Lucy

I went into watching this thinking "6.6; average but good enough for a night in" considering 22 jump street (which I stopped after the _painful_ first half hour) gets a 7.6 it makes me wonder about what the people rating movies on this site prefer.

This film is quick, intelligent and has a number of good actors in it; if you watch it to the end you'll appreciate it, because (in my mind) it does everything right. After this paragraph we'll probably be moving into (mild) spoiler territory, so if you've not watched it yet, or just don't give a flying uh.... seagull? (good job on your censorship IMDb, words are just words and they have their place); stop reading.

The whole 10% premise is false, I'll give it that along with the 'fact' that you somehow develop supernatural powers at higher than 10%; it's almost like someone saw the matrix, a supernatural film, an action film and thought "why not compress all of this into one film" as I've said in the title, if you're prepared to suspend disbelief, it works. If you want pure scifi with no (major) suspension of disbelief; it's best to look elsewhere. Though as I've said, the movie has all the things I like. Unwitting protagonist, pressure of time put on said protagonist, some scifi in between and the mind control powers of Morgan Freeman's voice (seriously, they should get some real scientists on that; it would accelerate brainwashing research tenfold).

From reading other reviews this film seems to be movie Marmite; you'll either love it or hate it.

Lucy is a Bourne Identity meets Kill Bill meets Limitless romp auteured by Luc Besson, the man behind classics like Leon the Professional and La Femme Nikita. In one of the stranger wide releases in years, there is much reward given to those willing to give Lucy grace (ridiculous premise and over-the-top aspirations). It's flawed, but it's a brightly filmed and darkly themed scifi action thriller that delivers. Lucy posits the debatable notion that humans only use 10% brain capacity. Johansson plays the title character that goes from monotony to superhero when a new drug gives her the ability to use 100% of her brains power. Her capabilities aren't just big math problems and fast reading, but telekinesis, shape shifting and other comic-booky things. It's a fascinating if overly ambitious premise that Besson puts to great use, playing it out like a briskly paced, inventive TV pilot. The scifi is strong, with theories and declarations posited throughout and thematic exposition that works. The shining element here is Johansson, who continues her upward trajectory in a bombastic yet effective performance. Her progression from a nobody to the most powerful femme fatale in history is emotional, funny and relatively believable. It's great to see Besson bounce back after The Family to present what may be his magnum opus, touching on all of time and creation in under 90 minutes. Sure, some of the effects are cheap and goofy, but the editing is unique and tight, the violence and style are lively, and the storytelling is refreshing. Engaging and cool, Lucy is highly stylized scifi pulp of the highest order.

In my view this is the best film Besson has directed since 1997's The Fifth Element, or perhaps even since his best film, 1994's Léon: The Professional. The film in certain ways is a lot like Limitless, but at the same time it takes a very different overall approach and look on the subject of human evolution. I'm sure that many people will not care much for this film since it is filled with a lot of mystical/spiritual references and ideas and even some false science, however those with an open mind and an active imagination will likely be very glad they saw the film. This is clearly a work of fiction people, but there is no one saying you can't relate fiction to reality either, and actually learn something from it once in a while too. Our limitless imaginations are part of what makes human beings so extraordinary, we are best off using this gift and appreciating it. Fictional films can still be very thought provoking, and this one definitely fits that category. 2001: A Space Odyssey isn't scientifically accurate in many ways to our current knowledge, but it's still a monster landmark of a film nonetheless. Lucy is certainly not 2001, however they both ride that same imagination rules line that can spark the internal fires of unique creative thinking. In my view Lucy is a sci-fi trip worth taking.

8/10.

This film was a wild ride. And yes it's not scientifically accurate, but so what?

It was an awesome idea that I found well executed.

I will say I wanted to see ScarJo kick more ass but I still didn't mind. This isn't as much an action movie as it is a scifi thriller.

It really makes you question your perception of science and reality.

If your looking for a good scifi thriller that keeps you interested all the way through I highly suggest this film.

I enjoyed this for the most-part. The momentum in combination with the 90 minute runtime, kept myself entertained for the entirety. It's far from perfect, but it's entertaining. Then again I didn't labour over the science to over complicate the overall enjoyment. The climax is probably the most contentious and unfavourable issue, but I appreciate the intent of Luc Besson's vision.

Note: It's probably best to ignore the super low-scoring trolls, who create accounts to downvote and spread negativity. If you don't have some constructive criticism, don't say anything at all. Any 'Not helpful' downvotes on this review are probably by the aforementioned.