(April 1, 2011) — I’ve always been a fan of movies that get me thinking; movies that have twists and turns and leave my mind boggled and eager to discuss it with everyone in sight. It turned out that Limitless wasn’t the kind of movie I thought it would be, but I still enjoyed the ride. The suspense never stopped until the credits started rolling. Limitless begins with Bradley Cooper’s character, Eddie Morra, who is a degenerate writer with little to no ambition. After certain circumstances, a pill called NZT falls into Eddie’s hands allowing him to access 100% of his brain and unlocking hidden potential. In mere days, Eddie is able to turn his life around by finishing his book, learning various languages, and getting back the woman he loves. When Eddie decides that writing books isn’t enough for him, he meets business man Carl Van Loom (played by Robert De Niro) and unleashes his genius while creating millions on Wall Street. But Eddie learns that with power comes consequences and begins suffering NZT’s serious side effects. What most caught my attention in this film were the interesting camera tricks, like when letters fall down while Eddie has a sudden epiphany and begins typing away to finish his book. Another interesting technique used in the film is shown when a character takes NZT, the character literally step outside their bodies, showing visually how they become the perfect version of themselves. Bradley Cooper gives a solid performance for his first lead role but Robert De Niro easily outshines him, even though he is on the screen for a brief amount of time. The only thing lacking in the movie was depth. The movie tends to focus too much on the drug and its effects, forgetting to make the audience understand the characters. Eddie is supposed to be the main character that audiences connect with and root for, but I just found Eddie’s character to be a shallow and selfish man who ends up learning nothing from the misfortunes NZT gives him. Limitless is a great movie for those seeking suspense and eye-catching camera effects. While not the most memorable of films, it does leave the audience pondering the ultimate question: Is perfection worth it all?