Fun, but leaves something to be desired

Rating: 6/10 (9 March 2020)

I remember several years ago when Lucy came out that people were saying that Limitless was a more enjoyable spin on the whole idea of using 100% of your brain. I do have to commend this movie that it only mentions how little of our brain's potential we use, and doesn't spend time pretending this is based on real science. The pill might as well be magic for all the time they spend explaining it. This is a film that understands what it is, while Lucy was trying too hard to be a more serious film, which just made it seem dumber. I like the idea of someone who uses smarts to get ahead in business and simply make more money. That's the reality of what we all would do with this kind of power, so it makes sense. There was still one of those scenes in this movie of the hero using his brain-power to win a fight, which was kind of stupid, but at least that wasn't his main focus, and he didn't become some super-smart vigilante.
I think where Limitless falls short of being a high-quality film, is in the story structure. While I like the setup, and I think Bradley Cooper is a good actor for this role, it felt like the plot didn't go anywhere. Worse than that, it set up a lot of things that it never pays off at the end. It's almost like the filmmakers forgot that they started some of these subplots, so they never remembered to get back to them and explain to the audience what happened. I think the biggest frustration I had (with regards to the lack of follow-through) was the fact that they establish he has a master plan to work on, but then we are never clued in on what that might be. The conclusion suggests what his idea might have entailed, but since we didn't see him preparing for this outcome, it feels like the biggest deus ex machina imaginable. I still enjoyed Limitless as a refreshing take on some common sci-fi tropes, and I can see the potential for a TV series that some executive also saw. It's not a great film, but it is a fun one.