Limitless directed by Neil Burger (Relativity Media, Virgin Produced, PG-13, 105 minutes)
Lake Wobegon
Have you ever felt like life is giving you lemons? I know,
personally, that I sometimes struggle with this notion. My perceived talents do
not necessarily translate into productive contributions in the world. Whether
valid or not, I believe that I can learn anything. While such a belief more
than likely illustrates self-deception, I believe that most people think this
way. Truthfully, the “Lake Wobegon effect” is a psychologically proven
hypothesis. Neil Burger’s Limitless
delivers a concentrated injection of this sort of hopeful thinking.
A Limitless Drug
Centered on protagonist, Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), Limitless imagines what would happen if
a drug allowed people to access 100% of their mind. An author caught in the
throes of writer’s block, Eddie happens upon an old drug-dealing acquaintance.
Having shared a woeful story of a lost girlfriend and an impending eviction,
this drug-dealing friend charitably shares an off-the-market drug that will
help Eddie see clearly.
Ingesting the tablet, Eddie’s life changes immediately. He’s
driven to finish the novel; he becomes the life of the party. Needing more of
the drug, Eddie seeks out his acquaintance. Finding the drug-dealer’s apartment
ransacked and the dealer executed, Eddie freaks out. Quickly searching for the
stash of pills, he calls the police and flees.
With an extensive stash of this clarifying drug, Eddie
begins life anew. He quickly learns how to beat the stock market and begins
earning copious amounts of cash. But, the drug carries a dangerous side effect.
Without constant consumption, the user will become ill and might even die.
Eddie, then, faces a dwindling supply of the drug and life
threatening consequences.
Stark Visuals, Banal Dialogue
Aesthetically, Neil Burger utilizes filters to differentiate
between on-the-drug Eddie and off-the-drug Eddie. On-the-drug Eddie is depicted
in vibrant colors; off-the-drug Eddie functions in a muted, almost greyscale
setting. Visually, the viewer ascertains that heightening qualities of the drug
through the stark contrasts in colors. Likewise, the off-the-drug scenes convey
the mundane and gloomy existence of an under-utilized brain.
From a dialogue perspective, Limitless underperforms. With countless scenes operating under the assumption that the protagonist carries vastly superior knowledge of every scenario, the dialogue feels insincere, as if the writers feel like they can get away with using big words without truly conveying the depth of ideas.
Intuitively speaking, Limitless
draws on our desire to expand our repertoire. We all feel like if only we had a
chance, our lives would become much better. If such scenarios refuse to happen
in real life, Limitless offers an
intriguing escape. Despite some poor dialogue, the visuals coupled with the
concept provide fodder for an entertaining movie. Recommended.
Verdict: 4 out of
5
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Posted by: Donovan Richards
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