Basically…
Lucy (Scarlett Johansson), a traveller in Taiwan,
is forced into transporting a rare and highly dangerous drug in her stomach.
But when the bag opens the drug is quickly absorbed into her bloodstream,
subsequently increasing her brain capacity. Exploring the notion we only use
10% of our brain, she evolves beyond human logic.
In other words…
The prequel to Under the Skin…and Her.
The main men and leading ladies…
Scarlett Johansson makes it a sci-fi treble
this year, playing powerful woman that bend the rules of society. In Lucy the
CPH4 drug transforms her from victim to Lady Vengeance with mind blowing intelligence. Her distance from reality continues into Under the Skin until she
makes the full circle transition into a computer operating system in Her.
Unfortunately these films came out in reverse order though so don’t expect
the ‘Scarlett’s boxset of Intelligence’ anytime soon. Meanwhile, Morgan Freeman
plays a clever man with a voice of authority – must have been a challenge for
him.
In the chair…
Writer and director
of Leon, writer of Taken and the brains behind Nikita, Luc Besson gifts us
another no-nonsense shit-stirring thriller. He’s not made the impact on the 21st
century he would have liked until now, but with a Leon sequel high on his fans’
wish lists, he’s at least hit home with another artistic, ambitious and gutsy
creation.
So…?
Besson described
Lucy by saying “The beginning is Leon The Professional, the middle is
Inception, the end is 2001: A Space Odyssey.” While this shows he’s aware of
how familiar his concepts are, it also emphases the bold risks he took in
tying them all together. There are hints of many films in Lucy – Limitless
(only Besson is adamant his script came first), The Matrix (only less of a
headache) and Tree of Life (only a whole lot better). But while cutting and
pasting from a number of sci-fi thrillers, what makes this experimental product
work is the fact it doesn't take itself too seriously. It knows it’s
ridiculous, extravagant and a bit nuts, but it still maintains a straight face
throughout. That charm, mixed with its kinetic energy makes it easy to get lost
in and wholeheartedly buy the concept too.
Worth the money?
As one of the stand outs of the year, yes.
As one of the stand outs of the year, yes.
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