Lucy Review

Rated R (Strong Violence, Disturbing Images, and Sexuality)

Running Time: 1 Hour & 30 Minutes

Cast-

Scarlett Johansson-Lucy

Morgan Freeman-Professor Samuel Norman

Choi Min-Sik-Mr. Jang

Amr Waked-Pierre Del Rio

Analeigh Tipton-Caroline

Pilou Asbæk-Richard

Julian Rhind-Tutt-The Limey

Nicolas Phongpheth-Jii

Directed by Luc Besson

Scarlett Johansson develops God-like superpowers after ingesting a synthetic drug in Luc Besson's "Lucy."

Note: Screened on Wednesday, July 9, 2014 at AMC Loews 34th Street 14.

There are ridiculous films and then there's "Lucy," a bat-sh*t crazy action flick from French writer-director Luc Besson that mixes mindless shootouts with an inane sci-fi premise and pseudo-philosophical musings on the 'meaning of life.' Initial previews from Universal had positioned Besson's latest as a wall-to-wall action thriller with an ass-kicking super-powered heroine and while that's still partly true, the resulting film is actually more like Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life," but filtered through the lens of a Eurotrash action movie. Besson hasn't directed much since 1999, when "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc" flopped with both critics and audiences. He instead shifted his focus on writing and producing, with his production company EuropaCorp releasing a seemingly endless stream of disposable Eurotrash action thrillers like "The Transporter," "Taken," and "Colombiana." Besson sporadically returned to the director's chair to branch out into other genres but these films, such as the little-seen 2011 biopic "The Lady" and last year's Martin Scorsese-produced crime dramedy "The Family," often received negative reviews. What he needed to do was to go back to the good ol' days of "La Femme Nikita" and "Léon: The Professional." Although "Lucy" isn't quite a return to form for Besson, it's at least a step in the right direction for the filmmaker. Much of what happens makes little logical sense but his strong commitment to the film's absurd premise—combined with Scarlett Johansson's equally strong performance—make for a solidly entertaining late-summer watch.

Twenty-five year old party girl Lucy (Scarlett Johansson), who's studying abroad in Taipei, Taiwan, finds herself in over her head when her week-long boyfriend Richard (Pilou Asbæk) suddenly handcuffs a locked briefcase to her wrist and forces her to deliver it to a ruthless Korean gangster named Mr. Jang (Choi Min-Sik). After giving her the combination to open the briefcase—which contain four packets of a brand-new and powerful blue-powdered synthetic drug dubbed 'CPH4'—Jang enlists an unwilling Lucy to work as one of his drug mules, with one of the packets surgically implanted into her lower abdomen while she's under sedation. During her captivity, one of Jang's thugs repeatedly kicks Lucy in the stomach, causing the contents of the packet to leak into the rest of her body. Instead of killing her, the drug begins to rapidly expand her brain usage beyond the normal 10%. Lucy soon develops a host of superhuman abilities, turning her into a God-like being of unimaginable power. With her humanity slipping away as her brain usage steadily increases to 100%, Lucy reaches out to Professor Samuel Norman (Morgan Freeman), a specialist who lectures on the limits of the human mind. While Norman and his colleagues help her prepare humankind for the next stage of evolution, Lucy tasks French police officer Pierre Del Rio (Amr Waked) with finding the remaining three CPH4 packets and putting a stop to Jang's illegal activities.

Morgan Freeman's role largely serves to deliver exposition but he continues to lend his usual gravitas with a committed performance alongside co-star Johannson.

I don't know if Luc Besson drank too much coffee or got high one morning but "Lucy" is one of the most bizarre action thrillers I've ever seen. First off, the film's premise, which revolves around the whole idea that we use only 10% of our brains, is complete hogwash as the entire brain is active at all times. Certain areas will be significantly more active depending on what we're doing. However, this myth continues to persist despite being repeatedly proven to be untrue. In fact, a survey last year by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research found that 65% of Americans believe the myth is true, which is 5% more than those who believe in evolution. Of course, Besson doesn't give a crap about logic and fully commits to the film's nonsensical concept. I actually admire him for doing that because too many directors nowadays often play it safe. Sure, "Lucy" gets more and more ridiculous as it progresses but before I get into how ridiculous, let's start at the beginning, specifically the beginning as the film opens with a prehistoric prologue modeled after the 'Dawn of Man' sequence in "2001: A Space Odyssey." An early hominid is shown squatting in a stream during this scene. However, this is no ordinary hominid; it's the famous Lucy, one of the earliest human ancestors we have physical evidence of. In voiceover, present-day Lucy asks, 'Life was given to us a billion years ago. What have we done with it?' Before that question could be answered, the film snaps back into a typical Besson vehicle, at least for the first half with its fast cuts, violent gunplay, and dark humor. The French director lends the picture some weird visual flourishes, like juxtaposing nature footage of a cheetah chasing and mauling a gazelle while a helpless Lucy is taken prisoner by Jang's thugs, because Lucy is like a gazelle. Don't you get it? DON'T YOU!?

