Asking the Wrong Question

Rating: 6/10 (20 February 2017)

SPOILER ALERT!
(July 2014.) I saw the much-anticipated 'Lucy' last weekend and, before going into my review, I'd like to make a few preliminary comments. First, I am a huge fan of Luc Besson. Ever since 'La Femme Nikita,' I was convinced this guy could do no wrong. Second, I am in love with Scarlett Johansson—don't tell my wife. Third, I'm very aware that no matter what I say here, this movie will make a ton of money. So that said, what's my take?
I was disappointed.
Apparently, 'Lucy' couldn't decide what it wanted to be. On the one hand, it is a smart, funny, bloody sci-fi thriller that doesn't skimp on the action. On the other, it's an vfx- laden treatise on the history of man and his ability to utilize the untapped potential of his brain. Judging by the official trailer, I was promised the former. And I was getting it in all its Luc Besson glory until Lucy finally meets Morgan Freeman's Professor Norman in Paris.
There was an upside to the mindy, spacey stuff that takes us from man's beginnings with the original Lucy to the wonders of the universe. I enjoyed the visual effects— especially when Lucy stops Time with a wave of her hand. Sure, that's cool. And the movie came in at ninety minutes, which meant we weren't saddled with a slow-moving second act. But when the screenwriter stops caring that Lucy is on the lam and an evil Korean guy is after her, and opts instead to focus on her morphing into a frickin' computer made of giant Nutella-like tendrils, that's when you lose me. This is a basic tenet of screen writing. As we've learned over the years, it's the Hero's Journey, people.
So what happened to Lucy? Well, SHE DIDN'T COME BACK! Instead of an arc, we got a trajectory. She never gets to have the final battle with Mr. Jang—that's left to the battle-weary French cop Pierre Del Rio. Once Lucy's brain reaches a hundred percent utilization, she trips off somewhere beyond Time and Space, probably meeting up with an alternate universe version of herself, which is the OS from 'Her.' Seriously? What am I supposed to do with pure energy? I invested a lot of my emotions in this woman, and now she just disappears? And just like Professor Norman, I am left with nothing but a thumb drive with a bunch of ones and zeroes on it. Great. I guess I should start that backup now. Oh wait, she melted all the computers.
The movie already has the elements of a great sci-fi action thriller—bad guys, experimental drugs, exotic locations and a woman who, though she graduated Phi Beta Kappa, starts out dumb as spit when it comes to choosing men. Speaking of bad guys, the only thing better than a Korean bad guy is pairing him with an English bad guy. Bravo, Luc!
As I said before, I was good with everything until the fateful meeting with Professor Norman. Previously, she had only spoken to him by phone or video screen. But once she meets with the good professor and other scientists, we're transported to the Science Channel as Lucy's brain utilization increases and everyone discusses the nature of Time and Space. At this point, I wouldn't have been surprised if everyone adjourned to a nice restaurant and spent the next five hours discussing Sartre or the symbolism behind clowns in horror movies.
Here's my idea for a third act. When Mr. Jang and his army arrive at the university to kill Lucy, she is already starting to lose her powers because the drug is wearing off. That, coupled with a blinding headache and other side effects from the drug, it's a question of whether she can still take out the bad guys before they can kill her. A massive final battle ensues where everything—the university, everything—is destroyed as Lucy battles with Mr. Jang and his men while becoming weaker and weaker.
At a critical moment, Mr. Jang shoots Lucy. Weak and bloody she still manages to send him to hell. Then she collapses as the professor makes his way to her. As the professor examines her, he realizes that she is once again human. How? Well, her irises appear normal. Working fast, he and Del Rio get her to the hospital, where surgeons operate on her and she recovers.
Epilogue. Lucy is standing outside the airport with Del Rio. She's going home to see her parents. He says, "I guess we'll never know what would have happened had you hit a hundred percent." Just then, a toddler drifts into the path of an oncoming taxi, his mother running after him and screaming in French. Suddenly, the taxi stops completely, as if Time itself had stopped. The crying mother retrieves her child as Del Rio stares at Lucy in amazement. "What?" she says, smiling. Then she kisses the cop on the cheek and walks into the terminal. Setup for a sequel? You bet.
Every great movie asks a question at the beginning that must be answered at the end. In 'Lucy,' the question appears to be "what would happen if we could access our whole brain instead of just ten percent?" To me, that's the wrong question. It has nothing to do with a hero's life. What happened to Lucy could have happened to anyone—the conniving boyfriend, the French cop or Professor Norman.
I think a better question is, "Will Lucy become the person she is meant to be?"