Writer/director Luc Besson’s “Lucy” might be the standout movie of the year.
Besson’s comeback arrives with a huge punch with all the pieces of the film coming together effortlessly. Scarlett Johansson plays the lead character, Lucy, a fearless blonde who defies the laws of science when she is exposed to powerful drugs. This film has the ability to entertain any audience.
Lucy comes in contact with a drug exchange when her boyfriend whom she’s been seeing for a week, Richard, traps her with his delivery. From then, Lucy becomes entangled in the transportation of a new chemical drug, named CPH4, and becomes one of the victims to deliver the drugs in her stomach to another part of the world. But accidentally, the drug explodes in her body whilst being held in transit, allowing her to absorb the contents and activating her mental capacity beyond human limits. The movie feels like a climax throughout as black screens show how much her brain is using in percentages. With each increase, the thrill builds as she tries to determine the fate of human life with her gained vast knowledge. Simultaneously, Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman) narrates his hypothesis on the capacity of the brain’s power, giving the audience an easier grasp, helping viewers follow the fast-paced action/thrill plot.
What makes this different from the other hero/heroine movies is the director’s decision to not portray Lucy’s vulnerability, nor does he introduce an enemy that can kill her; the audience can safely assume that she is invincible. In addition, Scarlett Johansson does an impeccable job in delivering a fierce, nonchalant persona that unquestionably comes with her sexy image. She is undoubtedly the best actress to play a character who has gained full control of her emotions like fear and anxiety.
The best aspect of the film is the lack of the signature marvel/hero drama-line. While the story is obviously unrealistic, it does an amazing job in capturing the superhuman persona that lingers in all of our imaginations. Everyone has thought about power beyond limitations, and this movie captures those images and wonderfully projects them into this fantasy inside our human realm.
“Lucy” is a no frills and all thrill movie, with nothing too complex to follow and nothing too obvious to become dispirited, this film feeds the adventurer and wonderer within all of us, questions the what ifs, and makes us wonder about our existence ahead.
“Lucy” comes out in theaters July 25.
