10. Limitless (2011)
Limitless is one of those movies with a concept so primed for cinematic representation that it would be akin to something of a small crime to mess it up. The fact is, though, that they did, and I'm still not completely sure why (or how, for that matter). The idea concerns an experimental drug, which, once taken, allows you to reach your full potential. Bradley Cooper of
Hangover fame stars as the taker of this drug. Not entirely horrible, but horrible in the sense that it took one of the most exciting genre movie concepts I'd heard in ages and soaked it in mediocrity,
Limitless was exactly the opposite of its title. Which is, of course...
Unlimitless? Yeah, that. The first act is a fairly good one, and manages to have about as much fun as you'd expect with the idea of watching a slacker take a life-changing drug that puts him at genius level. Which is to say, it's a
lot of fun, and Cooper is absolutely the man to pull it off. And yet, once the movie has set-up its incredibly intriguing premise, it just becomes another genetic action thriller without anything to differentiate it. Seriously. Visually, the movie is appealing, and there are some good moments scattered throughout, but ultimately
Limitless is just a cop out: an average film that could've been so much more interesting and intelligent. As it stands, it was entirely
Unlimitless. Which is definitely a word.