One Geek Nation

What would you do if someone offered you a pill that could unlock 100% of your brain power? That is the premise for the Bradley Cooper starred film, Limitless. In it, he plays Eddie Morra, an author who is struggling to even begin writing his book due to creative difficulties. His ex-brother-in-law then offers him a pill, known as NZXT, that can unlock the potential of his entire brain. Eddie pops the pill out of curiosity, and is suddenly able to learn and recall information much more easily and efficiently than ever before. It effectively made him limitless, albeit not without its drawbacks. If he ever stopped taking the pills, he would die.

Limitless is certainly a fun movie to watch. The plight of Eddie Morra, as a man who is struggling with his job, is one that a lot of people can relate to, and it aids in the believability of the aforementioned premise. The film then presents the viewer with the previously mentioned “what if” situation, and that is where it started to get interesting. Eddie Morra decided to use his newly discovered mental powers to build a powerful stock portfolio, and conflict (read: actions sequences) arises after he gets a large loan from the mafia. During these action scenes, the frame rate slows down and the viewer is shown all of Eddies available options based on his current predicament. Scenes like this were fun to watch, and it had me guessing which of these options he would take.

While there is a lot to like about Limitless, I did not feel as though it was worth the price of admission. One thing in particular that I didn’t like was the over used zoom effect. It was an interesting effect to use during the initial title sequence, however it annoyed me when I saw the same effect being used during the film itself. Additionally, this film did not seem to make great use of the big screen it was being projected on to. Simply put, the best way to view this movie would be on a TV at home.

If you are a Bradley Cooper fan, then I would suggest waiting to see Limitless until it is available to rent, since it is not worth the $11.50 I paid to see it. Until then, check out its trailer below: