A fun time if you don't take it too seriously.

Rating: 6/10 (17 May 2011)

We've all thought about it (or maybe only us fatties and losers). What if there was a pill that could alter your entire universe, allow you to learn ANYTHING you wanted or be whatever you wanted to be? Adderall? Perhaps, but not to the level of this concoction. Neil Burger's Limitless (2011) tells the story of Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), a pathetic, dried out writer who acquires the newest pharmaceutical, NZT. This revolutionary drug allows him to recall anything he has ever learned and soak in as much new knowledge as possible. What could go wrong, right? Wrong! Once word gets around that Eddie has the untested drug, he must do anything he can to hide his stash, for if he stops taking the pill, serious side effects will occur. The movie definitely owns up to its potential as an entertaining thriller, although I would have really enjoyed seeing this concept with a more psychological tweak. This is a fun, fun movie to watch, especially for people who have actually taken drugs (not that I have, I'm just sayin'), but it's no Inception, folks. In fact, you might enjoy this movie more if you just sit back and turn off your brain for 105 minutes. Over-analyzing will just take the fun out of it. Sure, the writing is a bit illogical, but one can't exactly perfect a strong fact-based narrative for a product that doesn't actually exist. Where this movie really tries to excel is in its visual style. It's all, like, zing, zing, zing when we get a glimpse of Eddie's point of view! Quick-cuts, very trippy, but also a little bit tacky. I'd describe its look as being what straightedge people assume tripping is like. Imaginative little chumps, they are! Limitless: A fun time if you don't take it too seriously.