Lucy and the brain potential

Rating: 7/10 (27 August 2014)

The man behind "Leon" (1994), Scarlett Johansson in kick-ass mode... Who wouldn't want to watch this film? But as usual, nothing is what it seems, and the question is: is that a bad thing or a good thing? It depends, whether you expect just another sci-fi action packed movie or, knowing old Besson, something else. In the same fashion that "The Fifth Element" (1997), "Lucy" is not so genre-tight, but it tends to expand, an inside out explosion. Some might like it or not, but the truth is that Luc Besson is a great filmmaker, and it seems he can make a very good movie anytime he wants to. Lucy (Johansson) is a tourist that finds herself in the middle of a drug dealing business and ends up being a mule. To make things even worse, the package she carries bursts inside her, and the consequences are as unexpected as they are cool. In just one day her brain capacity will reach its full potential, unfolding every secret the brain still hides from mankind. Scarlett Johansson (oh Scarlett...) is Lucy, and she turns from bimbo to super-heroine in half an hour, something Scarlett does easily, as well as showing us how with higher brain capacity comes some "changes". It is in those moments that she makes her best, though I am not objective here. What she did in "Her" (Spike Jonze, 2013) was outstanding, and I am a crazy fan, I must confess. The rest of the cast, including Morgan Freeman are just spectators, and we all just sit and enjoy the Scarlett show. "Lucy" is sci-fi, yet it states that we only have access to 10% of our brain capacity, which has been debunked by several scientific studies. That would be unacceptable in most cases, but in this case it is not a big deal, since this film is not hard sci-fi; it is not a superpowers film nor a brain research film, but rather a film about our very existence and evolution. Quoting Pearl Jam: "I crawled the earth, but now I'm higher (...) It's evolution, baby" ("Do the Evolution" from the album "Yield", 1998, epic records).