Limitless

I didn’t want to like this one going in, but against my initial (and unfair) judgement, this flick is actually quite entertaining. The concept of a pill that unlocks the dormant intelligence locked away in the inner recesses of the mind is a simple one but the execution, particularly the kinetic and fun visuals, is appropriately clever. Bradley Cooper does a good job transitioning from borderline low-life to successful ‘human computer’; clearly having a good time with the story as it plays out. Abbie Cornish looks great as The Love Interest and does a commendable job with what she’s given, character-wise, which is admittedly not much. Surprisingly, the one actor who left me cold was Robert De Niro…of all people. His ‘corporate shark’ character was virtually a ‘nobody’ with regards to development. ANYONE could’ve played his character. One thing that I found is that this movie, in parts, is oddly inspiring in its celebration of the personal possibilities of intelligence-used-well. On the flip side, it also shows The Price or, at least, a version of The Price of chemical dependency in an attempt for personal gain. I felt that the ending could’ve been a little stronger and definitive, but overall…I felt that it was a solid ‘fantasy’ film with a hefty dose of creative, visual panache and some good moments of suspense and humor. It didn’t let me down.