Upgrade

Upgrade is the best action film most people have never seen. Made for just $3 million, Leigh Whannell’s sci-fi revenge thriller follows a paralyzed man implanted with an AI chip called STEM that can take control of his body and fight with superhuman precision. The action sequences are jaw-dropping — the camera locks to Logan Marshall-Green’s torso, creating a mechanical, inhuman movement quality that makes each fight feel genuinely alien. STEM’s cold efficiency contrasted with Grey’s horror at his own violence is a brilliant conceit, and the twist ending is devastating. On a $3 million budget, Whannell delivered a film that rivals Venom in concept, exceeds it in execution, and received an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes.