Empire's Limitless Movie Review

Limitless
Pills, thrills and serious headaches

Plot
A struggling writer (Cooper) discovers a top-secret drug with brain enhancing qualities, which bestows him with superhuman abilities.

Review

Wannabe writer Eddie (Cooper) is heartbroken, broke and blocked, until a friend slips him an experimental smart drug, transforming him from scuzzy loser into Hello!-retouched genius. Yes, it’s a Faust for the pharmaceutical age – an uglified Anna Friel pops up as a burned-out former addict – and Eddie soon finds himself haunted by blackouts and hunted by bad guys. Burger (The Illusionist) and Cooper both have enormous fun with the daft material, and it’s good to see De Niro on form, as a billionaire on the trail of Eddie’s secret. With a touch of Scott Pilgrim’s enhanced visuals and tongue firmly in cheek, it’s smart, stylish and entertaining – like Fincher’s The Game on crack.

Verdict

Reviewed by David Hughes

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Average user rating for Limitless

Limitless Review
Although its script is uneven, Neil Burger directs Limitless with plenty of visual panache, and Bradley Cooper makes for a charismatic star. ... More


Posted by the film man at 21:43, 06 March 2012 \| Report This Post




this film was extremley trippy! ... More


Posted by jackcarlin18 at 23:30, 23 January 2012 \| Report This Post



Mind-Blowing
Watching Limitless not knowing what to expect made me settle into this film so much more- it's such a phenomenal idea I was sold within the first 20 minutes. It's an intriguing movie- an Inception for the drug-generation (if that makes sense); a much more graspable plot shrouded in a neat idea that makes everything in the diegetic world just a little bit more complicated and clever. Truth be told, this is an excellent film, and would have scored full marks from me if the execution was a little b... More


Posted by blaud at 14:55, 24 October 2011 \| Report This Post



COOPER GREAT!
ENTERTAINING, AND SOME NEAT VISUALS......EVEN DE NIRO OK..... ... More


Posted by chrisdagnall at 11:36, 25 September 2011 \| Report This Post



COOPER GREAT!
ENTERTAINING, AND SOME NEAT VISUALS......EVEN DE NIRO OK..... ... More


Posted by chrisdagnall at 11:36, 25 September 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Yawn!!
I've got to say, both my wife and I both thoroughly enjoyed this. Not normally crazy about Bradley Cooper, but felt his performance here easily carried the film. Some neat ideas and good imagery to complement the themes, but I felt the final scenes didn't quite come off right. A good, solid night's entertainment. ***1/2. P.S. SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The film does gloss over several plot points, including the murder of the pretty blonde about half way through. Anyone know who is suppose... More

Posted by film man aidy at 23:35, 23 September 2011 \| Report This Post



Yawn!!
Poor film, performances mediocre, both plot and dialogue leave nothing to the imagination. No surprises as you can see where the movie is goin from the outset. Way too much of a narrative (So much so that i was waiting nearly 5 minutes at one point to see the characters mouths moving so i could set the audio time delay on my Samsung!!!!) almost felt at times like i was watching scenes from GTA or another video game. Overall, mediocre at best, i can forgive De Niro but everyone else For Shame!! ... More


Posted by lastofdgang2die at 00:54, 14 August 2011 \| Report This Post



Limitless: Review
Limitless is an alright film. The story is a bit interesting and when he takes the pills and gets knowledge and do what smart people do they were cool scenes. The problems with the film is it could have gone into more detail about how the pills came from and alot of the scenes in the film didnt interest me at all. I would recommend this film to be a rental. ... More


Posted by Edward9630 at 02:08, 08 August 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Limitless
I actually LOVED this film. I suffer from mild ADD and find myself getting distracted in the middle of the work day. So, the movie actually made me realize a lot of things, such as the fact that if we are able to utilize our own potential just a bit better, many aspects of our lives can be improved. ... More

Posted by lecturarapida at 15:03, 02 May 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Limitless
I'm not gonna go into detail (cause I cba) but I thought this film was brilliant. Four stars. As a writer who often struggles to complete an initial idea I would love the tablet shown in this film! The simple ideas are often the best. ... More

Posted by theoriginalcynic at 18:51, 28 April 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Limitless
Caution: This review contains spoilers When my friends and I left the cinema after watching Wanted (2008), we spent the return journey home vocalising our frustration over the film’s more ludicrous plot points. The loom of fate, an ancient weaving apparatus that selected the next targets for a band of assassins, was just too much for even the most avid action-thriller fan to swallow. After watching Inception (2010), we left with our heads spinning, futilely trying to piece together the ela... More


Posted by Johnny Major at 10:36, 28 April 2011 \| Report This Post



Quite interesting actually
i found Limitless to be an intresting, mind bending film but was ashamed at the lack of de niro-ness and all spot light to bradley cooper (not complaining, cooper showed he can do lead man). more drug trip than new inception though ... More


Posted by Jables55 at 14:10, 23 April 2011 \| Report This Post



Limitless
Went to see this last night and really enjoyed it. It's a pretty simple plot but it's well done and Cooper is excellent - funny to hear my wife say 'I don't think he's that hot' after the film but I reckon that's just because he doesn't get his top off for a change :-) And glad to see it doesn't go for the moralistic ending about there not being a magic pill to sort out all your troubles. Where can I get some? ... More


