The movie Limitless is fun to watch if the unrealistic assumption of the magic pills does not bother you much. The pills boost one’s IQ at the cost of the addiction and death once stopped. With such pills (and the resultant high IQ), the hero arose from a broken mediocre writer struggling for basics to an ambitious politician heading to the White House. Of course, many dramas unfold along the way, the real fun part of the movie.
The implication of the storyline, however, is a bit troubling. It essentially states that high intelligence is the main determinant of one’s success, if not happiness. The problem is that the initial endowment of the talent is unevenly distributed among man, just as the beauty among women. Given the nonexistence of the magic pill, we are therefore led to political incorrect conclusion that the social/economical disparity is largely predetermined by the nature. That does not strike fun or hope to most people.
Another note: the hero after taking the pill felt ‘invincible’. That probably reminds Trisha of the summer 09 :)
