In Taiwan, we are introduced to Lucy (Scarlett Johansson), a party-loving American student who is being conned by her latest dead-beat flame into delivering a package for instant cash. While she resists at first, she soon finds herself caught up in a dangerous drug cartel, with a package surgically inserted into her body.
Lucy movie review By Keeva Stratton
This is no ordinary drug though, but rather a synthetic version of a key evolutionary driver. When the drug begins to leak into her bloodstream, Lucy’s cognitive functions quickly expand to maximum capacity, whereas our normal cognitive function only uses an average of 10% of the human brain’s capacity.
Her newfound abilities enable her to rise up against the drug lords who have imprisoned her, and her evolution may have even greater consequences for humankind. She seeks out a renowned professor and researcher (Morgan Freeman), to help her on his mission of self-discovery and retribution.
Luc Besson has again taken us on a trip into his fantastical mind, with a strange journey through time, space and science. He has managed to make a film that combines a female action hero with an existential debate, though, admittedly, not perfectly.
What begins with a bang soon starts to flail, and in contrast to Lucy’s evolution, the film devolves into a strange juxtaposition of an existential musing on humankind and the stylised action of gangsta warfare. It’s not without its entertaining moments, but overall it fails to meet the bold premise that it initially promises.
Loaded with lots of interesting but distracting visuals, and based on an improbable scientific premise, Lucy ultimately is overshadowed by its own ambition.
Directed by: Luc Besson
Starring: Scarlett Johannson, Morgan Freeman
Rating: MA15+
Runtime: 90 mins
Release Date: July 31
Reviewer rating: 3/5