To the limits...

Introduction

We only use 10% of our brains.

QI siren! QI siren! QI siren!

This is not true. It seems that someone misunderstood some research and an urban myth was born. Nearly all of the brain is active nearly all of the time. But there probably are bits that aren't always in use.



What if you could increase your brain power by activating all of it all of the time, with just a simple pill? This is what faces Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper). Eddie is a bit of a lazy git, a slacking writer from New York who is lacking motivation and is going nowhere.

He bumps into his ex brother in law who offers him a solution, a new 100% safe and tested (honest) drug called NZT. It can make his brain fire on all cylinders. Should he use it? Should he keep using it?

Video + Audio

Everything looks and sounds great. Nowadays this section is pretty superfluous, unless I want to talk about some specific sound or visual effect. And as it happens I do want to mention some of the nice cinematography on display here, lots of weird angles, nicely edited sequences and some nice effects too. And it's nice how the colour palette changes with the story.

Extra Features

A reasonable audio commentary by the director Neil Burger is the main item here, and he has plenty to say about making the film. There's also an alternative ending which isn't all that alternative and yet again the rest is all basically PR fluff about how wonderful everything is.

Conclusion

Given the subject matter, this film should really try to make you think a bit perhaps. But it turns out that it's just Hollywood schlock masquerading as something that might be clever. There are lots of little side plots that don't pay off, with the film focusing on some big set pieces instead.

It's enjoyable enough and is certainly visually interesting but I was expecting it to do some clever things with the basic idea and the plot. Having watched it twice now, I'm just left the feeling that it was ok. Maybe I need to be on NZT to watch it...