A gritty tech action thriller, infused with 1980s B-grade schlock tropes, and featuring a fantastic performance from Logan Marshall-Green, Upgrade just might be the breakaway film needed to re-establish director Leigh Whannell’s standing as one of Australia’s leading genre filmmaker talents.
Back in 2005, Aussie duo Leigh Whannell and fellow James Wan changed the genre movie landscape with Saw, ushering in the “torture porn” horror movement to the gritted teeth of many (this film critic included). They would do so again in 2011 with the Insidious franchise. Wan successfully branched out as a director of blockbuster hits such as The Conjuring and Fast & the Furious 7. Now it’s Whannell’s turn to follow suit with a genre beast of his own: Upgrade.
Made with a clear love of 1980s tech-noir/action classics such as Robo-Cop and The Terminator, Whannell has successfully achieved a world building sci-fi tech actioner of his own right with micro-budget in tow, but plenty of grit and filmmaking savy to spare. Set in an unspecified future, Upgrade meshes old school aesthetics with new-school gadgetry. An obvious personification of this is found in lead protagonist Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), a grunt in the classic sense of the word whose love for classic cars and disdain for anything that doesn’t involve a hands-on approach makes him an eyeore in a world of driverless cars and robot servants.
When Grey and his wife Asha (Melanie Vallejo) are attacked by unknown assailants with bad intentions, resulting in Asha’s death and Grey in a quadriplegic state, Grey is offered the chance to walk again through an experimental operation in which a piece of artificial intelligence called “STEM” (voiced by Simon Maiden) is attached to his spine. As quickly as you can say “I know kung-fu!” Grey is on the streets picking apart his wife’s killers under the guidance/rule of STEM and its all-knowing wisdom.
In true Whannell form, the moments of very well choreographed action violence will make many wince at its brutality. Yet such is the custom of this kind od action sci-fi breed, and in the ranks of such things Upgrade is an undeniably good entry. Key to its success is Logan Marshall-Green, who gives an impressively physical performance where at one moment he is incapable of movement, and the other he’s swinging punches like Jackie Chan on a cocaine high. Coupled with several well-acted dramatic moments, and Marshall-Green just may have delivered that breakthrough performance to thrust him into a bigger light.
Great sound design, brilliant practical effects and make-up work, not to mention an excellent score from Jed Palmer (The Infinite Man) all combine to make Upgrade a fine exploitation flick for the modern day.
