Limitless takes a smart story idea — a drug instantly turns you into a genius — but suffers from stupid execution and maddening plot holes. Bradley Cooper obtains a pill that allows him to use 100-percent of his brain, turning him from a flaky struggling writer to one of the smartest people on the planet. He’s instantly transformed into a stylish big shot, working complex deals for a finance shark played by Robert De Niro and getting in deep with the Russian mob. There are some inventive filmic devices that signal the transition from normal to brainiac, whether it’s an endless stream of images rushing by or a change in the film’s color palate from dull and drab to hyper-vibrant. Unfortunately, visual gimmicks don’t fix the leaky story, where each questionable and avoidable crisis finds an equally ridiculous solution, and the persistent dumbed-down voiceover doesn’t do anything to fix the hackneyed structure which limits this from being an exceptional sci-fi flick, though the unrated version is definitely a step in the right direction as opposed to the neutered PG-13 theatrical cut.
Video: 1080p 2.40:1; Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD MA; Special Features: Two version so the film--unrated and theatrical, commentary with director Neil Burger, “A Man Without Limits,” “”Taking it To The Limit: The Making of Limitless,” alternate ending, digital copy of the film.
