"Limitless" By Hannah Rishel Collegian Staff Writer

It has been said that we only use a small percentage of our brains.

But imagine what the human race could do if we could access 100 percent. “Limitless” strives to answer this question.

Bradley Cooper plays Eddie, a down-on-his-luck writer who was just kicked to the curb by his girlfriend, Lindy, played by Abbie Cornish. As he’s walking home, he runs into his ex-wife’s brother, Vernon, who takes him out for a drink, even though it’s only mid-afternoon.

Vernon gives him a pill called NZT that turns his entire brain into Google. Instead of accessing the small fraction humans usually do, Eddie has power over 100 percent of his brain.

After his first dose, he’s hooked, so he goes back to Vernon looking for more. A flag should have been raised when Eddie finds Vernon killed, but he steals the stash of NZT hidden in the oven anyway.

With the drug he’s able to remember everything he’s ever read or heard. He works through his writer’s block and finishes his novel at break-neck speed. He uses the small amount of money he still has to play poker and invests his winnings in the stock market, which of course pays off for him. He’s also able to win back Lindy, who is charmed by the new man he’s become.

It all seems too good to be true, because it is.

NZT appears to have similar qualities to speed, since Eddie goes on an obsessive cleaning spree, and he can’t seem to sleep or eat. He also becomes a daredevil: driving fast and jumping off ocean-side cliffs.

NZT is quite the jagged little pill. It is super addictive and going cold turkey seems to result in death. Eddie is challenged with finding more NZT before his stash from Vernon runs out.

He also has to deal with a mobster, who snagged some NZT from Eddie by force and now wants to reap the benefits Eddie is enjoying.

While Eddie is dealing with this, he also has to work on impressing Carl Van Loon, played by Robert De Niro, one of the richest men in America, who hires Eddie as an investment consultant. Eddie’s work fluctuates as he deals with his limited supply of NZT.

It’s interesting to see Cooper transform from a scrub with a matted ponytail to a suave-looking member of society. The audience is supposed to like Eddie and cheer him on throughout the movie, but I couldn’t really find any redeeming qualities about him.

De Niro is good, as he always is. But his character is rather one-dimensional. It would have been nice if he was given a more complex character, which he is more than capable of playing.

The special effects of “Limitless” were probably one of the better parts of the movie. Though the zoom-in shots made me feel slightly nauseous, one of my favorite parts was when Eddie gets to work on his novel and the letters fall down in piles around him.

Another good effect in the film was that the lighting matched whether Eddie was on the drug or not. When he was taking NZT everything was bright and clear, but when he was off all the colors seemed muted.

Unfortunately these details aren’t enough to save the entire movie.

There’s a subplot with a murder that Eddie may or may not have committed that never gets wrapped up, and the ending is a bit of a cop-out.

While “Limitless” has an interesting premise, it doesn’t seem to follow through. If only it could take some NZT and reach its own maximum potential.