Bradley Cooper stumbles upon a pill that expands the capacities of his mind, and sets to work trying to make the most of it. It’s a sci-fi flick and there are a few stumbles here and there as per usual, in this case they run into trouble when this smart man does some stupid things, like running low on the drug he’s taking… but it’s easy to ignore because the whole thing is both classy and fun; unlike a lot of recent sci-fi heroes Cooper is likeable and while clearly self-involved his lusts are relatable (win back an ex-girlfriend, make a lot of money, become President) and he never becomes too arrogant with his newfound powers. Part of the reason for the latter is his mentor and foil, Bobby DeNiro, a man perhaps smarter than Cooper, but without the need to take a pill, who keeps Cooper grounded by showing him the limitations of the powers he’s found, not earnt. While Bobby’s performance is nowhere near his best, he’s not just there to cash in a cheque, and it’s nice to see him sink his teeth into the part.
There are plenty of highlights in the film, not least the montage sequences where Cooper gets his life in order, or wins a girl, or, perhaps best of all, realises that because he’s watched Enter The Dragon, he can now fight like Bruce Lee. There’s a lot of imagination up on the screen, with some nice camera work and some great futuristic music. The whole thing could do with a little more backstory, we don’t really learn much about Cooper by the end of the film, about whether the trajectory he is on is good for the world or not, and there’s some disjointed moments with a local thug who lent Cooper money and is now looking for a bigger payback, but even so, it’s a fine movie, with enough good ideas to overcome its few problems. A good film.
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