When we watched the trailer for “Lucy“, we had expected only one thing – for Scarlett Johansson to kick butt throughout the entirety of the film. Well, we were wrong.
Sci-fi and a little bit of action movie “Lucy” is that and much more. Sure, it did take a page out of the “Limitless” book with a theme that centres around a person using drugs to enhance human strength and intelligence. At least for Lucy (played by Scarlett Johansson), it wasn’t by choice but by chance. A freak accident type of chance, one may say.
Lucy is a woman who, against her own free will, is made to become a drug mule. Thanks to her new boyfriend, whose employer is a Korean mob boss and drug lord named Mr. Jang (played by Choi Min-sik). Oh, and big plus for those of you who have followed the Korean wave closely because there sure is a lot of Korean dialogue in this movie!
But we digress.
The drug is surgically implanted in her stomach but during a beating, the bag bursts and the drug escapes into her system. After some violent tossing, whipping, and spasming about, lo and behold, she develops what first appears to be supernatural powers.
In actual fact, the “supernatural powers” were just a result of accidentally consuming the drug, which simply gave her more control of her brain and hence, enter the build up of the movie as she gains traction in “new” things that she could do in both the physical and the mental sense!
Concurrently, somewhere in the world, a Professor Samuel Norman (played by Morgan Freeman) is walking a bunch of professionals and students through his research about the human brain. He also narrates some pseudo-science details and some Darwin-esque (read: human evolution) details as everything else in Lucy’s world unravels as she continues to unlock her brain.
While all of that is happening, both Lucy and Professor Samuel Norman will unlock your brain with their science mumbo jumbo too! Ah hah, and the plot thickens.
Lucy then takes it upon herself to seek out Professor Samuel Norman who might or might not have the key to saving her. At the same time, she also contacts the police, helps trace down the remaining packets of the drug, telepathically disarms a bunch of armed men, lands herself in a car chase scene, uses a “psychedelic” world to which only she has access to her advantage, and more. If anything, we love the adrenaline rush that we got from all of those scenes.
When she finally meets Professor Samuel Norman, she in turn “teaches” him about the concept of time (a little Stephen Hawking-esque) and the nature of being humans. Spilling studies and findings of her own brain post-unlocking brain capacity.
Of course, all of that will take place while Mr. Jang and his mob of suited up thugs are coming for her.
Does she live to tell the tale? Let’s just say that the ending is pretty anti-climatic to us, but we won’t spoil it for you. And on that note, we’ve gotta give props to the film’s writer and director Luc Besson (of 1990’s “La Femme Nikita” fame) for successfully unlocking our brains with “Lucy”. By all means, watch it!
“Lucy” will be released in a cinema near you on 21st August (that’s tomorrow!).
For more information, visit the movie’s official website.
