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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

'Limitless' struggles with weak script, cliché plot

800px-Jennifer_Carpenter_by_Gage_Skidmore
Jennifer Carpenter plays FBI agent Rebecca in the movie-inspired TV series "Limitless."

Though the 2011 film, "Limitless," starring Bradley Cooper, received fairly positive reviews (70 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and 7.4/10 on IMDb), the new spinoff television series isn't quite up to par with its source material. "Limitless," the TV show, is set four years after the conclusion of the film and introduces us to Brian Finch (Jake McDorman), a 28-year-old unsuccessfully pursuing his dream of becoming a rock star.

In the first episode, Brian's father collapses, landing him in the hospital with an ailment that the doctors can't diagnose. Having taken a temporary job in the city, Brian runs into his old friend Eli (Arjun Gupta), who is now an investment banker. Eli takes pity on Brian and offers him a neuroenchancing drug, known colloquially as "NZT" -- the same one used by Cooper's character in the film.The drug offers its users the ability to access 100 percent of their brain and use it to its full capacity, which gives Brian the motivation to figure out what disease is afflicting his father. What Brian doesn't realize is the danger attached to taking it. Users are being murdered, and the FBI quickly gets involved. Soon, Brian is in over his head and appears addicted to NZT.

The show is very similar to the film not only in plot but also in tempo. The series premiere opens with a fast-paced pursuit in which the FBI chases Brian through the city.The scene ends just seconds before it looks like Brian is going to be mowed over by a subway train and immediately cuts to a flashback. Tricks like this allow the season premiere to give necessary background information without compromising the pace of the plot. In just a few short sequences, viewers get glimpses of Brian's home life and his struggle to become a musician, so the rest of the show can focus on the present. The electronic background music adds to the tension and contributes to the series' fast, exhilarating tempo.

The strengths of "Limitless" lie primarily in its stylistic choices. When the NZT kicks in, Brian is often split into multiple versions of himself, all of which converse with each other, symbolizing his ability to think much more quickly and thoroughly than normal. When he first takes the drug, the camera cuts to a representation of the neurons inside his brain, bright-colored electrical impulses firing rapidly. At another point, Brian's entire body, except for his brain, disappears from view temporarily. As he goes through his day, high on NZT, Brian is able to make impossible calculations, the graphics of which are shown on screen in a quite aesthetically pleasing way.

The series premiere still has some weaknesses, however, that arise mostly from the show's plot and cast. Those who have seen the film will notice how similar the start of the series is to the movie, and this lack of creativity makes the premiere feel predictable. In the movie, struggling writer Eddie (Cooper) is having financial and relationship troubles and runs into an old friend by chance, who offers him NZT -- just like Brian does in the show. Both characters suffer through intense withdrawal symptoms after just a few hours and are clearly on the path to addiction. Both the film and the series share the use of voiceovers, which the former does more successfully than the latter. Though voiceovers are used naturally in the film, they are often ill-timed and a bit off-putting in the show.

The premiere focuses on two of Brian's relationships: that with his father and that with the FBI agent, Rebecca (Jennifer Carpenter), with whom he begins to work at the end of the episode. The scenes with his father are quite touching, as the two characters work well together. However, it is clear that Rebecca and Brian will become romantically interested in each other -- a painfully unoriginal development. Furthermore, there is something about Carpenter's acting that just isn't believable, especially in her scenes with Brian. The two have yet to find their chemistry.

The season premiere of "Limitless" isn't particularly impressive, but hopefully, after a few episodes, the cast and writers will find their groove. The biggest improvement that could be made is a more innovative divergence from the original movie, supported by a sturdier plot. Cooper's appearance late in the premiere provides hope that future episodes, at least, will be buoyed by stronger acting.

The first episode of "Limitless" aired last night at 10 p.m. on CBS.

Summary The show lacks originality and strength in its plot, and borrows too much from the 2011 movie on which it is based.
2.5 Stars