7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Set in the near future, technology controls nearly all aspects of life, but when Grey, a self-identified technophobe, has his world turned upside down, his only hope for revenge is an experimental computer chip implant called STEM.
Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson, Melanie Vallejo, Benedict HardieThriller | Insignificant |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Spanish: DTS 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English SDH, French, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Leigh Whannell is best known as the brain behind the Saw and Insidious franchises, but it's only recently that he's stepped away from the keyboard and taken a shot at directing. His debut feature Insidious: Chapter 3 was a solid genre entry, but his second feature, Upgrade, should rightly be the film that absolutely puts him on the map as both a writer and director. A future-set tech thriller with chilling overtones that explore the integration of man and machine and the near future reliance on and advances in technology, the film blends some established concepts with high end writing that essentially reimagines RoboCop as a less excessively violent and socially pointed feature and morphs it into a compelling story of an increasingly symbiotic, and perhaps even hostile, relationship between a physically wounded and emotionally wrecked man and the supposed saving grace artificial intelligence that allows him to regain his mobility but, perhaps, at the cost of his ability to control it. Whannell has hit a home run with the movie; it's unquestionably one of the best things to arrive in 2018.
Helpless.
The digitally photographed Upgrade delivers a high yield image. Impressive structural integrity is obvious in most every shot. The movie is often a bit cold, but color stability is firm, skin tones appear right on the money, and saturation is very satisfying, notably reds. Close-up details are very impressive. Grey's home has a heavily textured wall and some other interesting details to explore, while intimate close-ups reveal finely honed skin details and individual strand facial hair. A few examples of intense gore -- opened flesh during surgery, a face that has been sliced dozens of times -- reveal every squirmy, squishy detail. Image clarity is constantly a strong point. Noise is minimal and no other troublesome source or encode flaws are apparent. It's a shame Universal didn't offer an "upgraded" UHD version, but perhaps it'll appear in a few months, as has occasionally been the studio's practice.
Upgrade may feature an "antiquated" DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack (as opposed to one with more channels at its disposal), but the presentation leaves little need for added channel bolstering. The robotically read "titles" at the beginning filter through the rear side with chilling depth and pronouncement. Those are followed by very aggressive, throaty engine revs when Grey tests out the newly rebuilt Trans Am. There is some terrific reverb throughout the stage, prominently in the rears, in Eron's house in chapter two. Indeed, it takes little time for a diverse collection of sound elements to stretch and test every channel, and the track only gets better with time. There are some high quality atmospherics integrated throughout, little things like distant sounds of dripping water in chapter seven. The track presents a number of hard-edged, industrial type sounds that tear through the speakers with chilling efficiency and vitality and plenty of room-filling aggression. Gunfire in chapter 14 is impressively tight and deep. Dialogue is well pronounced throughout, whether general human speech or the slightly more deep and dense and mildly reverberating STEM speech, which only Grey can hear.
This Blu-ray release of Upgrade contains no supplemental content. Apparently there is a director commentary track that is only available digitally. I redeemed the included Movies Anywhere code but did not appear to have access to a commentary. The main menu offers only options for "Play," "Chapters," and "Setup." The release ships with an embossed slipcover.
Upgrade evolves from a moving portrait of a wounded man to a fascinating story of flesh and tech symbiosis to a revenge tale and finally to an extremely satisfying twist ending that violently and cautiously speaks to the dangers of the merging of man and machine. The end twist evolves several times over several minutes, leaving this reviewer, anyway, thrilled, angered (which included a literal yell of disbelief and disappointment at the screen), and thrilled again within a matter of moments. Whannell may have already made a name for himself with Saw and Insidious, but he's made himself into a visionary with Upgrade and into one of this reviewer's favorite filmmakers. This is a wonderfully realized and executed picture that is absolutely one of my top ten picks for the year. Universal's Blu-ray is disappointingly absent any special features, but the video and audio presentations are of excellent quality. Very, very highly recommended.
2019
2017
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2011
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2015
Director's Cut Standard Edition
1987
1985
1984
מי מפחד מהזאב הרע / Mi mefakhed mehaze'ev hara
2013
1988
Collector's Edition
1984
2021
2014
2009
Una libélula para cada muerto
1975
2018
Ultra Turbo-Charged Collector's Edition
2015