Compelling and promising start to original science fiction film, gets cliché at end

Rating: 7/10 (8 January 2015)

Can I leave the film Lucy in the oven for a bit longer? Such a strong start to the movie, it just needs to cook a little more before it's ending is done.
Luc Besson's original creation of Lucy tells of a woman thrust into the dark drug world of Taiwan, forced to be a drug mule. When the synthetic drugs sewn into her belly leak and are absorbed into her system, her mind's ability is expanded. Lucy turns her new-found potential and magnified powers back upon the mob boss responsible in the form of revenge.
The story of Lucy is told seamlessly from three different perspectives simultaneously. The main perspective is through Lucy's experience, the secondary complementary perspective is through the lecture of a neurology professor and the third is spliced imagery similar to National Geographic footage interwoven relevantly to the scenes it mirrors. It is a unique, risky but ultimately effective directorial vision.
Luc Besson takes the interesting belief that humans only access 10% of their brain function, aware it is an old wives tale and misinformed, and uses this as a jumping point for an enthralling movie. He assumes completely creative control and takes several liberties with his direction for purely artistic purposes. Lucy examines evolution and human brain function as well as the impact of the inherent human nature on the world environment in a purely hypothetical and exploratory manner. Besson also explores the concept of time in relation to human existence. All in all, the thought provoking views examined by Besson are decisive in opinion and well conceived.
Eventually the film gets a bit monotonous, veers away from its initial design and becomes rife with action sequences. Certainly cool as a film, I wish Lucy had invested a more thought for a more complex conclusion.
Lucy is a science fiction thriller and novel premise for a fictional action film. Note the word "fictional" for scientific proof and legitimacy won't be found here. Don't let that detract from the experience because Lucy is an entertaining and novel movie experience.
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