Upgrade

Upgrade is a 2018 cyberpunk action body horror film written and directed by Leigh Whannell and starring Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, and Harrison Gilbertson. The film follows a technophobe who is implanted with a chip that allows him to control his body after a mugging leaves him paralyzed. The film was produced by Jason Blum, under his Blumhouse Productions banner. After premiering on 10 March 2018 at South by Southwest, the film was released on 1 June 2018 in the United States by OTL Releasing and Blumhouse Tilt, and on 14 June 2018 in Australia.

Plot
A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure -- an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility -- skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Very wicked action scenes. The first fight scene after Grey has STEM implanted and is chasing his wife's killers - which ends with him giving his victim a Glasgow Grin with a kitchen knife - is a scene many movie goers loved.
 * 2) The fight with Serk, due to the combination of STEM's cold, perfectly calculated domination and Grey reacting with shock and horror at how hard he's pummeling Serk and constantly bickering with STEM. His head and body are in two very different places, and it's as hilarious as it is awesome.
 * 3) *How the fight starts. Serk's spotted Grey hiding in his home and attacked him, and when Grey calls for help from STEM while being actively strangled, STEM gently states that it cannot do anything without his permission. Using the last of his strength and with a voice of pure "Are you fucking kidding me?", Grey manages to get out "Permission granted!" through gritted teeth, after which point STEM politely thanks him and takes over.
 * 4) *The bit of him awkwardly smashing a ton of plates and glasses on Serk's head.
 * 5) *After he goes down from that, Grey outright begs him not to get back up, since he has no idea what else STEM has in mind for him.
 * 6) *Then, he reaches for a knife.
 * 7) *The Black Comedy of Grey being absolutely horrified when STEM uses his body to give Serk a gruesome Glasgow Grin.
 * 8) *After he indulges in some subsequent Stress Vomit, Grey asks STEM to give him a second. A Beat, and then STEM says, "One second has passed."
 * 9) *STEM recommends that Grey remove all of his fingerprints to rid the crime scene of his presence. Grey complains that there's no way he could remember everything he touched — to which STEM immediately states it has a compiled list of everything Grey touched. The scene actually ends right there, so we're only left to imagine how much work that must have been.
 * 10) Due to being an cyberpunk action horror film, there are plenty of so scary and intense moment.
 * 11) *Before all of that, there's Keen talking to Grey only to hear STEM talking to him, forcing him to turn his back on Grey. Right when he turns back to face him, in what practically plays out as a Jump Scare, STEM (having recovered and now taking control of Grey's body) is standing right in front of him with murderous intent.
 * 12) Awesome death scenes.
 * 13) *Serk's death. Imagine the infamous "Let's put a smile on that face" scene but without a Gory Discretion Shot. And then had said gore amped Up to Eleven.
 * 14) *Then there's also the torture Grey inflicts on Tolan. Unlike Serk, there is a Gory Discretion Shot this time...which unfortunately means the loud screaming and messy squishing sounds can only make viewers imagine what horrible things Grey (or rather STEM) did to him.
 * 15) *Asha's death. Everything about it is incredibly heartbreaking. Not only does it occur after multiple Heartwarming Moments showing how happy she and Grey are together, Grey could only watch as the life slowly drained out of her, unable to move his arms and legs.
 * 16) *His ensuing grief is just as heartbreaking to watch. Months pass by and it's obvious he's not getting happier. The depression even culminates in him attempting suicide, setting off the rest of the film.
 * 17) Jed Palmer's progressive electronic score is a frequently praised aspect of the film, but the score's apex is commonly regarded to be "A Better Place", which plays over the ending, with many stating that his music cue more or less made the scene.
 * 18) The Old Bones bar scene has its own share of highlights.
 * 19) *Grey rolling into a bar while pretending to still be paralyzed, going as far as to ask another patron to hold his glass so he can drink.
 * 20) *After finishing his drink, he gets enough courage to halt the entire bar's activity to ask if anyone has information about his wife's death. Everyone stares at him...and then immediately starts laughing.
 * 21) *As a result of getting more comfortable working with STEM, Grey dominates his next fight with a huge confidence boost, making cocky quips the whole time.
 * 22) *The sequence with Tolan lifting Grey up and running him into the wall, his head smacking several rafters along the way (complete with Grey saying "Ow" twice like he just got a papercut), and Grey then electrocuting Tolan with a nearby wire seems ripped straight out of an action comedy, it's so ridiculous.
 * 23) *After wiping the floor with his opponents, he perches over Tolan like a sensei and gives the best quip.
 * 24) *In another case of Black Comedy, after hearing Tolan's screams due to what STEM/Grey is putting him through, the bartender remarks that his mother always told him not to mess with disabled people.
 * 25) *Afterwards, as STEM tells Grey that Eron is trying to shut him down.
 * 26) The ending is awesome. Grey will be able to spend the rest of his life thinking he and his wife are still safe and happy, but what would happen if he was somehow ever snapped back to reality by STEM? And most importantly, will he ever return to reality? That's would we were.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The film uses a ton of cyberpunk cliches played more or less straight, though it is acknowledged it does it with a lot of grace and filmic substance.

Reception
Upgrade received positive reviews from critics and moviegoers, who called it "one part The Six Million Dollar Man, one part Death Wish revenge fantasy", and praised the film's dark humor, Jed Palmer's score and action sequences. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 185 reviews, and an average rating of 7.34/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Like its augmented protagonist, Upgrade's old-fashioned innards get a high-tech boost – one made even more powerful thanks to sharp humor and a solidly well-told story.". On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by PostTrak gave the film a 78% overall positive score and a 46% "definite recommend".