Upgrade

Actually, I have no words. Upgrade is one hell of a cyber punk movie. A clever hard-core sci-fi, with the actor in the leading role who from now on should appear only in the best blockbusters (and I don't mind that he is an Australian copy of Thomas Hardy, known from the series Quarry) and especially with the story which can at any moment explode into a rollercoaster of emotions that the audience cannot handle all no matter how hard they try. One more exciting aspect is that you cannot expect or predict this explosion. I have not seen such a well-written and well-filmed sci-fi with such a good atmosphere and music in a long time. (23/12/2018)

With its spectacularly upgraded vengeance drama theme, Upgrade tells a story as simple as old Van Damme karate flicks, but with a futuristic dimension more reminiscent of – due to its lower budget – the original Terminator. This action sci-fi movie is innovative with some original details and has slight cult potential. Whannell surprised us. Even Wan himself couldn’t have shot it better. (04/10/2018)

Grey's wife was just killed by a group of thugs and he ended up in a wheelchair. But his days aren't over, thanks to an experimental chip and artificial intelligence, he's started walking again and can get his revenge, and the computer in his body is willing to help him do it. Upgrade is an action-packed B-movie that's surprisingly smarter than it looks at first glance. Plus, it has some great uncompromising and brutal action, so it's fun to watch. It's just a shame there wasn't someone more capable and charismatic in the lead role. But it's still very much above average in its genre. (24/08/2018)

What’s the best method for revenge? Connect the internal automaton and bypass the conscience. A masterful work both visually and acoustically, which in the first half sometimes feels like a mechanical prank, but in the end removes all doubts. Bloody and realistic cyberpunk cleverly working with a minimalist design and distorted filming and a soundtrack that awakens memories of Deus Ex in me ... I'm installing it! Ex Machina without unnecessary feeling of being too smart, a good mixture of B-movie momentum and A-movie solutions. (31/08/2018)

The most original little big cyberpunk B-movie in at least a few years. It has all the ideas, the swagger, the brilliant action and the blown heads that fans of revenge sci-fi need in regular doses every now and again. The production design is intentionally understated, with post-rock music that gives it the right mysterious atmosphere and moderate clear action without big military passages like in the Terminator franchise, but with a story that allows the filmmakers to indulge in relatively breakneck excesses. Whannell knows exactly how to mix this shake. Great fun. (24/08/2018)