By Kerry Robinson
Lucy (15)
Director – Luc Besson
Starring – Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-Sik
Runtime – 89 minutes
LUC Besson is a diverse writer and director who has given us historical dramas, black comedies and crime thrillers. Now he returns to science fiction for the first time since The Fifth Element (1997) with his latest offering, Lucy.
Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is kidnapped and forcibly turned into a drug mule for a sinister Korean businessman (played by Oldboy star, Choi Min-Sik). Somewhere along the way the drugs, sown inside her, leak into her system allowing her to access more than ten percent of her brain which increases her physical and mental abilities.
Morgan Freeman stars as a professor whose research could be the only thing to help Lucy understand her new found skills.
Besson has always written compelling female roles and in Lucy he has another fascinating character. Johansson is a stunning lead that thoroughly convinces the audience as she goes from terrified victim to an all powerful heroine.
The trailers have been misleading. Many people, including myself, may go into the cinema expecting an action flick, with Scarlett Johansson reprising her Black Widow, butt-kicking skills. However this is pure sci-fi with unusual visuals and a complex script. There are a few set pieces but they are over almost as soon as they begin. By the end of the movie you may feel flat and unsatisfied.
Lucy is by no means a bad film but it will not appeal to those who expect a female led actioner. If you like to have deep and meaningful conversations after the credits role, then this is the picture for you. If not, you might want to wait for the DVD.
