"Lucy" Review

Lucy

2.8 out of 5 stars

Family appropriateness rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Rated R
-Moderate amount of sexual content. There is a brief shot of sexual activity in the back of a car. No nudity is shown, but the motions make it obvious what they are doing.
-Depictions of blood as a result of violence and surgery. No gruesome camera shots of blood coming out of the body.
-There are some disturbing images.
-Little to no profanity. The f-word is almost said, but it is cut off.
-Pretty light R rating.




The "science" is flawed and the characters are poorly written, but "Lucy" gets its entertainment value from moments of interesting dialogue and off-beat direction.

Scarlett Johansson plays the title character, Lucy. After a chain of events, she is captured by a Chinese mob, which is testing a new drug. It is a highly concentrated dose of a woman's hormone that   speeds up the growth process in the womb. For fully-grown adults, the drug speeds up neural activity in the brain. The mob surgically inserts a bag of it into her body, and she develops a higher level of brain power as it enters her blood stream.

The film is based on the premise that we as humans only use 10 percent of our brain. When Lucy first takes the drug, she starts using 20 percent. As the movie progresses, the percentage gets higher. The problem with this concept is it is completely false. In reality, we use every part of our brain, and it is constantly working. Different parts are used for different things: some are used for memory, some for judgement and some for breathing. The whole thing may not be activated all the time, but every part is used.

Even with a suspension of disbelief -- which is required by most of this film -- there is no definite limitation to the percentages. When she is at 20 percent brain capacity, she already seems invincible. She can understand Chinese, manipulate waves and even read minds. The only difference in her progression is near the end, her powers get so advanced that nothing can hurt her.

Scarlett Johansson does a good job with what she has in this movie. In the beginning, Lucy goes through an intense situation, and Johansson does a great job conveying the emotion required to make it realistic. Even though we do not know anything about the character, she is at least relatable because she is well acted.

This is in direct contrast to what happens to her personality when the drug is administered. She becomes monotoned and flat. This happens because as she gains more knowledge, she becomes detached from all emotion. She cares little about human lives as she seeks her goal to get more of the drug. The character is dependent on it to survive, and she must get it from other people who also had it inserted into their bodies by the mob. For some reason, none of these people actually had the drug enter the blood stream. It just stayed in the bag.

Even though the movie is flawed, it is surprisingly engaging. Part of this has to do with the dialogue. It is written well enough so when the false-scientific claims are explained, it is still interesting to listen to. The speeches are done by Morgan Freeman who plays Professor Norman, a scientist who has spent his life developing his theory about what would happen if humans unlocked more of the brain. His voice combined with visuals of nature also help carry the entertainment value of the explanations.

The direction of this film is odd but fun to watch at the same time. When Lucy gets into the situation with the mob, writer/director Luc Besson intercuts a cheetah hunting its prey to foreshadow what will happen. Though this choice seems forced, it succeeds at making the scene more interesting.

Certain concepts that this film tries discuss are confusing. Besson seemed to have been going for a science-fiction experience comparable to "The Matrix," which is both a thought-provoking and action-packed film. He does not succeed at the same level. Yes, some of the concepts make you think, but they are not as clear and relatable as the 1999 classic nor are the characters as well-written.

With that being said, there is a scene in the end that utilizes some very impressive visuals to explain the confusing concepts. It depicts space, time and the creation of earth. The visual effects team deserves to be commended for it.

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