[Movie Review] Lucy (2014)
Plot Summary: A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.
Director: Luc Besson
Writer: Luc Besson
Runtime: 90 min
Main Cast:
- Scarlett Johansson as Lucy
- Morgan Freeman as Professor Norman
- Min-sik Choi as Mr. Jang
- Amr Waked as Pierre Del Rio
Review: by Lee
Lucy combined two of my favorite things, science fiction and Scarlet Johansson. How could I not want to see it?
Lucy told the story of an innocent, naive young woman who was trapped in a dangerous affiliation with a Korean drug lord. Used as a drug mule for a new, synthetic drug, Lucy found herself in dire straits when the packet of drugs enclosed in her abdomen burst, releasing the drug into her system which increased her ability to access the power of her own brain exponentially.
What I Liked:
Lucy, apart from her terrible taste in boyfriends, was a likable character. She was sympathetic mostly because she had no time to do any wrong. Her fate was forced upon her, and she did the best she could with what she had. Scarlet Johansson did a decent job of portraying Lucy; although, there were a few instances in which she seemed to be doing a bit of over-acting. Honestly, Lucy was one of the best things about the movie, which makes sense given the title.
Morgan Freeman was Morgan Freeman. What else can be said? Is it even possible for him to give a bad performance? He can’t really be listed as a major asset, however, since he was by no means outstanding.
Contrarily, the special effects were outstanding. Apart from Scarlet Johansson, they were easily the best thing about the movie. The plot, which was certainly interesting to say the least, would have been nothing without them.
What I Didn’t Like:
The plot, while interesting, had too many holes to be properly addressed in one sitting.
The biggest problem I had with it, however, can easily be given. My problem was that Lucy was doing to much and too little at the same time. At one point in the movie, and the previews, she rendered an entire, targeted group of people unconscious with a wave of her hand. Why in the world did she ever bother to do anything else? After she developed that ability, I don’t see why she had to even bother with other methods of incapacitating her opponents. Obviously, other methods were only used to showcase her other capabilities; however, it didn’t make sense with her character. As her brain capacity increased, she became more logical and felt less “desire;” therefore, she would not consciously have made the decision to exert more effort than necessary to dispose of her adversaries, particularly for the effect of showiness.
My second major problem with the film was the fact that half-way through the movie, there should no long have been an enemy. I won’t reveal why.
Another problem I had was with the random kiss, and I do mean it was random. Even Lucy’s explanation for it was weak.
Summary
Lucy was, for all of its flaws, enjoyable. I scoffed at several scenes, but I had a good time. It didn’t live up to its potential, but at least it had potential. Right?
User Review
( votes)Images Courtesy of IMDB
