Upgrade - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Upgrade

Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras: :
Final Score: ​

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Movie
Upgrade was one of those movies that really slipped by me in the theaters. It didn’t have a lot of hype or marketing behind it, and the trailer just seemed low budget and cheesy to my eye. I did have a close friend go see the movie and rave about how it was a great throwback to classic pulp science fiction, so I was more than willing to check it out when it came to home video. For those of you not in the know, director/writer Leigh Whannell is the brainchild behind the Saw and Insidious horror series, but had only directed ONE feature film to date (Insidious 3, which was a decent horror film). I wasn’t expecting too much out of Upgrade with that knowledge in mind, but ended up being floored by this sleeper hit that just took me by surprise. This is the film that honestly puts Whannell on the map as a serious director/writer, and is by far one of my favorite films of 2018 (so far). It’s a fantastic slice of tech noir sci-fi with just a hint of horror elements wedged in, creating a captivating flick that doesn’t try to be anything that it isn’t. Instead sticking to the nuts and bolts of the genre and building up a well layered film that satisfies from beginning to end.

Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Greene) is an old fashioned guy in a new fangled world. It’s some time in the near(ish) future, and the world has kind of passed his kind by. He’s kind of a technophobe, more than willing to work on restoring classic muscle cars and ignoring the need for a smart car while everyone else has their head stuck in their electronic devices. His whole life is about to be turned upside down when he insists that his lovely wife Asha (Melanie Vallejo) accompany him on delivering a souped up car to wealthy tech guru, Eron Keen (Harrison Gilbertson). After viewing Eron’s latest tech achievement, a computer chip named STEM which promises to bridge the gap between man and machine, their smart car crashes on the way home. While the injured couple waits for the paramedics, they are set upon by a group of criminals who kill Asha and leave Grey with a bullet in his neck.

Waking up the next day, Grey finds out that he’s a quadriplegic and his whole life has been turned upside down. However, he has a new lease on life when Eron Keen comes to his hospital bed and makes him an offer he can’t refuse. Let Eron put STEM inside of Grey’s body as an “under the radar” human trial and STEM will give the wounded man the ability to walk again. Grasping at his last chance, Grey accepts the tech mogul’s offer and undergoes the surgery. When he comes out he finds himself stronger, more agile, and able to be normal again. Instead of moving on with his life, Grey does the only thing a grieving widow would do in his situation. He sets out to hunt down the men responsible for murdering his wife. As he gets closer and closer to his goal, the blurring of lines between whether the automated STEM implant is controlling him, or whether the man is in control leads up to a stunning conclusion that will redefine the very definition of humanity.

Upgrade really was a surprise hit to me. I didn’t expect a whole lot, but came out truly impressed with Leigh Whannell’s sophomore directorial effort. The film clings tightly to some of the classic sci-fi elements of the 80s and 90s, but seamlessly blends in some gruesome violence that definitely comes from his work on the Saw and Insidious films. The tone of the movie is bleak and grim, but it is has just the right amount of synthesized score elements and tech noir twists to remind me of Blade Runner, and enough action and running to give me a bit of Logan’s Run as well. The action is a bit strange at first, but you get used to it when you realize that Whannel was trying to hearken back to an age when computer controlled motions weren’t like The Matrix. The camerawork helps accentuate said action, giving us some really need wide angle shots, and some close ups that shift and twist around the main characters in really neat patterns.

I love how the film doesn’t try to BE anything super deep. Instead it revels in the cheap, pulpy, science fiction of decades past, allowing us to sympathize with Grey’s frustrations, while also warning about the evils of technology and AI’s getting out of control. In those respects it reminds me of The Terminator and Robocop, just without the super violence of Robocop and the sheer star power of Arnold. Honestly, this is a GREAT throwback film for a modern era, and while I still think Ex Machina is the best tech noir thriller to come out in the last 10 years, Upgrade makes it a very close second, with some great performances, awesome camera work, and a solid story that leaves out enough information so as not to make the end twist as obvious (something which I appreciate as I thought I had guessed the ending in the first 15 minutes, only to be proven wrong in the last 10).




