While it is never quite able to make its silly premise work, "Lucy" is still breathlessly action-packed, creative and fun.

Rating: 7/10 (18 August 2014)

Sometimes a film can be forgiven for a shoddy, silly script if everything else works. Sub-par writing isn't always a death sentence. If there are good performances, solid direction, interesting effects and decent production values, audiences may be able to forgive story lines and characters that just don't quite work.
And I think "Lucy" is a good example of that.
It's storyline is a bit messy. It's based on a false myth that has been scientifically disproved. The characters are fairly stock and even boring. And outside of the titular "Lucy", you'd be hard-pressed to even remember anyone else's name.
However, the direction is very strong. The effects are quite fascinating. There's some truly unique and creative uses of editing, music and cutaways that give the film identity. And the performances are incredibly strong. So honestly... I didn't mind the weak script, because despite it, the film was just too much fun for me to dislike.
Scarlett Johansson stars as Lucy, a seemingly normal young woman who is inadvertently pulled into a desperate and bizarre situation after hesitantly agreeing to act as a one-time "drug mule" for money. Suddenly captured by the ruthless Mr. Jang (the incredible Choi Min-sik, best known for the Korean version of "Oldboy"), she is forced to accept a new job smuggling an experimental synthetic drug surgically implanted in her body. However, the bag containing the drugs within her is accidentally ruptured, lacing her entire body with copious amounts of "CPH4"- the synthetic drug which begins to rapidly advance her body physically and mentally, allowing her access to the previously unused parts of her brain. Suddenly granted increasingly super-human abilities, including telepathy, telekinesis and other powers, she decides to seek vengeance against Jang and seek the help of a scientist (Morgan Freeman) who may hold the key to helping her control her new powers before they tear her apart.
The performances and production are what really saves the film here. Scarlett Johansson excels as Lucy, giving a performance that, while not perfect, really shows growth as her character "evolves" and transcends "normal humanity." She's perfect for the role and is able to garner a lot of sympathy, empathy and support from the audience. Choi Min-sik is perfect as the ruthless villain. He's a bit one-dimensional, but you can tell he's having a blast just being pure, unadulterated scum. From his casual "been there, done that" attitude towards violence, to some amusing moments where he loses patience with other characters during the bizarre scenarios presented, Min-sik is absolutely watchable and compelling. And supporting roles by the likes of Morgan Freeman are all admirably played. (But seriously... it's Morgan Freeman... when has he ever given a performance less than stunning?)
Luc Besson's visual direction is grand. As per usual with his films. No matter what content, Besson always brings vast scope, character and energy to the visuals of his films. And this is no different. He excels and elevates the material. He also makes a fascinating choice of using consistent cut-away shots of footage (both stock and new footage made exclusively for the film), often in most scenes, to emphasize things like mood, character and emotion. (Ex. some scenes may feature cutaways to wildlife, animals hunting, volcanoes erupting, etc.) It does almost feel cheap at first (I thought it was just padding to extend the running length), but as time went on, I realized that it was a fairly carefully planned stylistic choice, and I actually really got into it.
The visual effects are quite spell-binding. And they also help to elevate the material. While it is obvious what is CG and what is practical, the computer-generated imagery is quite unique in its design, and the way it emphasizes the changes happening to Lucy. While they may not be photo-realistic, they are just darned cool on their own.
As I said above, the script is the only real problem. Because it doesn't quite work. But the wonderful performances, great direction, cool effects and other very competent facets of the production are able to make up for it. It's a very watchable, enjoyable film. And that definitely counts for something.
I give "Lucy" a pretty-good 7 out of 10. Worth checking out for fans of action (and even of Sci-Fi) at least once.