Lucy Review

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman

The premise of Lucy is a little confusing. Scarlett Johansson plays the titular character, who is tricked into working into a drug mule for an Asian mafia. She has to carry their product inside her internationally, and in a freak accident, the container ruptures, sending the drugs into her system. Lucy gains a multitude of superhuman abilities. Instead of being able to use the 10% of the brain humans are normally able to use, she is now unlocking different parts of her brain, and moving upward to 100%. Lucy needs the product to stay alive, so she hunts down the other drug mules to extract it. Only the mafia that is hunting her and the others down becomes a problem for her.

To enjoy this movie, you just have to accept its rules. The idea that humans only use 10% of the brain is 100% myth, but you have to just sit back and let Lucy run its course, and then, you can enjoy it. Scarlett Johansson, whether she's changing her physical appearance at will, or throwing enemies into the wall, is fantastic in the role. One side effect of the drug is that she loses all emotions and feelings, but at the same time can feel every living being on the planet, the gravity, and the air around her. Strange, but only she could pull it off. I've been a fan of her work since We Bought a Zoo in 2011, and with her work as Black Widow in the Marvel movies, and her voice acting in Her earlier this year, my whole family has become huge fans of Scarlett Johansson. Morgan Freeman exists only to be...well Morgan Freeman. Like many movies he does now, he only exists to narrate and give explanations to the audience. Not a problem, it's what Morgan Freeman does best!

The opening half hour is probably one of the best openings I've seen in any film...ever! Sadly, the movie isn't consistent. The last fifteen or twenty minutes get pretty ridiculous, to make for one of the strangest movie endings I've ever seen. I can't call it a great movie, but I can't say it's bad either. If you go to see Lucy, you have to know what you're getting into. If you're okay with that, and laughing at how ridiculous it can get, it will be a very entertaining movie.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars