67
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75The A.V. ClubKatie RifeThe A.V. ClubKatie RifeWhannell strikes out on his own with his first truly original concept as a writer-director...in a film whose production is as ambitious as its story is formulaic. Thankfully, the former mostly compensates for the latter, making Upgrade a genre-bending summer treat for those who don’t mind a little (okay, a lot) of blood with their popcorn.
- 75ConsequenceClint WorthingtonConsequenceClint WorthingtonUpgrade’s sheer energy and the strength of its concept do more than enough to elevate this revenge picture into something refreshing and eminently watchable.
- 75Boston GlobeIsaac FeldbergBoston GlobeIsaac FeldbergUpgrade, Whannell’s second outing behind the camera, is yet another top-notch repair job, this time a kinetic sci-fi riff fashioned from scrap metal and human entrails, nervily updating Cronenbergian body horror for the iOS era.
- 75The Seattle TimesKatie WalshThe Seattle TimesKatie WalshUpgrade is a brutish, efficient and well-executed slice of cyberpunk action horror with a silly streak.
- 70Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlUpgrade offers memorable, legible fights, a compelling bombed-out retro-apocalyptic look and a mystery that seems obvious at the start but then keeps twisting.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckInfusing its familiar dystopian sci-fi tropes with stylishly gonzo, low-budget filmmaking and inventive narrative flourishes, Upgrade proves far more entertaining than it has a right to be.
- 63Slant MagazineDerek SmithSlant MagazineDerek SmithUpgrade is most effective when mining the comical and bizarre love-hate chemistry between Grey and Stem and pairing that singular conflict with batshit-crazy action, but the film’s follow-through is clunky and unfulfilling.
- 50Washington PostMark JenkinsWashington PostMark JenkinsIf this vaguely cyberpunk, occasionally comic Australian flick were named after its own qualities, it would have been called “Knockoff.”
- 42Entertainment WeeklyDana SchwartzEntertainment WeeklyDana SchwartzAs a movie, it’s the cinematic equivalent of paint-by-numbers: competent, attractive even, but take a single step closer and the lines peek through. There’s no need to pay money to go see Upgrade: If you select it on a plane and sleep through 60% of it, you’ve seen it in its entirety.