Lucy comes off like Luc Besson borrowed from Chris Marker (La Jeete and Sans Solei) and the films of Godfrey Reggio (Naqoyqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Koyaanisqatsi) to combine it with his style of movies.   89 minutes of sci-fi summer action popcorn fun is the result of Luc Besson’s blend of cinema styles.   It tries to metaphysical at times where the basic concept is what will happen if we had access to 100 percent of the brain.  Would that mean we would become God?  The humans only having access to ten percent of their brain is a myth and it is just a device used to propel the story where a young adult college student named Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) living abroad in Asia is forced to smuggle a package of drugs in her belly.  The drugs leak into her body causing her to become more intelligent and control her body’s function, other people, and access the wavelength of electronic objects.   She is on a quest to retrieve the other couriers who have the same drug sewn into their bodies as the people responsible for making her a drug mule now want her dead.   She is also seeking a very intelligent elder scientist (played by Morgan Freeman) who has done research into the type of thing that is happening to Lucy.

 

Scarlett Johansson pulls off the type of role you would see Milla Jovovich play in Besson’s films two decades ago while Morgan Freeman makes the material seem smart whether it is or not. Choi Min-Sik does what he can with the limited material he is given for the role of the lead bad guy where his lead henchman has not much to do.   Once Lucy obtains power to move things and control people, it seems like nothing can stop her and she just uses people as pawns to fight other people while she focuses on achieving all that is known so she can give it to Morgan Freeman’s scientist character.   On a visual level, LUCY is one of the best Luc Besson movie in 15 years.  However, the script isn’t as good as classic Luc Besson films he wrote when he started like LA FEMME NIKTA, LEON THE PROFESSIONAL, and THE FIFTH ELEMENT (which I would still love to see the sequel made to it and the rumored sequel to THE PROFESSIONAL).   LUCY is great visual eye candy and you just have to buy into its story to get the most fun out of the visuals.

 

This review is ©7-28-2014 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com

 

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