Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Limitless

Finally got around to seeing Limitless.  I think it's one of those predictor movies - we could use a pill to speed up our brains. Probably someone is working on  it right now.  Of course it would have to be a big secret because if we all had it no one would have an advantage.

In my usual way I watched the action with enjoyment while simultaneously critiquing the plot.  Now I'm going to have to see it again because I've got all these questions:  It seemed clear to me that he was a drug addict and an alcoholic from the beginning before he ever took one of the pills.  But he didn't protect his supply very well - the first thing any good addict would do is try to figure out where to get some more and preferably make some more.  Hiding the last of his supply in a shell in his girlfriend's apartment and then in his jacket (then giving his jacket to someone to hold), seemed pretty dumb for a junkie with a four-digit IQ.  Before he started making money and trying to be somebody, he should have made sure he had a lifetime supply of the drug. 

He was, however, very junkie-like in his immediate decision to overdose himself and make himself sick with no regard for the consequences.  He was also true to his junkie-hood by immediately going for the good times and taking crazy risks.

A person with a four-digit IQ would not be likely to go into politics.  If his objective was to have power, the folks behind the scenes have more power than the politicians.  If he was so smart he would have known that.   Plus would a really, really smart person not know that there would be a whole lot of other people trying to get some of this stuff and that they might not be the good guys?   I was surprised he didn't think of that before he completely ran out of pills since he found his ex-brother-in-law deader than a doornail.  And how did he find his ex-brother-in-law's stash in the oven when the bad guy searchers didn't? He wasn't on the pill at the time.  Why weren't the searcher's on the pill?

In the end he finally figures out how to use the drug so that the effects last.  But the screen writers took the easy way out and didn't try to explain that.  Shame on them for ducking what could have been fascinating.

I can't help it - I've absorbed so much sci-fi I just automatically critique.  Luckily it doesn't ruin my enjoyment.  So I'll watch it again so I can see if I missed something.

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