Starting with a provocative (if inaccurate) premise—namely, that humans use only 10% of their brain capacity—filmmaker Luc Besson's eerie, inventive adventure centers on a naïve young American named Lucy (Scarlett Johansson), who is tricked into delivering a mysterious briefcase to a Taiwanese crime boss (Choi Min-Sik) and winds up becoming one of his drug mules. An incident in which Lucy is repeatedly kicked in the gut causes a leakage from a narcotic known as CPH4 that has been surgically inserted in her abdomen—suddenly making Lucy superhuman. Determined not only to wreak revenge on her captors but also to acquire more and more knowledge, she contacts a neuroscientist (Morgan Freeman) who is lecturing in Paris. Combining eye-catching CGI graphics with fragmented, episodic storytelling, Besson serves up a creative, fast-paced, blood-splattered escapade inspired by, among other films, 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Matrix, as well as the 1974 discovery of the fossilized skeleton of man's earliest ancestor, nicknamed “Lucy.” Having played Black Widow in Marvel's Avenger movies, Johansson is completely believable as the telekinetic Lucy, who can intercept electromagnetic signals and communicate via satellites. In addition to delivering popcorn-flick-action, Lucy also touches on deep philosophical questions: Does time truly exist? Why are we really here? Is our essence immortal? Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include the production featurette “Cerebral Capacity: The True Science of Lucy” (9 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are the behind-the-scenes segment “The Evolution of Lucy” (16 min.), and bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a fun thriller.] (S. Granger)
Lucy
Universal, 89 min., R, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray/DVD Combo: $34.98, Jan. 20 Volume 30, Issue 1
Lucy
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