Has "Lucy" any cinematographic merit?

Rating: 5/10 (28 May 2015)

Lucy, a woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal is forced to become a drug mule. But when the bag of synthetic drug she is carrying inside of her stomach leaks she transforms into a merciless warrior evolving beyond human logic and she undergoes unimaginable changes that begin to unlock her mind's full potential.
The plot is far for being the most stupid plot ever in cinema (not the sharpest as well). Basically "Lucy" is based on a simple question: can we be more than what we are? "Limitless" from Neil Burger had the same approach by the way, brain evolution was also triggered through use of a specific drug. "The lawnmower man" from director Brett Leonard touched upon the same subject. Even director Wally Pfister with "Transcendence" explored that same line of questioning. "Lucy" goes a step further as the brain evolution comes along body change and implies the next evolutions (plural) of humanity.
So the problem does not reside in the promise of the film but more so in its delivery. The film is entertaining enough and did not deserve the bashing it got especially in France where I guess critics associate box office success with mediocrity in an almost systematic manner. However there are several problems in the films that makes it play in the rental category or a nice candidate for downloads (obviously legal ones). In short the film does not deserve a 10 bucks ticket.
Primo character development is badly done. The main character Lucy interpreted by Scarlett Johansson balances between a blonde bimbo and an emotionally void cyborg. This binary mode does not help understand how knowledge could impact our humanity, development that could have enriched the movie and provide depth to an otherwise boring character. Having the percentage of brain use informing us of the evolving state of Lucy did not help much as there is no real logic in the progression of Lucy's powers. Eventually the treatment of Lucy's character is rather a misogynistic one despite Besson's claims about respecting women. Then comes the professor Norman portrayed by Morgan Freeman who re-prised his clichéd role of an authority figure. There is little to say except Besson needed an actor like Freeman to force on to us pseudo-scientific evidences delivered with very little conviction. As a result Morgan Freeman is severely walking thru his role and comes across as a slacker. Korean actor Min-sik Choi from "Old boy" completes the main roles trio. His one dimensional interpretation of an Asian Drug Lord allows him to swing between extreme calm and ultra-violence and what could have been an opportunity to confront different type of humanity ends up being a collage of grotesque caricatures.
Secondo the treatment of Asian people in the film may be questionable. Most if not all Asians are either cast as villains or as props to be killed for no other reason than comic relieve. Scarlett Johansson's character shoots a taxi driver simply because he can't speak English in Taiwan. In the hospital scene, she also shoots an Asian patient on the operating table in the head simply because she needs the surgeon to stitch her up. I am passing on the irrational behavior of someone getting more and more intelligent but acting in erratic ways or the fact that a tall blonde running with guns and killing everybody don't trigger any SWAT intervention. Honestly those scenes make me uncomfortable.
Tertio the overall structure /editing makes me wonder if "Lucy" was not a 15mn short that Luc Besson extended to the last drop. The film is 89mn long and is a succession of video clip like scenes cemented by a very cold "art direction" and action scenes that appears as fillers not bringing anything much to the overall plot. A more organic feel would have been a perfect bridge between a kinetic world and a more immaterial one. Basically I would have preferred a more "Cronenbergesque" point of view. Unfortunately the film resembles more of a glossy straight to DVD attempt that was green-lighted for the big screen in extremist. The end seems rushed and uses too much of this none organic CGI that really lower the artistic value. It's true that "Lucy" is still packed with some creative ideas like the flashback to the dawn of universe and humanity. Some will definitely see the homage to "2001 A Space Odyssey" but even this was not acknowledged by Mr Besson. The conclusion of the film was also very disappointed; basically using 100% of our brain turns us in some omnipotent god who likes to appear as a USB flash drive, really?
Well I am maybe too demanding. Here is my advice to you: use only 1% of your brain and you'll get a higher percentage of entertainment, which percentage exactly is up to you.