REVIEWED BY: Lesego Maja
GENRE: Science fiction/thriller/adventure/action
DIRECTED BY: Luc Besson
STARRING: Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked, Analeigh Tipton, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Johan Philip Asbæk, Luca Angeletti and Loic Brabant
RUNNING TIME: 90 minutes
RATING: 7/10
Currently screening at Ster Kinekor theatres
“Life was given to us a billion years ago. What have we done with it?”
That is the question that Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) poses at the beginning of the mentally-
engaging film. The rest of the movie basically unfolds as an answer to this question and what could be done with the gift of life – the possibilities that can be explored if human beings reach 100 per cent – as opposed to the “current” 10 per cent – of their cerebral capacity. Set in Taiwan (and France) – a context befitting the futuristic world portrayed in the film – the movie is based on the life of a college student, Lucy, who finds herself kidnapped and forced to work as a drug mule for a syndicate headed by Mr Jang (Choi Min-sik). During a mishap, the substance – named CPH4 – which was surgically planted in her body seeps into her blood stream, bringing to life a vengeful supernatural being who eventually unlocks an unprecedented 100 per cent of her brain power in a matter of hours. This includes diagnosing a person from mere physical contact, tapping into another human’s mental space and controlling appliances with her mind. Meanwhile, scientist Professor Samuel Norman (Morgan Freeman) presents a talk on cerebral capacity in Paris. These two eventually cross paths, with Lucy’s case proving the professor’s research as true, and not a mere hypothesis. When Lucy reaches 100 per cent of her cerebral capacity, she is able to travel back in time while explaining to the professor and his colleagues that existence can only be proven through time. This is when she disappears from the human eye, although still existing “everywhere” she says. “Life was given to us a billion years ago. Now you know what you can do with it,” is Lucy’s closing line.
VERDICT: Apart from the overzealousness of the film, Lucy engages you from the moment the cinema lights dim and music starts playing. For what felt like a good 10 minutes, there was absolutely no dialogue during the time travel but the visuals did the talking. As much as the movie is obviously fiction, it encourages you to delve into that greater inner-person who is capable of unlocking a world of possibilities. Scarlett Johansson was no doubt the perfect pick for Lucy, delivering a convincing act throughout.
*Thanks to Ster-Kinekor Cresta for making the review possible.
