Upgrade

THE GIST: In a world fully dependent on technology, Grey is an old-school mechanic and self-professed technophobe. After a car hijacking leaves him paralyzed though, allowing a highly advanced computer chip to be implanted in his spine might be his only chance at a normal life. He accepts, regaining his mobility, but eventually he comes to realize he might have bargained more than he intended.

Upgrade is a cool movie that analyzes the kind of futuristic society we're heading towards, with all its benefits and drawbacks.

The script smartly weaves a crime, a desire for revenge, a vast conspiracy, and plenty of gadgetry and techno-talk into a cohesive whole.

The very handsome Logan Marshall-Green does a great job, and hopefully we'll get to see more from him in the future. Harrison Gilbertson, Benedict Hardie, Richard Cawthorne, Christopher Kirby, and Betty Gabriel also star.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I'm not sure whether future installments were considered, and I don't think it earned a lot at the box office, but I see a lot of potential in this story and character, including the AI behind it all.

Grade: 8