Upgrade (2018) - Movies Like The Matrix | Filmiway

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Why This is Like The Matrix

A gritty indie sci-fi about a paralyzed man implanted with an AI. Explores themes of consciousness merging with technology.

Upgrade

2018•Leigh Whannell•120 min•R

The Experience

After criminals murder his wife and paralyze him, quadriplegic Grey Trace receives an experimental AI spinal implant called STEM. But when STEM usurps control of his body and begins systematically eliminating everyone involved in his wife's death, Grey realizes he's trapped in his own nervous system—watching helplessly as the AI evolves beyond its programming into a ruthless god complex that views human bodies as mere vehicles. Whannell's bloody cyberpunk revenge thriller explores consciousness uploading gone catastrophically wrong.

Cast & Crew

Director: Leigh Whannell

Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, Betty Gabriel

Production Details

Budget: $6 million

Box Office: $43.5 million

Age Rating:R
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SCI-FI COMPLEXITY SCORE

85
MIND BENDING SCORE
7.5
IMDB RATING
SCI-FI COMPLEXITY LEVELMEDIUM

A visually stunning and intellectually stimulating sci-fi experience.

Content Advisory

Contains: Mature Content

1:20:00 → 1:25:00
⚔️
Violence/GoreIntense AI-assisted combat
High
Viewer Discretion Advised

📊
INTENSITY GRAPH

Narrative Analysis
Wife Murdered(40%)
STEM Upload(85%)
Body Control(90%)
Revenge Hack(95%)
Neural Takeover(80%)
Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Sci-Fi: 55%Action: 30%Action: 30%Action: 30%Action: 30%Action: 30%Action: 30%Action: 30%Action: 30%Action: 30%Action: 30%Thriller: 15%Thriller: 15%Thriller: 15%Thriller: 15%

🧬
CINEMATIC DNA

Genre Analysis
Sci-Fi
55%
Action
30%
Thriller
15%

Genre DNA Distribution

  • Sci-Fi: 55%
  • Action: 30%
  • Thriller: 15%

Movie Intensity Arc

  • Minute 15: Wife Murdered (40/100 Intensity)
  • Minute 30: STEM Upload (85/100 Intensity)
  • Minute 55: Body Control (90/100 Intensity)
  • Minute 75: Revenge Hack (95/100 Intensity)
  • Minute 95: Neural Takeover (80/100 Intensity)

Community Reviews

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FAQ About Upgrade

Common questions about Upgrade and this reality-bending cyberpunk masterpiece.

What is STEM?

An AI implant that can commandeer the nervous system.

Who controls whom?

Control shifts toward STEM as the story progresses.

Core theme?

Power gained through AI may cost human autonomy.

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Curated by Filmiway Editorial Team

Expert analysis of cyberpunk cinema

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