UPGRADE - A Sci-fi Film on NETFLIX You Should be Watching

 

You know how it is, you've signed your life away to Amazon Prime,Netflix and Disney+ but yet there you are, sitting on your couch scrolling and scrolling and scrolling, "nope, nope, nope, nope, seen it, nope, looks shit, iMDB 4.5.....nope'. Then you remember somebody mentioning a movie to check out, but the screenshot doesn't do it justice, but the trailer actually looks half decent.

This was the scenario when I took a leap of faith on Upgrade, a little know Sci-fi movie written and directed by Leigh Whannell and starring Logan Marshall-Green. The film was produced by Jason Blum, he of Blum House productions (Saw series, Get Out, The Purge).

Wrapped up in a sentence that best describes it, and to mirror the best possible positioning I've read elsewhere it is indeed 'The Six Million Dollar Man meets Deathwish'. It's very much a Cyberpunk revenge flick but a really well told and visualized one at that.

Whannell spent his incredibly low budget very wisely, choosing to invest in very minimal areas of effects that would deliver bigger impact for its sci-fi tone as well as in practical effects that also helped support the narrative and setting. Above all that, Upgrade is, at its core just a really well told story, and its the narrative that keeps you hooked. When protagonist Grey Trace played by Logan Marshall Green is left paralysed after a brutal car jacking he's given a second chance at life with STEM, a new nanotech chip implant attached to his spine that can take control of his limbs thus helping him walk and function again. This implant comes with some interesting side effects which I won't spoil here, and this is where Upgrade sets itself apart from the myriad of sci-fi junk populating Netflix and other streaming platforms.

The action in the movie is unflinchingly visceral at times, again, it underscores Whannels investment into practical and digital effects where he knows he's going to get bang for his buck and not just for the sake of propping up its sci-fi cyberpunk roots. Fight choreography is also a highlight as shown in an awesome knife fight in a kitchen.

Upgrade is visualized with some great cinematography from Stefan Duscio (The Invisible Man, Audi Q8 advert) and I'm looking forward to seeing more from this guy because there are some, dare I say it Blade Runner 2047 visuals in this film with interiors that really sell the sci-fi vibe.

I'm a sucker for revenge movies, and Upgrade will sit alongside some of the best revenge stories including movies on Netflix like Prisoners, John Wick, Man on Fire, Law Abiding Citizen and Jackie Chans, The Foreigner (another Netflix gem you're missing). 

If you're still on the fence just check out some of the reviews, it currently has a respectable Rotten Tomatoes score of 88%.

Leigh Whannell is currently tackling the proposed remake of sci-fi classic Escape from New York and rumour has it Kurt Russell's son Wyatt might be taking on his fathers iconic role.

Anyway, do yourself a favour and check out Upgrade on Netflix.

Boundary - Astronauts at War

Boundary - Tactical FPS Combat With Armed Astronauts

If you've ever played the Call of Duty series of games you may recall one particular mission in Call of Duty: Ghosts way back in 2013 that featured an armed hijack by 'Federation de las Americas' Astronauts who wanted to use ODIN, the Orbital Defense Initiative to bring destruction to several US cities, in the sequence astronauts Baker and Mosely sacrifice themselves to destroy ODIN and save Earth from more destruction.

Boundary, a brand new addition to the tactical FPS has just been announced for PS4 as an arcade tactical multiplayer FPS set in space with armed astronauts and is being developed by Chinese indie developer Surgical Scalpels. The game already boasts some stunning visuals and artwork that set the mood of the game and trailer is also very well done.

In one of the first reveal trailers the released we see  an astronaut navigating the outside of an orbiting space station facility utilizing a specially converted automatic machine pistol to shoot through solar panels at an enemy astronaut, the muffled sound and astronaut breathing effects really immerse the viewer. The premise of the game feels like its expanded an entire game inspired by COD Ghosts which featured some combat inside the space station but Surgical Scalpels looks to have expanded on the whole concept and added some great ideas into the mix.

Lighting and realism already look extremely good in the game and weaponry is inspired by real modern day military assault weapons. Astronauts utilize  large backpacks called EVA's to propel themselves in the zero gravity of space.

The visuals are sharp, light blooms and lens flares show the variables of light and deep shadows and reflected light provide some great contrast and mid tones to provide a great sense of depth. Visually its an extremely impressive looking game so far. Map size, from the videos I have seen combat is between very small groups of players,so it has a light MOBA design feel to it.

Fast kills are good for eSports from games by larger publishers  but a balance between fast kill maps and larger slower more tactical gun play are essential to retain players in Western markets - games that provide less than a 10-20 second in-games life expectancy before having to re-spawn back into a game tend to frustrate. It would be great to see this expand to an 8 vs 8 or 12 vs 12 setup.

The visual ideas behind Project Boundary for armed astronauts has been beautifully presented by Surgical Scalpels art and design team and are without question some of the best in video-games to date.

While the game might have taken inspiration from Call of Duty:Ghosts which is almost 6 years old - and to a vision that brings the Roger Moore 'Moonraker' space battle sequence to something more tactically deadly and realistic I'm actually surprised no other developer or publisher has jumped on this concept but its clear to see that Surgical Scalpels have a game with a lot of potential here for sure.

key to longevity and retaining players will be content, players love content that adds to the player experience, customization is key but enough content to start out with is important.  Demand for fresh content, perhaps as a well priced DLC that provides new maps, new weapons and suit upgrades and perhaps things like Special Forces space suits, would be awesome but its one for sci-fi fans to keep an eye on for sure.

WATCH: ATROPA Short Sci Fi Film

Another smart Sci-Fi short film, Directed by Eli Sasich’s, ATROPA is a deep space mystery encounter story you'll only want to see more of - some top notch effect work, great atmosphere, well worth a look and a Vimeo STaff Pick

https://vimeo.com/77761436