"Like whatever Lucy's main character was called, Cooper's Eddie Morra stumbles across an experimental substance, here called NZT-48, and discovered after a chance encounter with his sleezy ex-brother-in-law. But rather than evolving into a telekinetic superbeing who can see through time like Johansson, Morra's first act is to so impress his landlord's shrew wife that they simply must bang it out."
"While NZT-48 is portrayed as a generalized mood and motivation booster, its biggest benefit is that it provides perfect recall - if you half-watched a PBS documentary while doing dishes a quarter-century ago, you'll be able to regurgitate everything Ken Burns had to say about jazz."
"After getting laid, Morra uses his newfound powers to quickly finish a novel he was stuck on, and then, in Limitless' most realistic twist, he grows smart enough to realize that writing for a living is a dead end and pivots to a career in finance."
Limitless, released 15 years ago, features Bradley Cooper's character Eddie Morra discovering NZT-48, an experimental substance that enhances mental capacity and provides perfect recall. Unlike similar films that portray superhuman abilities, the drug primarily boosts mood, motivation, and memory. Morra initially uses his enhanced intellect for personal gains—impressing women and completing a novel—before recognizing writing's limitations and pivoting to finance. His sudden stock market success attracts attention from powerful figures. The film plays with the debunked myth that humans only use 10% of their brains, a trope frequently appearing in pop culture narratives to justify extraordinary abilities and plot developments.
#brain-capacity-myth #experimental-drugs #cognitive-enhancement #financial-thriller #pop-culture-tropes
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