Upgrade Review
Violent sci-fi throwback is value for money. ★★★★☆
Produced on a budget smaller than the catering for Terminator 2, Upgrade, Leigh Whannell’s lean, mean sci-fi throwback is a shining example of low-budget filmmaking done right.
No stranger to making movies on a shoestring budget, Whannell’s economic prowess is again put to good use, making every cent of the film’s paltry three-million dollar budget count. And it looks terrific, never overreaching and cleverly hiding its limitations. It easily passes as something made for ten times the amount.
Excellent value, too, is Logan Marshall-Green, going all-in with an engaging performance. Running the gamut of human emotion, juxtaposed with an eerie physicality that perfectly captures the struggle between man and machine.
Smashing and slashing through bad guys, the film’s ultra-violent gyro-tracked action sequences are unlike anything I’ve seen before. Brain and brawn, augmented with a healthy dose of dark humour, this sci-fi actioner might be cheap and cheerful, but it’s an enriching experience.
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