Lucy ****

We’ve become blasé about our sci-fi stories – anything goes that initially seems crackers but gets persuasive as things progress. Luc Besson has combined a sci-fi passion with that of one of his strong, kick-ass women in Lucy, starring Scarlett Johansson. You would be forgiven for thinking it was another Malick The Tree Of Life flick for a split second with its random universe and ape shots. These are head-scratchingly bizarre. However, it takes on a The Matrix premise to explore unlocking the full potential of humankind while blasting ten tonnes out of the surroundings in full-on crime caper mode.

Lucy (Johansson) reluctantly delivers a suitcase to a hotel guest, which starts off a chain reaction of terrifying events, seeing her forced to become a mule for a multinational gang. After an accident that triggers superhuman responses – unlocking her brain’s full potential, Lucy ruthlessly turns the tables on her captors while trying to find Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman in reliable type), a specialist in human logic to tell him what she is living before her time is up.

Forget Nikita, Meet Lucy. This is the ultimate in ‘strong female role’ and suits Johansson perfectly, combining beauty, brains and brawn. Lucy does babble ten to the dozen as time slips away, and this is where, quite frankly, anyone gets lost – even Freeman as Prof. Norman, it seems! However, the idea of using 100 rather than the mythical 10 per cent of our cerebral capability is the stuff of dreams. It’s this that the film taps into and reels us in. The ramblings along the journey to that fabled total capacity seem irrelevant – trying to decipher Besson’s logic is pointless – and Lucy is certainly an entertaining distraction.

Johansson is superb in the role as we fly along on her trajectory as she uses mind power to get to her destination. Another thrill about her character is she delivers justice to the corrupt, which is a heady mix, complete with post-Matrix moves that will simply delight fans. There is a very odd and brief ‘relationship’ dalliance with French cop Pierre Del Rio (Amr Waked), like ticking that box for the sake of it, which seems quite bizarre and misplaced. Still, as before, trying to crack what Besson is trying to say is pointless energy spent and it’s best to just sit back and whoop at the whipping Lucy gives the baddies – some of it particularly brutal.

‘Take with a pinch of salt’ the plot here – perhaps even put your brain to one side if needs be. Just take Lucy first and foremost as an action crime flick with a great female protagonist that’s soaked in sci-fi insanity. True, it will get you thinking about ‘what if’ we could operate like that and have that power prowess, and that along with Johansson in some exhilarating action sequences makes Lucy as great action flick to catch.  Oh, and if you catch Besson’s drift, answers on a postcard, please!

4/5 stars

By @FilmGazer

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