Rating:

Rated R for strong violence, grisly images, and language




Video:

Shot digitally and finished in 2K for home video, Upgrade sports a NEAR perfect looking 2.39:1 framed 1080p Blu-ray. The film is shot with a rather cold look to the colors, with lots of gray and desaturated primaries throughout. However, there are elements of sharper contrast and boosted color saturation in certain elements of the film. Grey’s home looks very well textured, with bright whites, and sharp blues and red’s with his home computer system that he uses to track down the killers with STEM. The same can be said of the police station and the grungy bar where he tears apart the thugs. Fine details are usually exceptional, with great closeups that show every bit of the beard Grey is sporting, or the sweat and grime dripping down his face after running down a dark alley. Blacks are deep and inky, showing lots of details even in the darker moments, and the only thing that keeps it from a perfect 5/5 is some intermittent banding (the scene where Grey is coming out of his stupor with the hacker is the most egregious) that crops up every once in a while.





Audio:

Upgrade may not have a DTS:X or Atmos next gen audio mix, or even a 7.1 DTS-HD MA mix, but it certainly makes full use of the “paltry” 5.1 DTS-HD MA format and leaves very little room for complaints. The opening of the film is filled with the throaty roar of Grey’s restored Trans Am, and a strangely robotic score that fills the surrounds and mains with a haunting melody. The score itself really does feel old school as well, as it uses a mixture of pulsating down beats blended with 80s synthesizers and an organ in ways that feels both creepy and other worldy at the same time. The surrounds are constantly awash with other sounds though, as the film shifts from vicious action, to soft and quiet at the drop of a hat. You can hear the humming of Grey’s motorized wheelchair, as well as the little scrapes and dings as he walks down a bad part of town at night. LFE is just devastating, adding great power and intensity to the pulsating score, as well as the copious action sequences throughout the film. The car chase between himself and the detective hits HARD with a nice chest cracking tone that mingles well with the throaty rumbling of his tricked out ride. All in all, this is a GREAT sounding 5.1 mix, and a fantastic use of score to set the mood for the film.





Extras:

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Final Score: ​

Upgrade is a multi layered film that starts out as a simple story about pain and suffering, but soon morphs into a revenge tale, and culminates with a shock ending that teaches the follies of trusting the symbiosis of man and machine TOO much. Filled with great performances from an under rated cast, incredible cinematography and a fantastic set of audio and video scores from Universal, Upgrade makes for one awesome watch. My only real complaint in the whole setup is that Universal didn’t put ANY extras on the release, and I really would have loved to have seen a commentary from Leigh Whannell about the project, as it is easily his best work to date. Highly recommended as a great watch for Tech noir sci-fi lovers everywhere.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Steve Danielsen
Directed by: Leigh Whannell
Written by: Leigh Whannell
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, French, Spanish DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Universal
Rated: R
Runtime: 100 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: August 28th, 2018

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• Michael Scott
• May 11, 2017

Recommendation: Great Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. Will keep an eye out for this one.

 

[Asere]

I will rent it from Redbox. Thanks for the review!

 

[Todd Anderson]

Awesome! I'm big into flicks like this.

 

[Michael Scott]

Awesome! I'm big into flicks like this.

I have a suspicion this one will be right up your alley

 

[Asere]

Just finished watching it with my wife. Wow what a great film. Never a dull moment and loved the lfe.

 

[Michael Scott]

Just finished watching it with my wife. Wow what a great film. Never a dull moment and loved the lfe.

told ya. It was a fantastic little sci film film that was actually pure old fashioned sci fi!

 

[Asere]

told ya. It was a fantastic little sci film film that was actually pure old fashioned sci fi!

I'm going to watch it again today. That's how much I liked it

 

[Sonnie]

Hmmm... definitely got my interest peaked.

 

[JBrax]

I think I might have to give this a rental after reading your review. Slipped by me as well.

 

[Michael Scott]

I think I might have to give this a rental after reading your review. Slipped by me as well.

it did most people. The film didn't get a lot of promotion for its theatrical run.