Marshals Actor Logan Marshall-Green Starred In A Near-Perfect Sci-Fi Horror Movie

Horror director Leigh Whannell is perhaps best-known for creating the "Saw" franchise alongside James Wan, and together they've become two of horror's biggest names. Whannell went on to star in the "Insidious" franchise and to helm "Wolf Man" and "The Invisible Man," which was a major success. In 2018, he directed the underrated sci-fi horror action film "Upgrade," starring "Marshals" actor Logan Marshall-Green.

In the film, he plays a man named Grey. After a horrific car accident turns into an even-more-horrific mugging, a gunshot through the neck leaves Grey's body shattered and his loved ones dead. Even though he hates technology, Grey wakes up with an implant in his spinal column, a chip that allows him to access his body's full power despite the injury. Next thing he knows, Grey is punching his way through a dark underworld filled with criminals and tech conglomerates, desperate to enact revenge upon whoever's responsible for destroying his life.

Audiences who saw the movie thought it was a blast, full of inventive action sequences, cool camera tricks, and a believably-aggrieved performance from Marshall-Green. Critics agreed; it currently sits at 88% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Whannell is used to working on a limited budget, so "Upgrade" made its money back many times over, but the film never had the cultural staying power it deserved.

In the 2010s, action movies were influenced by the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As in the best and worst of MCU movies, big budget sci-fi became CGI-filled spectacles with rubbery people being flung around with physics that don't match how things really work. "Upgrade," on the other hand, felt like something different.

Thanks to inventive camera work that made the entire room seem to rotate during fights, "Upgrade" felt far more visceral than most action movies. In addition, the movie's horror elements go all-in, too; there are some genuinely-grotesque moments, and the vast majority of the effects were done practically. This visually set "Upgrade" apart from other movies from the time, and it also made the experience more meaningful for star Logan Marshall-Green.

Speaking with Rue Morgue, he shared, "It was so refreshing to not hear, 'Ah, we'll get it in post' all the time. That's just unfortunately what you hear on sets now. There's no time for [practical effects], there's no patience for them, there's no trust in them." That wasn't the case on "Upgrade," with Marshall-Green adding, "So to be able to come to set every day and know that there is, somewhere, a gorgeous prosthetic being built — only so we can destroy it later! — is so rare now." 

Though "Upgrade" wasn't a massive success, it did make its money back and then some. The film developed a cult following, and as recently as 2022, Blumhouse founder and executive producer Jason Blum was giving fans updates about an "Upgrade" TV series that would continue the story. As initially announced, the "Upgrade" show would pick up a few years after the first film, following the ramifications of Grey's experience with the STEM technology.

At the time, Blum said he was working on a full season's worth of scripts so that they'd get fully picked up somewhere, rather than being put into development. Unfortunately, as of 2026, the series seems to have been scrapped. In an interview with ScreenRant, Marshall-Green explained that the series got retooled a few times before being cancelled entirely. "It had some incredible auteurs and show creators, and I just don't think it was able to get to the one-yard line, for whatever reason," he said.

Furthermore, Marshall-Green noted that the original movie was quite good at guessing where technology would go. "Upgrade" had self-driving cars and police drones, both of which are now a reality in many major cities. "It's so germane to what's happening now," Marshall-Green said. "I do feel like it deserves another shot."