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Upgrade

Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 1:00 am
by jonbly
9/10 - Action scifi with a horror edge. Mainstream enough (and good enough) to do quite well if it gets the right release. Some interesting shots in the fight scenes - though it felt like a bit of slowmo might have helped.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 11:36 am
by Alex J
Excellent sci-fi actioner - highly entertaining and a great popcorn flick that should cross over to the masses. Reminiscent of Robocop, Existenz and The Terminator. Plenty of great fight sequences and a few twists at the end - some of which you may see coming, some not. 8.5 / 10

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 12:03 pm
by anaana
8/10 - Pretty fun to watch, with spectacular visual effects for such a modest budget. Deserves wide release.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 12:38 pm
by Alnapa
I really enjoyed this. I think AI is a great playground for Horror/Thriller films as it is happening now but yet the capabilities remain unknown.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 3:47 pm
by WraithApe
8/10. Tightly scripted, well-made sci fi that makes the absolute most of its limited resources to create a dark, compelling future world. Not exactly groundbreaking - it plays a lot like an extended episode of Black Mirror - but what it does, it does just right. It's fast paced, with immersive sound design, judicious use of CG and enough meat on the bones plot-wise to make it more than just a visceral actioner.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 4:46 pm
by Oswald Cobblepot
Really loved this one. Didn't hang about, some great fight scenes, and an 80s look and feel. Made a nice change of pace from a lot of the other films on. One of the only films of the weekend to get applause for the gore scenes.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 6:40 pm
by Whiptail
Im of two minds with this film.

Whilst it was an entertaining film to watch, with nice visuals, likable characters, and enough action to keep you going without giving you time to remember youre in a cinema.

Oh the other hand, I found the plot so obvious and see through that I had figured the whole thing out pretty quickly. There was minimal horror in it and the main character just seemed like a discount Tony Stark complete with an evil version of Jarvis that had watched the Matrix too many times.

So whilst I enjoyed the film as a standalone film, I dont think it should have been in a HORROR film festival.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 7:23 pm
by DJBenz
Whiptail wrote: Tue Aug 28, 2018 6:40 pmI dont think it should have been in a HORROR film festival.
It's not a horror film festival, it's 'The Dark Heart of Cinema' which can encompass many things and give the programmers some leeway when it comes to selecting films. Dark themes and horror adjacency make for a more entertaining mix IMO.

Look at Lowlife last year, a very popular choice but in no way was it a horror movie. Dark, yes, but not horror in the traditional sense.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 7:29 pm
by Whiptail
I suppose youre right. Just not what I hoped for.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 8:00 pm
by ChrisReynolds
One of the best films of the festival for me. William Gibson, the father of cyberpunk, has never had his genre-defining works successfully transfer to the big screen, but this film felt like the best William Gibson adaptation that he never wrote, as it closely resembles his world and themes.

Excellent portrayal of transhumanism and advanced neurotechnology, and the action scenes especially are striking in their choreography and energy. The plot does bring it down a little by being too simple and predictable, but there are still small twists that keep it interesting to the end. Even with the simple story, there are lots of deeper questions that the film raises without providing simple answers, our increasing reliance on technology and the fear of being left behind in a computerised world. I much prefer a well-realised plot that makes sense than a film which ties itself in knots to surprise the viewer and falls flat on its face. Definitely one I want to see again.

Despite being primarily in the sci-fi genre, it still managed to deliver more gory violence and disturbing existential horror than a lot of other so-called horror films that screened over the weekend. The final couple of minutes are genuinely chilling in their implications.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 10:44 pm
by The Aylmer
I can only echo what everybody else has already said. And yes, this movie does most certainly belong at Frightfest. I heard similar complaints about 'The Man Who Killed Hitler and then the Bigfoot' and I disagree with those as well. These kinds of movies were made for Frightfest (just a pity Doug Trumbull couldn't come over in the end for the latter). Upgrade was my film of the festival. 9/10 here.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 10:59 pm
by The Soapmaker
I enjoyed it, but - ignoring the more extreme violence and the ending - I saw it as the pilot for a Six Million Dollar Man meets Knight Rider TV series. With a bit of Batman and Daredevil thrown in.

His mum - as a sort of Alfred - and the cop who suspects him of being a crimefighter, but can never prove it, could be regular characters. And lots of comedy potential with STEM.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Tue Aug 28, 2018 11:03 pm
by TheDukeAbides
Budget Tom Hardy did very well.

Great set pieces, good dark humour, well paced and I can honestly say one of the few films that didn't go too long. Up there with the best I've seen.

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:13 am
by Paul1968
TheDukeAbides wrote: Tue Aug 28, 2018 11:03 pm Budget Tom Hardy did very well.

Great set pieces, good dark humour, well paced and I can honestly say one of the few films that didn't go too long. Up there with the best I've seen.
He really does look like Tom Hardy doesn't he!

Re: Upgrade

Posted: Wed Aug 29, 2018 9:20 am
by TheDukeAbides
Paul1968 wrote: Wed Aug 29, 2018 6:13 am
TheDukeAbides wrote: Tue Aug 28, 2018 11:03 pm Budget Tom Hardy did very well.

Great set pieces, good dark humour, well paced and I can honestly say one of the few films that didn't go too long. Up there with the best I've seen.
He really does look like Tom Hardy doesn't he!
Some next to me thought it was, unfortunately I'd seen him previously in Prometheus. Unfortunate I'd seen Prometheus, not Logan Marshall-Green.