Movie Review "Limitless"

You have probably heard that we all have tremendous unlocked potential because at any given time we only use about 10% of our brain. Thats a nice thought and at the very least it has helped inspire many science fiction ideas. Of course it is also an inaccurate, but perpetuated myth. The myth probably comes from the observation that at any given time only 10% or so of your total neurons are firing. While that may be sort of true, it does not mean that you only need 10% of your brain to function. Turns out your brain is important and you need all of it to avoid substantial complications in life. So what if, like the title character, you were offered a pill that would enable you to use more of those neurons at once? It might make you into a charming and confident protagonist that is a killer on wall street and with the ladies, but simultaneous firing of all your neurons would more likely just use up all available oxygen and kill you or leave you with severe brain damage. Not to mention that even if it did work you'd probably have to always take the pill for the rest of your life or suffer a disastrous intellectual crash. So taking that pill could be risky. You're probably better off trying to make it big by writing a novel motivated by scientific half truths and then getting Hollywood to make a movie out of it. That seems to have worked pretty well here.