Mish-mash, ridiculous-at-times plot, but an enjoyable action flick.

Rating: 6/10 (23 August 2014)

Luc Besson - director of such hits as Taken, The Fifth Element and The Transporter - offers us another slice of action in thriller, 'Lucy'.
The story begins in present day Taiwan, where the titular character finds herself unwillingly forced into becoming a drug mule for a new synthetic drug. Expectedly, trouble soon begins, as after a kick to the stomach, the bag containing the drug splits inside her, entering her blood stream and allowing her to use the other 90% of mankind's theoretically 'untapped' brainpower.
The plot begins well, with Lucy discovering her new abilities, with some good old fashioned Neeson-esque gunfight sequences, but halfway through things start to get a little ridiculous. Whereas 'Taken' was somewhat possible, Besson has taken a more science fiction route this time, which unfortunately may lose some people along the way, but no spoilers here.
As with the director's many previous movies, there is no shortfall of action. Gunfights galore, martial arts mayhem, and car chase chaos litter the Paris streets during the final act, with our female lead leaving a path of pile ups in her wake. Her new abilities also allow for some interesting sequences.
Praise goes to Scarlett Johansson for her portrayal of Lucy. Her acting is one of the best female action leads there has been, and you do feel like you are taken along on the journey with her, providing you can follow the plot. Morgan Freeman, as always offering soothing baritones that help set up the film's premise, but more screen time for him would have been well appreciated.
So, Lucy does leave you with the film's thought-provoking message of 'what really could happen if we were to use more than 10% of our brain?'. Unfortunately, for those who like a little more realism and substance in their films, that's not enough.