Plot-wise, Lucy is
pretty simple. The titular character is
abducted while vacationing in Taiwan and is forced to act as a drug mule for an
Asian cartel. While being held captive,
the drug bag in her abdomen bursts, but instead of killing her with an
overdose, the drug begins to enhance her cognitive abilities, making her
superintelligent and capable of intense feats strength and accuracy. As the drug becomes more integrated with her
system, though, she begins to gain other superpowers, such as being able to
manipulate radio waves and telepathy.
The ensuing tale is simultaneously one of revenge against the cartel that
kidnapped her, and a quest to pass on her newfound knowledge to a group of
scientists before the drug eventually kills her.
To address the elephant in the room, yes, the “we only use
10% of the brain” fallacy is stupid, and it is not an accurate representation
of how cognitive functions work or how our brains are designed. However, Lucy
is a science fiction movie, with a very heavy emphasis on the fiction part of
that equation. The percentage markers
are not presented with any sense of scientific accuracy or intent to be viewed
as such, but are simply benchmarks to represent our protagonist’s next level of
ridiculous superpowers. And I’m totally
fine with that, especially because the film in no way is trying to represent
itself as an authority on neuroscience, but instead plays to director Luc
Besson’s strengths of intense gunfights and car chases while acting as a love
letter to actual scientific discovery and progress.
Best known for writing the Transporter
and Taken franchises, Besson delivers
precisely the type of film one would expect based on his previous work,
populating the story with one-dimensional villains and supporting characters
while a primary focus is placed on the superhumanly-skilled protagonist. However, the man has mastered the craft of
the action scene to such a degree that his films are often good, mindless fun,
and Lucy is no exception. This arguably makes Lucy a somewhat shallow experience, but it does what it’s trying to
do decently enough. Depth is not one of Besson’s strong suits, nor would it
likely appeal to Besson’s primary demographic of action aficionados.
That makes it all the better that the film chooses to focus
on the benefits that Lucy can bring to humanity through her evolution rather
than portraying her as a terrifying monster that needs to be stopped. Though Lucy gradually loses her ability to
feel as the film goes on, the logical choice she comes to is not to view
herself as separate from and inherently better than humanity, but to try and
spread her wisdom to humanity before her time is up. The moral here is that knowledge for its own
sake is a source of goodness in the world, and ignorance is what causes our
human failings. Given the
less-than-cerebral nature of most guns-and-cars action films, this message is
welcome in its delivery to an audience that might not otherwise ever receive or
contemplate it.
Though not the most engaging or intellectually savvy film
out there, Lucy is a good popcorn
flick to spend ninety minutes on.
Additionally, it’s refreshing to see a female-led action film, with
Scarlett Johansson delivering her increasingly emotionless affectation with a
grace that is unique to her (and played to much greater effect than in the
terribly overrated Under The Skin.) All in all, it may rely on a scientific
fallacy to measure its plot steps, but its adoration of knowledge elevates this
film above most standard action fare.
Were you as disappointed as I was that Marvel’s Phase Three
doesn’t include a Black Widow movie?
Think this is as close as we’re going to get? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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