The Film
Luc Besson has written some great films over the years. The Professional and The Fifth Element are classics and even more recent efforts like The Transporter and Taken are fun, popcorn flicks (although they've led to way too many sequels for both franchises).
Now, he's written (and directed) a new kind of action hero, known as Lucy. On the surface, Lucy is sort of like 2011's Limitless, but instead of Bradley Cooper, we get Scarlett Johansson. It seems like a good tradeoff, especially if you don't think that Black Widow gets to do enough ass-kicking on-screen. Here, she sheds her skintight superhero uniform for, well... another skintight outfit. At least at first -- and no, this isn't an important part of the movie (although it may be to some).
The character Lucy is also sort of a superhero, albeit not voluntarily. Instead, she is forced to be a drug mule and something goes horribly wrong -- or right, depending on how you like your movies.
However, I'm jumping ahead. The movie is based on the pseudoscience claim that humans only use 10 percent of their brains. And if movies have taught us anything, it's that once that number increases, so do the chances of all hell breaking loose. (See the aforementioned Limitless. No, really; I sort of liked it.)
In Limitless, Cooper's sudden wealth of knowledge leads him to become smarter, richer and a bit of a kung-fu fighter. In Lucy, anything goes -- and it does, which doesn't seem as much fun as it should be. Lucy as a merciless killing machine (or for a split-second, eating machine); that's good. However, she eventually moves on to bigger and better powers that have absolutely no explanation except that Besson thought it was cool and so should you. (How the heck does she make those bad guys hang from the ceiling? It's science!)
I don't really look for realism in my movies, but Lucy really takes it to the extreme. The first half of the movie is a fun romp, but from there, things get batshit crazy. And that would be fine, if it were a better movie. Instead of being the next great action hero, Lucy uses a bunch of Jedi mind tricks. Meh. If you're hoping for the next Nikita, Mathilda or Leeloo, you're going to be sorely disappointed. Instead of being a smart sci-fi flick sprinkled with action, Lucy actually gets dumber as it goes along.
Want to get a better idea of the story? Read Karen Dahlstrom smart take on the theatrical release of Lucy.
The Picture
There are a lot of things to complain about with Lucy, but the image certainly isn't one of those things. The 2.40:1 transfer is a sharp one, with plenty of bright imagery. Scarlett Johansson's dye-job, her dark eye makeup, and the multi-patterned party wear she has on at the beginning of the film all really stand out, with great colors and a lot of detail. That's pretty much what you can expect from everything else in this movie, too. The strands of Morgan Freeman's hair while he's speaking at the podium, blood splatters, shards of debris from explosions and gunfire, and the intertwining scenes of animal life all look great as well. The color palette is especially bold. For instance, when the CPH4 kicks in, well... it looks super fake, but it's a really nice fake blue. Lucy is all about the eye candy and Universal's image does not disappoint.
The Sound
Like the audio, Lucy's audio track is a nice little treat. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix handles the action and sci-fi nicely, delivering an immersive experience for most of the movie. Bullets and fists fly with great directionality as well. It's certainly a fun track, but never drowns out the dialogue, which is always clear -- even when someone is wincing in pain.
The Extras
Final Thoughts
Lucy is a fun movie -- for about half of its 89-minute runtime. That's not too many good minutes. It's not that things get bad as much as they get ridiculous. Yes, a movie about expanding the limits of your brain to the point where you have telepathic, telekinetic, time travel and superhuman powers is ridiculous. Imagine that? It sure is pretty, though. Scarlett Johansson, the action/sci-fi mix and the AV presentation may make Lucy worth checking out. Just don't expect this one to make you feel any smarter once it's over.
Product Details
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