Limitless

There is a creeping sense of irony when watching Limitless. For a film about unlocking the full potential of your brain, you get the impression the writers of the film were probably only using 3% of theirs. Normally this would be a bad thing for a movie, but Limitless never fails to have fun with it's concept. Yes, on the grand scale of Sci-Fi Thrillers, it's no Inception. But it'd whoop The Adjustment Bureau's ass any day.

If you've managed to spot some of Limitless' obscure yet awesome marketing campaigns littered on public transport, you'll probably still have no clue what the movie is about. So, to enlighten y'all a little: the movie revolves around Eddie Morra (Cooper), a struggling writer/human being who stumbles upon a wonder drug that has the power to unlock the full potential of your brain. The next 90 minutes or so is a rollercoaster ride of 'what if' scenarios, from the ethical quandaries about tampering with human biology, to absurd action elements (one featuring a little girl's ice skates). It yo-yos so much between valid satire and dumbifying spoof that it'll make your head spin.

Shorter hair = cleaverer

But the film never really sets out to change the way you think, it just wants you to have fun. And in this sense it succeeds. Director Neil Burger (tehe), had a tricky job of representing exponential brain power on screen, but pulls it off with some neat camera work and editing wizardry. The story also has enough thrills and chills to keep your attention for the full running time, even if the ending does feel a little laboured. But it's Bradley Cooper who steals the show with a charming and very watchable performance. Some might be put off by his Chesire Cat smugness, but to be brutally honest, he carries this film away from the brink of absurdity.

I'm not calling this film a masterpiece by any means, but considering it didn't anger me (like some other recent theatrical releases), I must give it some kudos.

Oh yeah, and one last thing...