'Permission to Operate Independently': 'Upgrade' and the Body-machines of Action Cinema

A gripping foray into a future world where computer code can override human physical functioning, Leigh Whannell's Upgrade taps into society's longstanding concerns about the destructive potential of technology. But, as Mel Campbell argues, the film is also an unashamed experiment in genre, both fulfilling and challenging our expectations of the action techno-thriller.

Additional keywords:
sci-fi, science fiction, speculative, futuristic, AI, artificial intelligence, Logan Marshall-Green, Melanie Vallejo, vigilante, justice, revenge, vengeance, grief.