Upgrade

Upgrade has built a real following in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on Netflix among viewers who want their sci-fi to think as hard as it looks. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. 5,078 viewers have already rated it on TMDB — the kind of consensus that does not happen by accident. Watch it for Logan Marshall-Green — the performance elevates material that could easily tip into self-seriousness. Start it on Netflix whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Upgrade arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. The world-building is meticulous, but it is the characters who carry Upgrade through its more ambitious moments. A brutal mugging leaves Grey Trace paralyzed in the hospital and his beloved wife dead. A billionaire inventor soon offers Trace a cure — an artificial intelligence implant called STEM that will enhance his body. Now able to walk, Grey finds that he also has superhuman strength and agility — skills he uses to seek revenge against the thugs who destroyed his life. Logan Marshall-Green and Betty Gabriel lead a cast that never lets the concept overwhelm the characters. It hit screens in 2018. The rules of Upgrade's world are consistent enough that the big swings never feel like cheating. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Upgrade a chance. It stands on its own even without an obvious comparison point. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Logan Marshall-Green anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.