Lucy

Lucy: Scarlet Johannson needs conditioner.

 

I know the man can act. If you ever noticed his performances in Unforgiven or Seven, Morgan Freeman can showcase serious talent on the screen. Over time, and probably due to his old age, he has slowly become the wise old man that everyone secretly wants for a grandfather. He even got everyone to give a shit about penguins for a hour and a half and got away playing God who spent his time mopping floors rather than fix things on Earth. Now we have him playing a scientist (his second this year) setting the stage for using the bullshit “100% of the brain”. His silky smooth voice assuring you that once we unlock the full potential of your brain, we can fly, do some super math, or in the case of Lucy, turn into a fucking space USB. But really, this shouldn't be about the effectiveness of Freeman's voice shutting your brain down when the science comes in. This is about the super sexy Scarlet Johansson fucking everything up with damaged hair.

 


Not even at 100% is Lucy immune to the smooth voice powers of Morgan Freeman.

The basic plot revolves around Lucy, struggling with a night of partying in Taiwan, becomes an unwilling drug mule for Korean gangsters. With the drugs surgically inside of her, they get released after she gets kicked to hell. These aren't your Dad's drugs. Oh no. These are super science drugs and set her on the path to UNLOCK THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE HUMAN BRAIN and turn her instantly into a super smart gun toting badass. Of course the gangsters aren't going to forget that they lost their super-science drugs to bed head Johannson. They embark on a quest to become one of the more useless antagonists in movies against a lady who can put people to sleep with her mind. The biggest struggle comes with Lucy coming to grips with her powers, the real nature of humanity, and how to showcase her super powers in the next scene.


You done fucked up, son. Super saiyan Lucy is gonna wreck your shit.

The action in Lucy is actually really good even though it's a bit sparse throughout the film. It starts strong and has some really cool choices with the editing. My problem is that the further you get into the film, her powers start getting more nonsensical as well as her interactions with regular people. I'm not sure if there were some subtle hints towards losing your humanity the more you are able to access your mind, but I laughed my ass off when they actually edited robotic sounds when she twitches her head. Johannson does a decent job showing a little range. If also good to see the Korean gangster played by Choi Min-Sik (Old Boy) in an American feature. Honestly, there are plenty worse science fiction flicks out there. If you toss out what could be a muddled message on humanity and the heavy cheese, Lucy makes for a decent, if forgettable popcorn flick.