Upgrade

"A gleeful cyberpunk action thriller with both old-school charm and a contemporary feel, this is a premium example of a filmmaker keeping their ambitions restrained and nailing their targets with gusto. Upgrade doesn't really try anything new, but it delivers a hell of a lot of thrills as an R-rated romp that's refreshingly standalone, not trying to set up any sequels."

"A compact sci-fi action B-movie that wants to be a hip little genre exercise but doesn't have the chops (or maybe it's just the imagination) to entirely pull it off."

"The movie manages to be pretty funny; and the grisliness of the action, while in a sense entirely deplorable, adds to the kicks."

"While Whannell wrestles with warring desires to fret over the inevitable techno-oblivion towards which we're currently hurtling or have a laugh about it all, that conflict manifests in a disappointing tonal clash..."

"And yet, for... the very occasional clumsiness in its execution, Australian director Leigh Whannell (co-creator of the Saw franchise) has incredibly managed to fashion a heap of gruesome fun, with a script and action that feels fresh and exhilarating."

"Resistance is futile. High-grade grindhouse glee is your reward."

"If "Upgrade" ultimately plays like a genre exercise, it's certainly a taut, engrossing one."

"One wishes that some of the inventiveness of its set pieces and throwaway flourishes could've made their way into the main narrative, which is a too-familiar drag."

"A fast-paced, inventive thrill ride."

"...the wild, anarchic creativity of DTV SF permeates Upgrade, only it's sheathed in the concerns of today, not mired in the cultural extrapolations of a few decades back."

"As a movie, it's the cinematic equivalent of paint-by-numbers: competent, attractive even, but take a single step closer and the lines peek through."