Upgrade
Upgrade is a mind-boggling sci-fi film about losing oneself, and what truly separates man and machine. Leigh Whannell delivers an exciting film, through the stylish cinematography, beautifully choreographed fight scenes (especially the one between Gray and Fisk), and strong story, which delivers a twist I truly didn't expect.
The action is what draws most people in, but the story is underrated, in my opinion, and delivers a story that keeps the audience on their toes. You never truly know if STEM is telling the truth, or if Gray's actions are his own, which is incredibly strong as a builder of tension. STEM's actions always have an ulterior motive behind them, causing the audience to become more and more skeptical about STEM throughout the course of the film, and even more skeptical on a rewatch, knowing that STEM's manipulation of Gray begun right from the moment the story begins.
One thing I don't really see getting enough praise is Logan Marshall-Green's acting job as Gray (and STEM controlled Gray). His movements are stiff enough to signify STEM's control of Gray's limbs, but also fluid enough to actually function as a human being. His body movements truly feel designed in a way to unsettle the viewer and hint towards STEM's ultimate takeover of Gray's body. The body horror angle of the film is strong, and I think the acting job here really sells it for me.
Upgrade is an underrated movie, with a underrated story. More people should honestly watch this film, as it even feels connected to current issues with AI, and the chokehold AIs like Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini have the world and tech industry in.
also
i think cyberpunk 2077's relic is literally just stem if he was a rockstar terrorist