UPGRADE

Australia, 2018, 100 minutes, Colour.
Logan Marshall- Green, Melanie Velejo, Harrison Gilbertson, Benedict Hardie, Linda Cropper, Clayton Jacobson, Simon Maiden, Betty Gabriel.
Directed by Leigh Whannell.

There are so many horror films about these days, some classy like A Quiet Place, many of them routine gore stories, some of them B-grade (or Z-grade). A number of successful films in recent years, like Get Out, like have been produced by Jason Blum, sometimes including Blumhouse in the titles.

Upgrade is actually a Blumhouse filmed in Melbourne standing in for the US. The director is Leigh Whannell, writer and actor, who moves into directing with Upgrade, which he also wrote. Whannell has appeared in a number of films including The Conjuring series. But, at the beginning of his career, with his friend from Melbourne University, James Wan, he invented the Saw franchise. In real life, listening to him in interviews, he seems like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. But, he knows the ins and outs of horror conventions.

This is quite an above average a story. It is futuristic. It is science-fiction. And, it seems to be a variation on the Frankenstein monster theme. It is also a revenge action story.

Logan Marshall- Green plays Grey who likes tinkering with and repairing cars. He is married to Asher, who works in a highly professional firm. The two go together to deliver a repaired car to a whiz kid, Warren (Harrison Gilbertson) who explains that he has a technological device that can be inserted into a human to improve skills.

Very quickly, there is a disaster, with thugs crashing into Grey and Asher, killing Asher, Grey becoming quadriplegic. Obviously, he is a candidate for the device and it is inserted.

At first, this enables Grey to move, to stand, to fight. And, there is a voice inside him, named Stem, who dialogues with him as well is enabling him to move, but soon becomes in, anticipating situations controlling situations. Grey tracks down the thugs and confronts them.

But, obviously there has to be more than just the revenge theme. The complexities star with Stem taking over Grey, the young scientist becoming involved as well is the chief thug who is himself mechanised as well. It is all something of a conspiracy theory – but, the mystery for most of the time is, who is the main controller?

The film is well paced, often exciting, often mysterious, with touches of gory deaths as expected, and an explanation which goes beyond initial expectations – but which also could lead to a sequel.

1. The blend of science fiction and horror conventions? Critical approval?

2. The director, his ideas, his work as a director, writer, making the film in Melbourne – with an American setting?

3. The title, science-fiction and improved technology? The experiments – and the variation on the Frankenstein monster theme?

4. The city, the garage, vehicles? Homes? Laboratories? Underground? The cars, driverless cars, the car chase, the crash? The musical score?

5. Asha, her job, the company, coming home? Grey? The relationship? The delivery of the car, Enron and the car, the delivery and the crash?

6. The thugs, Fisk, the attack, the shooting of Asha, wounding Grey, taking him?

7. Eron, his explanation of his experiments, the technological piece and its possibilities?

8. Grey, in the ward, the insertion of the technology and its effect? Taking control, enabling him to stand and move? The voice, Stem, activated – and controlling Grey’s body?
Threatening his mind?

9. The revenge plot, the search for the thugs? Cortes and the police, the interrogations, the suspicions?

10. Grey’s mother, Pamela, her presence, love for her son, bringing a humane element into the story? Grey, his dreams, sensing Asha’s presence?

11. His quest, finding the thugs, Stem giving all the information, the confrontations, the action sequences, the deaths? The police and their suspicions, his wheelchair being
found? The explanations and the plausibility?

12. Fisk, the confrontation, Fisk and his intelligence? Stem and trying to outwit Fisk? Fisk and his motivations, working for Room?

13. Fisk being used, Grey being used, the human to embody the implant? The confrontation of Eron, and being used?

14. The explanation, Stem, wanting absolute control, controlling eron and Fisk?

15. Grey, the future, Stem and Grey being robotic? Machines controlling humans? The future?