Suspension of disbelief required by the boatload

Rating: 3/10 (31 July 2016)

I'm a big fan of science fiction movies of all kinds. I also have a lot of time for Luc Besson; even if his output is decidedly hit-and-miss it is usually quite entertaining. So "Lucy" should have been right up my alley.
Boy, was I wrong about that one.
Right from the start it is clear that we're dealing with one of "those" films. One of those that will eschew all explanations for what's happening and jump straight to the cool shots. Who cares about internal logic when you have gunfights, car chases, beautiful women kicking ass and suit-clad villains walking menacingly in slow motion right? Where did the briefcase come from? Who made the contents? Is there more of it? Who shot Richard (and without breaking the window too - classy shot)? Why didn't Mr. Jang know what was in the briefcase? They don't even attempt to explain stuff like this, or build a credible back story. They try, feebly, to lay down some ground rules for what would happen if we utilised more of our brain power but most of it is totally nonsensical. What little there is of internal logic is ignored throughout. Apparently, by using 20% of our cerebral capacity we can defy gravity. Who knew? The biggest elephant in the room is the very existence of the synthetic CPH4 drug. Seriously, if someone can make this stuff and it has the effects shown in this movie then it would lead to a major evolutionary leap. It would change mankind completely. An interesting film could be made about this, but "Lucy" isn't it. It's far too pre-occupied with cramming in cool visuals to have time for intellectual discourse.
And speaking of which, the dialogue here is absolutely atrocious. I felt real pity for Morgan Freeman trying to sell the stupefying pseudo-science he was tasked with explaining. His introductory speech was cringeworthy. Cells decide to survive by immortality if in an unsafe environment? Really? Who wrote this crap? By this point I was getting angry at the filmmakers for wasting my time and insulting my intelligence. I guess the joke was really on me as I kept watching until the end.
A special mention to the wildlife scenes interspersed throughout. A visual tool so blunt that I'm surprised to see it used in a professional production. It had a real feel of art school project about it.
"Lucy" wants desperately to be "The Matrix" but fails miserably on all fronts. There are a few entertaining scenes but overall this movie is best avoided.