It was no surprise to me that this weekend box office was going to be brutal. However, even I didn’t think that “Limitless”, starring Bradley Cooper and Abbie Cornish would hit #1 at the box office. I just thought the premise was trippy and the trailer looked sick. Anyhow, if you’re still on the fence, here’s some pros and cons about the film for you to consider:
Pros:
1. Bradley Cooper for the ladies and Abbie Cornish for the guys. Say what you want about plot, plausibility and the overall character development — this is a good looking cast and they’re not afraid to flaunt that in your face as a marketing point. I mean, we don’t go to the movies to see ugly people, right? You can nod softly, I won’t tell.
2. Lots of PG-13 rated sex. I got to admit, I think this movie would have been even more awesome if it was a hard R with visual sex delight on the screen. But I’ll give the director credit in designing angles where you see sex is happening, but it’s blocked out in a very stylistic way so that you don’t even see it happening, even though you know it’s happening. It’s like porn for hard-core Christians — there’s a loophole for everything.
3. The fantasy sells itself. What person in their right mind wouldn’t want to take a drug that makes you insanely smart and charming at the same time? It’s so hyper-unrealistic that it completely indulges our fantasies of what is possible. And isn’t cinema the right medium for this escape? I certainly think so.
4. The scenes are exciting and keeps you interested. I don’t want to give too much away, but I will say that a certain “vampire” scene where Bradley goes to his dark side is hilarious and awesome at the same time. And sometimes that’s enough: awesome situations that look awesome on film that blow the audience’s mind. How could they do that? Whoa, there goes two hours of your life.
Cons:
1. The plot is practically Swiss cheese. Okay, so we don’t exactly get to see how the drug works on everyone else, or why it was developed in the first place, or if its something that makes you so smart, why wouldn’t the first people figure out how to get more of it? Better yet, why wouldn’t they be able to connect the dots and figure out what makes it tick? Too many questions to ponder once you leave the theater.
2. Tangents in the film don’t make sense. Again, without giving anything away, Bradley’s character gets involved with other subplots that seem to be raised and dropped on a whim. They’re supposed to support the main plot in some way, but end up just making things convoluted or too easy to get out of. Hey, no script is perfect, but I think they could have done better to raise the stakes.
3. Although the hero wins, you think he should’ve lost in some way. Its great to see a protagonist triumph, and again, without giving anything away, it just felt like the last 10 minutes of the film allowed for a justification in the fact that here was someone that went through so much, and although he had an arc, he ultimately didn’t learn anything at all. Shouldn’t hubris be the lesson taught and not the lesson conquered?
Verdict:
For me, I really thought the film was a great escape, and I can’t wait for it to come out on cable and DVD. The lighting and coloring of the film was also fantastical, and although it will probably still come through on the small screen, seeing a digital print of this film is a pretty cool experience too. If you need a reason to get out of the house, you can do worse than spend some time and cash on this trippy flick… 
