Upgrade review – the new augmentation of humanity

Humans are obsessed with their looks and there’s always something we wish we could change about ourselves, especially our body. What if you could see further or move faster than any human on earth and all you had to do was remove an eye or two and both legs, would you do it?

In this future, humans have augmented themselves with different types of robotic implants or extensions within and to their bodies. It is not explained how this future came to be, but you see it as the film progresses.

Upgrade introduces us to a mechanic, Grey Trace played by Logan Marshall-Green. A “relic” of sorts in this age of self-driving cars, automated homes and drones that can identify you at any time. After putting the finishing touches on a vehicle he rebuilt for his client, Asha (Melanie Vallejo) accompanies him to make the delivery.

Eron (Harrison Gilbertson) the client, is an eccentric technological genius, who shares with them his newest, greatest achievement, STEM. An advanced microchip, that he dubs, ‘ a better brain’. At the end of this brief presentation, Grey, and Asha head home. Along the way, their car malfunctions and crashes, then attacked by four unknown men, Asha is shot and killed, and Grey is left a quadriplegic.

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Eron offers Grey the ability to walk again by implanting STEM, but because it is experimental he cannot tell anyone. He accepts and regains the use of his body, but with this comes an unexpected side-effect.

STEM (Simon Maiden) can communicate with his new host as well as take over the body when necessary. Which makes for some great fight scenes and cinematic eye candy that is refreshing to behold.

With this new found power Grey decides to seek justice by finding the men who turned his life upside and killed his wife. Fisk (Benedict Hardie) the unremorseful villain stands in his way of vengeance and the truth with his own fantastic set of moves and augmentations.

He is the type that when he has a job to do, nothing will hold him back! Detective Cortez (Betty Gabriel) is assigned to Grey’s case but also begins to suspect that there may be something more to Grey than he is letting on.

Upgrade is a great sci-fi film directed by Leigh Whannell, that you can have fun with and enjoy. It starts off a bit slow and lags more after Grey is paralyzed. But it is only to build up for the roller coaster ride of what STEM can do in a human host. That’s when it ramps up!

If you have not seen Upgrade yet, what are you waiting for, an invitation? This film is definitely worth seeing even though the plot twist is pretty sad. So until next time kiddies, beep, blort, bleet!