Unexpectedly thrilling

Rating: 7/10 (26 August 2014)

Entering the latest Luc Besson offering, I was cynical, but to my own surprise, the film won me over! Yes, there are logic gaps, a cliché use of Morgan Freeman and perhaps an over-simplification of the idea, but 'Lucy' drives home with visual invention, a notable, pumping score by Eric Serra and sharp, fast paced editing; the effect frequently being that we feel, like our typically tough female lead, as though we are on some mad drug ourselves. Drawing on some of his own best previous work, Besson puts together a film with a feeling, at times, not unlike a solid Manga adaption, ala 'The Edge Of Tomorrow'. Also, a fun little aside that is most welcome, now I think about it, is a not-so-subtle tip of the hat to Korean classic 'Oldboy', with Min-sik Choi himself playing the villain Mr Jang with relish!
It is easy to ignore the obvious liberties taken with the science, because the film is quite clearly not trying to be seen as accurate; you can also overlook the lack of character development, or indeed any real narrative meat, because once again, Besson knows exactly what he is looking to make here. Much like its own thesis on how human beings interpret the universe, 'Lucy' is a big idea scaled down. It is not as original or fresh as one might have hoped, and it does have its stumbles, but once you're over the hurdles, it proves to be a more-exciting-than-expected, well-built, high-octane thrill ride, which is most worthy of ninety minutes of your time.