Movie Review

(Upgrade)

Name:

Rhean E. Pulga
STEM 11 – A
Subject Instructor’s Name:
Ms. Greza Mae Bantilo Zaspa
 The move entitled Upgrade was released on June 1, 2018. It is a cyberpunk action body
horror film written and directed by Leigh Whannell. The film was produced by Jason Blum, with
his other crew, Rosemary Blight, Bailey Conway, Philip Dawe, Kylie Du Frsne, Brian
Kavanaugh-Jones and Ben Grant under the production line, Blumhouse Productions banner. The
whole movie wouldn’t be complete without the help of the movie staffs. It was casted by Logan
Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Steve Danielsen, Harrison Gilbertson and others. It was filmed
in the country of Australia and United States. It focused on the theme The film follows a man
who is implanted with a chip that allows him to control his body after a mugging leaves him
paralyzed.

The film stars with by tacking on a scifi gloss to an otherwise paint-by-numbers revenge
story. Grey Trace, a mechanic, asks his wife Asha to help hm return a refurbished car to his
client Eron Keen, a renowned tech innovator. While visiting his home, Eron reveals his latest
creation, a multi-purpose chip called STEM with almost unlimited poentia. Returning home,
Grey and Asha’s self-driving car malfunctioned and crashed. Four men attacked he couplewhere
Asha was killed and Grey got shot in the neck, severing his spinal cord.

Grey returns home months later as a quadriplegic, under the care of his mother, Pamela.
Ashas death and the inability of Det. Cortez to identify who attacked them causes Grey to sink
into depression. After a suicide attempt, he is visited by Eron, who convinces him to accept a
Stem implant, claiming it would allow him to walk again. Grey regains control of his limbs and
Eron has Grey sign a no-disclosure agreement, requiring Grey to pretend to stll be paralyzed.
While watching a drone video feed of his wife’s murder, Grey hears STEM speak in his mind.
STEM says it can help Grey get revenge and quickly identifies one of he asslants, Serk Brantner,
from the video.

Grey breaks into Serk’s home and finds proof Serk was “upgraded” with cybernetic
implants and finds messages connecting him with a local bar called the Old ones. Serk arrives
and attacked Grey, but STEM convinces Grey to allow it to take on full control of his body, and
easily overpowers Ser, violently killing him. Cortez later sees drone footage of Grey’s
wheelchair approaching Serk’s house, but his paralysis negates him as a suspect.

Eron has tracked STEM's movements and berates Grey for potentially exposing STEM.
Grey reveals STEM is speaking to him, which surprises Eron, who demands that Grey stop his
investigation. Grey proceeds to the Old Bones and finds Tolan, another of the assailants. Grey
allows STEM to torture Tolan to death, obtaining the name of the assailants' ringleader, Fisk.
Leaving the bar, Grey stumbles, and STEM informs him that Eron is attempting to shut them
down remotely. STEM directs Grey to a nearby hacker, formerly known as Jamie, and Grey
manages to reach the hacker's address just as STEM shuts down completely, rendering Grey
paralyzed again. The hacker manages to remove STEM's input guard, and leaves just as Fisk
arrives. Grey, with STEM's control restored, kills Fisk's remaining companion.

Grey returns home only for Pamela to see him walking, forcing him to reveal STEM's
existence. Cortez arrives to interrogate them after finding Grey's wheelchair abandoned at the
Old Bones; she leaves after planting a listening device on Grey's jacket. Grey wishes to give up
the hunt, but STEM explains that Fisk will track them down and kill them. STEM reveals that
the hack gives him free control of Grey’s body. STEM uses Grey to drive to Fisk, causing an
automated car to malfunction and crash into Cortez’, who is tailing them. Cortez returns to
Grey's home, where Pamela explains STEM to her.

Grey and STEM find Fisk, who reveals he was only hired to paralyze Grey so he could be
implanted. Fisk’s own upgrades outpace Grey's movements, enabling him to gain the upper hand
until Grey taunts Fisk with the death of Serk, his brother. With Fisk distracted, STEM is able to
kill him. Fisk's phone reveals messages from Eron, suggesting that he had orchestrated all the
events.

Grey enters Eron's home, but is held at gunpoint by Cortez before he can kill Eron. Eron
confesses how STEM forced him to do its bidding, having long since come to dominate all
aspects of Eron's life in pursuit of its goal to become human. STEM kills Eron and attempts to
kill Cortez, but Grey fights for control over his own body, managing to shoot himself. Grey
wakes up in a hospital room, not paralyzed. Asha explains he has been unconscious for two days
following their crash. In reality, Grey is still in Eron's home. STEM, in full control, explains to
Cortez that the psychological strain has finally broken Grey's mind; this was STEM's objective
all along, as this allowed STEM to assume control over Grey's mind and body. Grey's
consciousness believes the idyllic dream state it has found, while STEM kills Cortez and leaves.

I was amazed by how the camera angle was on point, the cinematography and the proper
use of lighting most specially it is a horror movie. The use of shadows to the atmosphere of
every scene of the movie really added up to the all-around feel of the movie. The perfect shot of
every sound on every intense scenes really made it exaggerate that emphasized the effect. The
close up shot of the serious parts allowed us, the audience to see the actor’s emotions up close,
giving more empathy. However, they made sure that every venue and location adds up more to
the particular scenes. The acting skills of every cast of the movie really did a great job portraying
their character but most specially, the performance of the lead actor has done a terrific
performance both in facial expressions and body movements. The whole script did put clear
images in the readers mind where the writer wants them to actually see or imagine. Its theme
focused on full-on-body horror, it is a near-future cyborg thriller. The most favourable character
of the whole movie was actually STEM but realizing that it can’t actually be considered as an
actual character made me appreciate the character of Grey. With pure determination on how to
take up revenge for his wife, he was eager to find out who were the killers behind the murder
even though his other parts of his body were paralyzed. He got impatient only to find out that
Det. Cortez wasn’t able to find the killers so he solved it on his own with the help of STEM.

This was a great movie from start to finish, with the mind blowing plot twist made me
even more appreciate and love it. Upgrade is a unique and interesting film, with a great plot and
setting it explores how a young man seeks justice for the death of his wife. It has its foundation
as standard revenge movie against a mysterious group. The plot was well executed that actually
surprised me. Add in some sprinkle of grindhouse gore. The acting is good and the main
characters especially are both believable and relatable. The directing is polished and the CGI,
which is so often the downfall of a smaller budget sci-fi is both restrained and appropriate. It is a
must recommend movie most especially who are a fan of sci-fi, blood and gore and thriller.
Cast/ Characters of the movie:

Logan Marshall-Green as Melanie Vallejo as Betty Gabriel as

Grey Trace Asha Trace Detective Cortez

Harrison Gilbertson as Benedict Hardie as

Eron Keen Fisk
Most favourite scene:

The scene where Grey tried to hold and

fight back to STEM who are taking over of his
body to kill Det. Cortez and Eron. This scene is
trying to portray that in the near future, we need
to develop and use new technologies
thoughtfully, or else the thing that makes us most
human—our ability to connect through
language—might be destroyed by our
innovations.