Upgrade (2018)
Dir- Leigh Whannell
Some of the best action movies of the 1980's were those that often featured technology and the perils that came with our over-reliance on it. Movies like "Terminator," "RoboCop" and "Aliens" often showed how technology would promise to solve all problems but usually at a cost. Mechanic Grey Trace is a technophobe who finds his life destroyed after his wife is murdered after an accident and he is left paralyzed. Feeling suicidal he is approached by a wealthy client who offers to restore his motor functions using technology that would augment his body giving him the ability to walk as he had before. Once activated Grey discovers that his newly enhanced body is aided by an artificial intelligence named STEM that assists him with tasks and offers to help find out who murdered his wife. Once unleashed Grey learns that his helpful assistant STEM may be too much for him to control. "Upgrade" is an intense action thriller that shows the perils that technology can offer despite the promises of making our lives better. In many respects, the movie reminded me of the original Robocop movie of the 80's with all the action, violence and some of the dark humor thrown in to lighten the mood. The plot seems formulaic at first but don't be fooled; this film does offer some twists that you may or may not see coming. The violence is intense but the action and humor help to temper it so that it will not shock you too much. "Upgrade" has the potential to be this generations "Terminator" and is the movie that the recent Robocop reboot should have been.
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