with a radical idea: he can use Stem to regain the use of his broken body. Grey accepts, but when Stem goes online he finds the computer is a lot more advanced than he figured. With Stem, Grey begins to piece together the mystery of who ruined his life so violently – and when he finds those responsible, it’s Stem that allows him to take revenge in ways he could never have imagined… and maybe never wanted.
Upgrade comes from the mind of Leigh Whannell, who is best known for writing, acting and directing alongside James Wan (and now on his own ) in the Insidious franchise – as well coming up with the early installments of the SAW franchise. In many ways, Upgrade is as much a sci-fi/horror tale as it is a crime-thriller with a sci-fi slant. That works both for and against the movie, in significant ways.
On the plus side, Upgrade delivers the visceral catharsis of a slasher-horror film – only in this case, with a slasher we can kind of root for. Grey’s journey is a systematic checklist of bad guys to dispatch, and those sequences highlight the movie’s big selling point, which are the “puppet-fu” fight sequences where Stem turns Grey into an unwitting (and self-proclaimed) “Ninja.” While many of those moments have been revealed in trailers, it’s still a unique take on combat action, and Whannell does some novel things to make it come alive onscreen. In that sense (and that sense alone), Upgrade lives up to its promises.
However, aside from the basic slasher progression and action highlights, the film is a mess of half-formed characterization and themes. Whannell’s script invests a lot of early time in building up Grey’s character and a “man vs. technology thematic line that get all but abandoned midway through, as the story can’t really find a way to reconcile those deeper elements with the horror-tinged revenge thriller that takes over. Upgrade tries to throw in a big twist that reframes the entire nature of the story late in the game, but savvy moviegoers will likely connect those dots well before the film drops its veil. In the end, Upgrade tells a shallow story with the sort of paper-thin characters you would expect from a horror film – especially since most of them will be killed off. That’s especially true of the lineup of crooks Grey hunts down, who are more forgettable and generic than the horde of CGI alien beasts in Avengers: Infinity War. While the final destination is bleakly interesting, it doesn’t quite redeem the blandness of the journey.
Logan Marshall-Green (Prometheus, Spider-Man: Homecoming) is a strong character actor who gets to put his talent to good use during the dramatic first act of the film, playing a paraplegic man in what almost feels like separate (and more interesting) awards season drama. Green is also good at nailing the physicality of being a highly-skilled combatant whose every move is controlled by a computer. He probably won’t get the credit for his level of commitment, but that’s also a testament to how smoothly and seemingly effortlessly he helps execute the concept.
In the end, Upgrade is a fine B-movie experience for those looking for a good matinee, or future at-home rental. Anyone expecting anything but the most basic execution of the film’s premise will be disappointed, because beyond that, there ain’t much to see here.
Review Score (out of 5): ⭐️⭐️
Upgrade is now playing in theaters. It is 1 hour 35 mintues long and Rated R for strong violence, grisly images, and language.
Did you like the film or hate it? Let us know in the comments or let me know your thoughts @KofiOutlaw!
