Upgrade Review: 7 Ups & 2 Downs

4. It's Actually Hilarious

One of the most surprising things about Upgrade is just how funny it is. Considering how easy it would've been for this to be a rather self-serious revenge romp, Whannell smartly injects some hysterical gallows humour into proceedings, largely by way of Grey's interactions with the STEM implant, which actually speaks to him throughout the film.

STEM, as voiced by Simon Maiden, may not reach far outside the realm of eccentric A.I. characters, but the two-hander between himself and Marshall-Green is ludicrously entertaining all the same, and helps paper over those action-free stretches.

That the film can be funny and even legitimately silly at times without upending the savagely ultra-violent tone is an impressive feat on the writer-director's part. He clearly trained himself well on both the Saw and Insidious franchises.