Cyborg is a Techno-thriller Superhero film released in 2023. It's the first installment of the DC Awakened Continuity.
Development[]
Production of the film started in 2014 as a part of the DC Extended Universe. However, it was cancelled in 2018 and entered development hell. In 2022 production of the film resumed, however, Ray Fisher backed out the project and it was released as a stand alone film. A shared Universe has followed its continuity.
Synopsis[]
When Star labs is overtaken by a computer virus created. A young football player named Victor Stone loses his mother and is left on the verge of death. When Victor Stone life is on the line, he's saved by his father and becomes a Bionic Superhero out to save the world. Meanwhile the Virus's creator Keiji Otari leaves a virus in Star Labs program and becomes the supervillain known as H8-Bit. Cyborg is forced to destroy the virus and save his families legacy.
Plot[]
In 2018, a hacker named Keiji Otari terrorizes Gotham City by infecting the computers in the area with spyware intending to steal information from the S.T.A.R Labs physics department. He starts cyberstalking the workers at S.T.A.R Labs and their families. Meanwhile, one employee's teenage son named Victor Stone supports an online science fiction indie game entitled Perilandria. Little does he know that the independent company behind it is run by Keiji Otari. Keiji Otari and Victor Stone become friends through social media and Keiji discovers that Silas Stone, Victor's father works for S.T.A.R Labs. Keiji manipulates Victor to tell him Silas's information. Keiji claims S.T.A.R labs is hiding secrets and is corrupt, Victor falls for Keiji's deceit and tells Keiji all that he knows about the lab. At Gotham City High School Victor and his friend Ronald Evers discuss S.T.A.R labs. Ronald's anarchic beliefs lead to him encouraging Victor to expose S.T.A.R Labs information.
While Silas Stone is asleep Victor copies his ID card and gives the information to Keiji. Keiji hacks S.T.A.R Labs and takes control over the lab. Keiji sells Star Labs information to criminals and kills several researchers with laboratory equipment connected to computers. Silas Stone survives the cyberattack by hiding in the facilities basement. He calls his wife asking her to pick him up. However, Elinore Stone's car is infected with a virus causing her to die in car crash. Silas calls Victor Stone informing him about the cyberattack. Victor realizes Keiji Otari is responsible for the attack and comes to save his father. Victor breaks into the lab avoiding the facilities defenses. He saves his father and they crawl through the building's ventilation system. Silas informs Victor about an E.M.P capable for shutting off the facilities computers and tells his son to find and detonate it. Silas takes Victor to a secret compartment containing the E.M.P However, Keiji overloads the power supply of the room containing the compartment causing it to explode. Victor loses an eye along with his legs and arms. However, Silas Stone survives unharmed by hiding in the safe room with the E.M.P. He detonates the E.M.P and applies first aid to his son. When the other scientists return and rebuild the equipment they turn Victor Stone into a Cyborg.
Five years later, Cyborg has become reclusive and the incident had been covered up claiming Victor was killed. Victor has ceased all contact with Keiji who is on the run because of the cyberattack. Cyborg occasionally uses his cybernetic enhancements to fight criminals. Cyborg defeats a gang of thugs and discovers his old friend Ronald Evers is their leader. Ronald reveals that he's working for Carmine Falcone a crime lord who runs Gotham's drug smuggling operations. Victor let's his friend go dispatching the operation of drug smuggling. Meanwhile Keiji Otari is stalked by Carmine's thugs claiming that Keiji works for their enemy. Keiji fails to escape and is shot and killed by Ronald Evers. However, Keiji had created a virus modeled after him. One of Keiji's Associates releases the virus on Gotham fallowing his death. The Virus terrorizes Gotham infecting computers, stealing money from banks and making cars crash. Gotham falls into Chaos. The Virus goes by the moniker of H8-Bit. Cyborg uses his technological skills to access computers infected and confront H8-Bit who is a digital ghost of Cyborgs old friend. While Accessing the virus, Cyborg enters a virtual reality entering the viruses complex code. He discovers the virus uses source and models from the indie game from five years before. Cyborg discovers the IP address of the computer that uploaded the virus. When he arrives at the location of the computer he meets the criminal who set off the virus. With Cyborg's identity recognition technology he identifies the criminal as the Mafia boss Richard Sionis.
After a brawl with the criminal Richard Sionis shows him the computer where the virus was uploaded. Unfortunately, Richard Sionis put the computer in a mode where it can't be disconnected and destroying the computer will make the virus destroy all computers infected. Cyborg subdues Richard and reenters the virtual reality world of Perilandria, fortunately, Cyborg remembers the level design and makes it to the source controlling the virus. Cyborg disables the viruses functions one by one. However, H8-Bit confronts him serving as a kind of boss controlling the games enemies and collision. Cyborg defeats the virtual enemies and blasts H8-Bit repeatedly. Knowing the digital ghost has no programmed hit points or weak spots, Cyborg is forced to outrun him. He manages to hack into the source of the computer and evade capture long enough to shut down the viruses functions slowly disabling the Virtual Reality program. H8-Bit slowly glitches and loses his abilities to control the program taunting Cyborg until he's deleted once and for all. Gotham City recovers from the viruses effects and Cyborg is hailed as a hero. A billionaire philanthropist named Bruce Wayne gives Cyborg a metal of honor for saving the city. Cyborg accepts his metal and the crowd solutes him.
In a post-credits scene Richard Sionis is broken out of Arkham by criminals working for him, one masked figure betrays the group and shoots Richard. He blackmails the gang to follow him. The dying Richard asks who the masked figure is, the figure removes his mask and is revealed to be his son, Roman Sionis. After his father's death, Roman adopts the title of Black Mask.
Cast[]
- RJ Cyler as Victor Stone/Cyborg
- Bashir Salahuddin as Silas Stone
- Manny Jacinto as Keiji Otari/H8-Bit
- Roshon Fegan as Ronald Evers
- Jada Pinkett Smith as Elinore Stone
- Jake Gyllenhaal as Bruce Wayne
- Matt Damon as Carmine Falcone
- Zachary Quinto as Roman Sionis/Black Mask
- Viggo Mortensen as Richard Sionis
Reception[]
Cyborg was well received by fans and critics alike. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 96% based on reviews from 230 critics. The website's critical consensus states: "Perfect acting, Outstanding premise and themes. Cyborg is a perfect example for what superhero movies can be."
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 89 out of 100 based on 60 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".