LUCY (Rated R)
What looks like an action thriller, with a tough female lead, from Luc Besson is promising.
The French director’s hits include “The Fifth Element,” “Leon: The Professional,” and “La Femme Nikita,” each one starring a memorable female action hero.
Now, Besson directs Scarlett Johansson, a sexy, tough cookie in her own right, in “Lucy,” an action that examines the possibility of what one human could truly do if 100 percent of brain capacity is unlocked.
More accurately, the film is surreal and infused with the supernatural and science fiction elements.
Theories abound that human beings use only a small percentage of their cerebral capacity at any given time.
If true, this is probably a good thing for Hollywood otherwise audiences probably wouldn’t sit still for two hours or more watching what often passes for popular entertainment.
In any case, “Lucy” employs the mellow, authentic and compelling voice of Morgan Freeman in his role of Professor Norman to deliver a lecture about the human brain’s potential.
His decades of research in this field become a central focus to understanding where things are going.
Meanwhile, Scarlett Johansson’s Lucy is an American student and party girl living in Taiwan who is tricked by her sleazy boyfriend into delivering a briefcase to a business contact. It’s more accurate to say she was coerced once the briefcase is handcuffed to her wrist.
Before she can even comprehend the situation in which she’s involuntarily become ensnared, Lucy is grabbed by a bunch of thugs and held hostage by the merciless Mr. Jang (Choi Min Sik), who cares not at all that’s she an innocent bystander.
Lucy is offered a job she cannot refuse, that of a drug mule. In a scene disturbing to the squeamish, Mr. Jang’s thugs surgically implant a package loaded with the powerful synthetic substance CPH4 into Lucy’s stomach.
Alongside a handful of fellow unwilling hosts, Lucy is sent to the airport with the objective of flying to one of Europe’s major cities as a transport vessel for material that is priceless to her kidnappers.
Unfortunately, as the result of a savage beating with kicks to the groin, the package breaks and the powerful crystals leak into her system, resulting in her cerebral capacity being unlocked to startling and previously hypothetical levels.
As she attempts to comprehend the rapid changes occurring within her mind and body, Lucy begins to feel everything around her, such as space and gravity, and develops superhuman traits including telepathy, telekinesis, expanding knowledge and breathtaking control over matter.
The countdown to the 100 percent level of brain capacity is accelerating, and Lucy rushes to find Professor Norman at a conference in Paris, the one person she feels may actually understand the logical conclusion of where her expanded mental abilities could end up.
The capital of France hosts the showdown between Mr. Jang, who understands that the fully-empowered Lucy represents more than existential threat to his drug empire, and the French authorities, under the capable leadership of Captain Del Rio (Amr Waked), who’s dispassionate yet sympathetic to Lucy’s plight.
The marketing of “Lucy” suggests that our protagonist is a relentless killing machine with superhero powers, against the backdrop of a surfeit of shootouts, explosions, car chases and the kinds of exploits one would find in a thrilling action picture that is straightforward in its depiction of violence.
To be sure, Besson brings his natural talents to the screen with serious gunplay between the French police and the Asian thugs, and there is an incredible chase scene through the streets of Paris which result in plenty of mayhem and destruction of vehicles.
But on the whole, “Lucy” goes far too deep into the realm of science fiction. Besson seems as intent on transforming his storyline into something as odd and strange as the physical and mental makeover that is occurring at a rapid pace to his leading lady.
My expectations going into “Lucy” were not realized, expecting an action-driven thriller. To his credit, Luc Besson wanted to imagine what it would be like if humans could access the furthest reaches of their brains, and so his film engages in flights of fancy.
Many members of the audience may be puzzled at the quirky nature of “Lucy,” while others could be dazzled by its willingness to push some boundaries.
At the very least, “Lucy” could provoke some interesting discussions about Luc Besson’s apparent obsession with the potential of human intellect.
On the plus side, the ever-attractive Scarlett Johansson delivers a solid performance as one who starts off vulnerable and ordinary before becoming exceeding tough and smart.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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