How could so much talent unite to create something so meaningless?

Rating: 2/10 (10 September 2014)

I adore Min-Sik Choi. He is among my favourite living actors and blows my mind every time I see him (I implore you all to see Oldboy). Furthermore Scarlett Johanson and Morgan Freeman are actors for whom I hold a great deal of respect for, particularly if given a good script. I also enjoy Luc Besson's work, I consider Leon to be a masterpiece in particular.
So when I heard about film that supposedly combined all these talents into a high concept sci-fi thriller, I was hyped. This enthusiasm barely flattered even after the sub-par reviews came in. I hoped that, despite some rough edges an overall interesting and enjoyable film was still possible. I was very much wrong.
I will start with the film's pacing. It is fairly slow in its first few scenes (the best part of the film) and shows a little promise, however it cranks into overdrive at around the 1/4 mark and doesn't allow for anything resembling character or atmosphere. This seems indicative of a harsh editing process, just like the script. It feels like deep ideas and characters may have existed in some earlier draft of the script, but not here. Everything is so rushed that it comes of as feeling dumb, flaccid and lacking in any punch whatsoever.
Next let's look at the acting. Min-Sik Choi shows promise early on, and does what he can with the material, however he is totally wasted and irrelevant to the films core plot. I almost started routing for him in the end as I was desperate to see him given the material he so clearly deserved. Scarlett Johanson is also clearly trying as hard as she can, in a role that doesn't allow her to show any emotion or personality whatsoever. Morgan Freeman probably escapes with more dignity than the rest of the main cast, as he is basically playing the typical Morgan Freeman stock character, the wizened mentor. The rest of the cast come off terribly, being either annoying, laughable or dull. Particularly Lucy's 'love interest'. His hilariously bad performance almost beggared belief at times.
The films features atrocious CGI, it is particularly damming for a sci-fi film when the effects are weak. This factors into the film's pathetic action, which is largely caused by the film's untouchable protagonist and lack of threat in any of the action sequences. A car chase 2/3 into the film is particularly tedious and features some awful lines from our lead.
Overall, despite a team seemingly capable of birthing this ambitious project, Lucy falls flat on it's face. I was beyond disappointed as I was genuinely hyped for this 89 minute long train-wreck.