Reel to Reel: Lucy

By Rafael Abreu / Staff Writer

Written and Directed by Luc Besson, “Lucy” is a film that has garnered its share of controversy and attention. Starring Scarlett Johansson (stunning as ever) as the titular character, Lucy, the film takes the “ten percent of your brain” myth and runs with it, showing what happens to a woman that is able to access much more of her brain’s capacity. In a swift hour-and-a-half, the movie never wastes time, showing us some gun fights, a car chase and, most enjoyably, Lucy’s evolution from regular party girl/college student to the most advanced living thing on Earth.

Luc Besson (best known for directing “Leon the Professional” and “The Fifth Element”, as well as having written and produced various action films) had an interesting and original idea, and perhaps because of his reputation and stature, was able to fund and release a film like “Lucy” through an actual major studio and starring a big name actress. Respectfully, “Lucy” could have been written and directed by someone else, released by some random studio, with less of a budget, and it would conceptually remain the same: a silly movie with a ridiculous premise that, at the very least, aims to entertain. Besson could have left it at that, but he seems to also be interested in exploring some other themes, such as who we are, not only as people, but a species here on Earth.

Even before release, people were attacking the film for using the “ten percent of your brain” myth as a major plot point. Indeed, the film does not refute this and, like I aforementioned, goes with it: during the film, we see, via percentages, Lucy’s increase of cerebral access.

All things considered, I allowed myself to believe in the film’s pseudoscience, as the percentages, at the very least, gave me an idea of how much stronger and “brainer” she became, i.e., the higher the percentage the more powerful she became. In this respect, the film’s silly premise actually works, since it’s as crazy to the characters as it must be to the audience.

Lucy soon understands what’s happening to her, but she’s basically the only one. Every other character (including the audience) has little understanding as to what exactly is happening to Lucy; only she can really grasp what’s happening, since she’s the one experiencing it all. She at one point explains that she can now feel everything around her, including memories from her infancy and gravity itself. She never really explains how this is possible, especially since she herself is still figuring it out as it happens; additionally, any scientist’s theories on increased brain capacity is, as Morgan Freeman’s character puts it, just a hypothesis.

Much like Lucy’s inability to explain what she’s becoming and what’s happening, the film doesn’t seem to want to explain either. I could just say that it’s either lazy or clever writing (why bother explaining such a silly premise for such a silly movie), but I think Besson decided to make a film that would only need to focus on its protagonist, leaving all explanations with the only person who would be able to understand them. In this respect, I believe the film allows audiences themselves to wonder and question what exactly happened and how.

While it is a sci-fi action film, the most exciting thing for me was seeing Lucy’s transformation. It was neat to see her notice things no one else could, do things that would be deemed impossible and fight people without lifting a finger.

As the film reaches its interesting finale, Lucy becomes so massively powerful that it’s hard to talk about without spoiling it all. Needless to say, I believe that the film, in one form or another, makes its point with this finale; what that point is, however, may depend on the interpretation of the audience watching. It may seem unfair or dumb if the film ends the way it does, but I also wonder if the film would have had as many complaints if it were a lower-budget, randomly released film that would qualify as a B-movie. Maybe audiences were expecting something more formulaic instead of experimental.

As it stands, “Lucy” can at least be admired for being different than most summer blockbusters – it at least succeeds in that regard, if nothing else.

-Rafael.Abreu@fiusm.com

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