Movie Review - Lucy

Lucy  $$

 

R

89 Minutes

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, and Min-sik Choi.

Director: Luc Besson.

           

            What would happen if a person gained the ability to use 100% of their brain? That’s the premise of Lucy and an interesting one. 

            Lucy is tricked, by her boyfriend, into delivering a mysterious suitcase to Mr. Jang (Min-sik Choi). The suitcase turns out to be filled with a new, synthetic drug. Jang forces Lucy to carry a package of the drug inside her stomach in order to smuggle it out of the country, but due to an unfortunate incident the bag is ruptured. Lucy absorbs the drug which expands her mind, giving her the ability to use more and more of her brain.         

            Here is how I ranked the film:
 

1. Fun – I did not enjoy the movie at all. It was excessively violent when it didn’t need to be. I didn’t really care what happened to any of the characters and when the movie finally ended I was left with a "so what?" feeling.

            Lucy gets Zero MB for fun.  

            2. Story – The concept for the story was interesting, but not original. Lucy reminded me of other films, like Matrix, which were much better films. It is basically an extended chase story where Lucy flees the ruthless drug dealers.

            Lucy gets a Half a MB for story.

         
            3. Technical – There are a few special effects that added to the story, Lucy seeing the flow of data streams through the air, the cool super computer at the end, and a time travel bit. They were not enough to overcome the flaws of the film.

            Lucy gets a FULL MB for technical.   

            4. Acting – The problem with this film is that the lead character, Lucy, is envisioned as loosing her emotions as she gains greater use of her brain. For the most part acting is emotion. The only notable performance is from Morgan Freeman who basically is just there to provide the audience a lecture on what happens as humans gain the ability to use more and more of their brain. Frankly, they could have taken this portion of the film and turned it into a ten minute short and I would have enjoyed it more. The rest of the support cast does a reasonable job, but left no lasting impression with me.

            Lucy gets Half a MB for acting.

 

            One last note, it really bothered me that during one of the chase scenes Lucy uses her new-found brain power to toss police cars aside without any concern as to who might be injured or killed in the process. Then in a later scene she confronts thugs sent by Jang and merely disarms them, floating them harmlessly in the air afterwards. Why show restraint towards the bad guys and needlessly endanger the good guys and innocents?

            Lucy gets a rating of 2 Movie Bucks. People less bothered by the brutal approach taken with this film may like it better, however, I recommend catching it as a rental or not at all. None of the special effects require a big screen to appreciate.

 

                        Randy’s Rating System 

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.