Lucy

The only problem with Writer/Director Luc Besson’s Lucy may be in how the distributor is selling it. It’s a smart action thriller to be sure, but it is also a visionary work that prompted this type of reaction I overheard from a departing female viewer: ”I’m not usually a fan of action films, but I didn’t want this one to end.  I wanted even more exploration of its ideas.”

Luc Besson has a vision of the potential of the human brain may be and whether you accept it or not, you have to be in awe of the story he tells and the images he uses.

The setup concerns Lucy (Scarlett Johansson), a meek young woman, living in Taiwan, who is kidnapped and has a bag of a new drug based on what pregnant women actually produce to strengthen embryos sewn into her stomach.  She is going to be forced to take it into New York along with 3 kidnapped men, who are to take theirs into Paris, Rome and London.

The problem is that one of her jailers kicks her in the stomach, causing her bag to break and, instead of killing her, the drug boosts her brain power from the average 10% of its capacity to 20% and climbing throughout the film.

Morgan Freeman plays a professor of brain studies, lecturing in Paris, who provides us with all the information we need to understand what may happen to a human as their brain power increases.  It’s all done with fascinating images and provocative dialogue.

The action in Lucy’s odyssey is thrilling and the journey she undergoes internally is equally exciting.

Lucy easily gets a 4+ out of 5.