Posted by trueborndjross at 08:57, 21 April 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Four Stars with Bradley Cooper - Three Without
Although I enjoyed the film, from an entertainment point of view, I found the European (or Russian, one struggles to remember) thug a tad tedious and predictable. I would have much rather enjoyed the further development of Cooper's love interest, or simply more of De Niro on screen. ... More

Posted by da222 at 17:12, 19 April 2011 \| Report This Post



Four Stars with Bradley Cooper - Three Without
Bradley Cooper holds this together; the plot holes as others have said are there but he is such an engaging central character that you go along for the ride. And - important these days - the story at least as grown up issues rather than just looking like a gaming preview. Other characters work too - the eastern european thug and Bradley's love interest have some depth of characterisation, within the room they have to develop. In short - worth seeing ... More


Posted by Richard Hannay at 12:30, 19 April 2011 \| Report This Post



Limited
What a stupid, repetitive, pointless pile of crap. Good concept but it ran out of ideas after the first idea. Worst of all, boring. ... More


Posted by BatSpider at 13:08, 17 April 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Limitless
What if we are only using a small percentage of our brain and we are not using it to its full potential? Those are the fascinating questions posed by ss is actually a little reminiscent of non n /b]. Also fascinating is the idea of a drug which unlocks the parts of the brain which are not being used or used fully, and ss most of its running time, is an interesting variant on a rags to riches story. The film moves at a very fast pace and is rarely dull, the moments when Eddie... More


Posted by Dr Lenera at 19:02, 07 April 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: Limitless
Bradley Cooper’s not just a pretty face, or ‘The Face’. Turns out he’s got some serious acting skills under those scruffy good looks; could’ve quite easily gone another way considering the concept of the film, but Cooper’s Eddie is quite the captivating character. Toning down his usual charisma works out well considering he’s a writer suffering from a serious lack of creative juices, yet the story twists nicely and in good time when he takes the wonder drug. Burger’s notion of psychedelic camer... More


Posted by Jessica_ca_ca_ca at 12:54, 31 March 2011 \| Report This Post



GOOD.
LIMITLESS, is good but thats it, it is enjoyable, well written and brilliantly acted but the downside of this film is that it isn't very exciting and is blunderingly predictable, it's filled with cliches but Bradley Cooper's performance manages too make this barable, went too see this at the cinema, i liked it, my friend who saw it with me hated it, harsh, but he liked Love Actually, which is undeniably a piece of shit, oh well. Verdict: Good watch, good performances but the lack off excitemen... More


Posted by lewisb548 at 20:51, 29 March 2011 \| Report This Post



The best kind of movie
I would say it's closer to fight club than the game. Hectic directing style works perfectly, although over used at times. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable, well made, well written movie. ... More


Posted by fightclubber954 at 18:06, 28 March 2011 \| Report This Post



Good
Excellent idea, well carried off, One gaping plot hole but that can be forgiven. if you want a film that looks and sounds good with a good idea at its base, then see this. Cooper is a better leading star than most and i couldnt imagine anyone doing as well as him with the script. Tom Cruise, keanu reeves, denzel Washington? nope, its good the way it is as a fun to watch, non too moralistic tale. ... More


Posted by andybud at 15:32, 28 March 2011 \| Report This Post



Clever But Had Too Many Plotholes.
Limitless has a clever story, a good pefomance from Bradley Cooper and has tenison from the moment he takes the pill. But it has too many plotholes, at times the film is rushing through and the ending is left to your imagination. I wouldn't give it four stars though, a two and a half will do. ... More


Posted by joanna likes films at 14:12, 28 March 2011 \| Report This Post



Clever But Had Too Many Plotholes.
Limitless has a clever story, a good pefomance from Bradley Cooper and has tenison from the moment he takes the pill. But it has too many plotholes, at times the film is rushing through and the ending is left to your imagination. I wouldn't give it four stars though, a two and a half will do. ... More


Posted by joanna likes films at 14:12, 28 March 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: 2 stars at best
I thought I'd enjoy this more. The premise is a fantastic one. What if you could take a tablet which makes you a better version of yourself but which comes with unknown consequences. As high concepts go, this is one which will make you debate around the watercooler, very much like the premise of The Box. Unfortunately, like The Box, the narrative can't keep up with the premise and ties itself ever further in knots with plot strands that don't quite work. In one scen... More


Posted by Groovy Mule at 11:33, 28 March 2011 \| Report This Post



RE: 2 stars at best
Limitless is based on a great concept about unlocking that inner potential, but basically it is Trainspotting for the kind of people who attend stylish cocktail parties and discuss the world's problems. Incidentally, the same kind of people the movie thinks we normal people aspire to be. I say it is like Trainspotting, firstly because it is a parable about drug abuse and secondly because the hyper-kinetic visual style of the movie feels very similar to Danny Boyle. Bradley Cooper is likable in ... More

Posted by thepluginbaby at 16:02, 27 March 2011 \| Report This Post



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LimitlessPills, thrills and serious headaches

Limitless
Pills, thrills and serious headaches