Things get interesting once Lucy gets her powers. Hell, she even defies the laws of gravity while overdosing! This is the point where the film turns into a super-powered version of "La Femme Nikita," with the titular character going on a rampage against Jang's men in a scene set to Mozart's first act of Requiem, because why the hell not? Besson cuts to a counter every ten or so minutes to signify her steadily increasing brain function. Soon, Lucy is absorbing knowledge at a vastly accelerated rate. She can see living cells and data streams and can even control matter itself upon hitting 60%. There's a stylish car chase set on the streets of Paris where she's flinging vehicles left and right with only her mind. Obviously, none of this is based on any real science despite the film's attempts to convince you otherwise but that's part of the fun as you try to figure out what kind of craziness it's going to pull off next. However, viewers who were hoping to see Lucy kick all kinds of ass will likely come away disappointed as she becomes less and less human the more powerful she becomes, with her physical form unable to contain all her abilities. The relatively action-packed second act gives way to something a bit more contemplative. This is when Besson goes absolutely bonkers with a trippy sequence that literally spans time and space. As Gabe Toro perfectly describes it in his own review, this scene is 'a whirling fantasia of effects and images.' Even dinosaurs make an appearance just like in "The Tree of Life"! Ultimately, "Lucy" tackles the same themes in Kubrick and Malick's films: the insignificance of human existence when compared to the vastness of the cosmos, the transience of time, and the fact that our species has a long way to go in terms of evolution. Leave it to Besson to craft a feature that feels dumb and profound at the same time.

I sense a mindless shootout is about to happen...

A lot of people tend to dismiss Scarlett Johansson as a pretty face but she's proven herself numerous times to be a great actress. Her role as Black Widow in the Marvel Studios films have allowed her to take on a variety of interesting projects like last year's unconventional "Her" from Spike Jonze, where she voices an advanced computer operating system, and this past April's hauntingly mesmerizing "Under the Skin" from Jonathan Glazer, where she portrays an alien seductress. While Johansson's role in "Lucy" isn't as challenging as those films, she nonetheless delivers a committed performance and treats the material with the utmost seriousness. Her character's helplessness in the opening act allows us to immediately sympathize with her plight, with a telephone call to Lucy's mother proving to be particularly heartbreaking as it represents the final moment where Lucy experiences true human emotion. Despite transforming into an affectless superwoman, Johansson remains compelling to watch and a big part of why Besson's film even works is due to her presence. The twenty-nine year old actress always had it in her to become a kick-ass action heroine so hopefully this role opens up even more doors for her, including a solo "Black Widow" movie. The supporting cast is largely just along for the ride but like Johansson, they commit to their roles in spite of the story's preposterousness. Morgan Freeman spends much of the film delivering exposition and looking flummoxed at Lucy's growing powers as Professor Samuel Norman. South Korean actor Choi Min-Sik—famous for his critically-acclaimed role in Park Chan-Wook's 2003 revenge thriller "Oldboy"—seethes with intense rage as brutal gangster Mr. Jang in his English-language debut while Amr Waked's Pierre Del Rio provides a hint of romantic tension, with his character finding himself intrigued by this God-like femme fatale.

Released on July 25, 2014, "Lucy" has received better-than-expected reviews with 58% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics noted that Besson's latest was 'enthusiastically silly' but it partially succeeds thanks to its 'cheesy thrills and Scarlett Johansson's charm.' Universal originally scheduled the film for August 8th but the studio wisely moved it from that crowded release date to a more box office friendly one in July. Thanks to its intriguing high-concept premise and action-packed trailers, "Lucy" managed to debut with an impressive $43.9 million, although audience reception was lukewarm. When I saw the film during an advance screening, many viewers were left confused by what happened at the end. Still, $100 million isn't exactly out of reach for this loony action thriller. Ludicrously silly and completely over-the-top, "Lucy" doesn't quite represent a return to form for Luc Besson but this is definitely his most ambitious work in years. While almost nothing makes logical sense, the sheer craziness that follows from its ridiculous premise make for a visually interesting and entertaining flick. Honestly, this is destined to be a cult classic, especially to stoners looking to experience a colorful power-trip!

Final Rating: 3.5 out of 5

"Life was given to us a billion years ago. Now you know what to do with it."