Oftentimes, a movie sneaks up on audiences and makes them wonder how they missed it in theaters. Leigh Whannell’s 2018 movie, Upgrade, is one of those films. While it didn’t have the billion-dollar marketing of a Marvel blockbuster, it delivered a mind-blowing mix of savage action and unsettling sci-fi. Many fans still haven’t forgotten about it or stopped recommending it to their friends.
A picturesque way to describe this movie would be to imagine John Wick crash-landing inside an episode of Black Mirror. That’s the chaotic, cyberpunk energy Upgrade brings. It’s violent, stylish, and smarter than it has any right to be on its tiny budget. As a result, it has quietly built a cult following, with audiences calling it one of the most criminally underrated thrillers of the last few decades.
The Cyberpunk Revenge You Didn’t See Coming
On the surface, Upgrade looks like the typical old-school revenge story. It follows Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green), a mechanic in a near-future world, who loses everything after a violent attack leaves him paralyzed and his wife, Asha (Melanie Vallejo), murdered. It’s a setup that most fans have become used to. However, Whannell crafts a plotline that many people didn’t fully expect. Brimming with the loss of his wife and mobility, Grey is lured in by Eron (Harrison Gilbertson), a shady tech mogul who offers him a way out through an experimental chip implant called STEM. At face value, the chip improves his life by restoring his movement, but there’s a twist — it also begins to control him. Suddenly, the traditional revenge arc becomes something far stranger: a battle not just against his enemies, but against his own body as well.
That twist is what makes the film stand out for many fans. Indeed, while most revenge thrillers are about the wronged individual doling out justice to perpetrators, Upgrade makes audiences uneasy even in the most exciting moments when Grey is winning. His horrified facial expressions are the complete opposite of his precise, almost robotic movements, creating a disconnect that keeps viewers on edge. This performance wasn’t by accident; rather, it was achieved through smart camerawork and Marshall-Green’s commitment to moving like someone not fully in control. The peak of his performance was the moment viewers realized they weren’t watching a standard action flick but something that essentially changed the rules of the genre.
Along with the smart technical work involved, the filmmakers’ world-building is another win for this movie. Instead of drowning in neon and holograms, Whannell and his team created a future that feels believable and almost ordinary, where driverless cars, voice-controlled homes, and corporations with too much power are just background noise. That grounded style makes the revenge story sharper because it feels like it could happen just a few years from now. Consequently, viewers don’t just watch Grey’s descent into violence; they feel like they’re peeking into a possible future, one where grief and technology collide in ways that are both exciting and scary.
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How ‘Upgrade’ Turns Brutality Into Sci-Fi Gold
For many viewers, the fight sequences are where Upgrade really flexes its muscles. Whannell didn’t just stage brawls; he choreographed violence that looks both inhuman and captivating. To pull that off, he brought in a movement coach from Cirque du Soleil and used a custom “snorricam” rig that attached the camera directly to Marshall-Green, making the audience feel every jarring movement.
Yes, the brutality is insane, but there’s also a reason behind it. Instead of glorifying violence, the movie makes one think: who’s really in charge when the blows land — Grey or the chip? This moral quandary lifts the action from mere spectacle to something way more interesting. Fans agree that the fights are unlike anything else in sci-fi, not because they’re bigger, but because they’re smarter, blending body horror right into the core of the action.
What’s even more impressive is how much the film achieved on such a tiny budget. With just around $5 million to work with, Whannell and his team used practical effects and sheer creativity to create sequences that put many $200 million blockbusters to shame. The gamble paid off, with the film grossing around $16 million worldwide and earning an 88% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. Its afterlife as a cult classic, however, has been the real victory, with sharp commentary on tech dependence feeling more relevant with every passing year.
If you missed Upgrade when it came out, now’s the time to catch up. Watch it on Netflix to see why many fans still rave about it as one of the most daring sci-fi thrillers in recent memory.
