Time to GROW UP
"Lucy" (2014) is about an average hot babe named Lucy, played by Scarlett Johansson, who increasingly taps into her mind's full capacity and, consequently, acquires superhuman powers (or are they just fully-human powers?). She hooks up with the leading expert on the human mind (Morgan Freeman) to share her discoveries and also teams-up with a Paris police captain (Amr Waked) to destroy the malevolent schemes of an arrogant Asian mob boss (Min-sik Choi).
It should be emphasized that this is not comic book superhero movie (Don't we have enough of those yet?), it's an ordinary-person-reaching-full-human-potential movie. There were two of these in the mid-90s, "Powder" (1995) and "Phenomenon" (1996). They're both good, but the latter played it too safe, particularly at the end, while "Powder" reached for greatness and got a finger in. Francis Ford Coppola added his take on the genre with 2007's "Youth Without Youth," a dense film with many interesting elements; too bad he forgot to include an entertaining story.
"Lucy" is the best of these and is, in fact, one of my all-time favorite movies. "Lucy" includes the mindfood of Coppola's film, but doesn't forget to be entertaining. As such, the film mixes interesting, inspiring elements with thrills, action, eye candy and ear candy (a notable score). On top of this, "Lucy" is stylish and "hip," whatever that means; in other words, it's got pizzazz.
Some complain that the film is flawed because it's based on the notion that we only use 10% of our brain power, but this is only a plot device to illustrate that most people are functioning way under their potential and are obsessed with usually worthless things and blowing precious time accordingly. Take, for instance, the people who blow hour upon hour of valuable time watching sports. Viewing a game here or there is great, but these types have lost all sense of moderation. Or how about those who feel they have to numb themselves with alcohol or drugs just to have a good time? They're, in essence, running away from reality.
What's funny about this criticism that the film's based on humans only using 10% of their brain power is that, in most cases, the number's more like 1-2%. Lol, just kidding. (Or am I?)
In regards to Lucy's powers illustrated in the film, and the other films noted above, I've had my own run-ins with such phenomena. For instance, about seven years ago I was in bed having an intense dream when my wife burst into the room to wake me up. The smoke alarm outside the door was blaring like crazy, but there was no smoke or fire or heat. The potent energy evoked by my dream obviously set it off because, as soon as I awoke, it suddenly stopped. If there was any doubt, the same thing happened the next week. What can explain this except the untapped power of the mind and focused energy?
Another example comes to mind, albeit different: when I was around 8 years old my family and I were walking the trails of Theodore Wirth Park in Minneapolis when we came to the edge of a baseball field. As soon as we entered the outfield somehow I just knew that the current batter was going to hit the ball and it was going to hit me right in the face. I knew this but I didn't know how I knew it. I just knew. Next thing you know the batter hits the ball high into the air -- it was like slow-motion -- and it came and hit me right on the cheek! (Good thing it was a softball, huh?). How did I KNOW this was going to happen? I don't know, but it's pretty amazing and it shows the power of the mind and spirit to warn us, which some call intuition.
Less spectacular is something that I experience every day with my wife: One of us will be thinking something and give voice to it and the other says, "I was thinking the exact same thing." What's going on? We're picking up each other's immaterial thoughts, otherwise known as telepathy. What if we developed this further? Other paranormal phenomena featured in the story include psychokinesis, extraordinary empathy and what the Bible calls "the word of knowledge." Although they're exaggerated in the film, they're REAL.
"Lucy" is inspiring in that it's an encouragement to GROW UP. As Lucy evolves she stops at her apartment and runs into her roommate, who's the typical bimbo party girl who spends too much of her free time "partying" and pursuing a "cute guy with nice buns" (or however she puts it). Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with these things, except that these people obsess over them and they become their PURPOSE for living. Whatever happened to "All things in moderation"? The beginning of the movie shows that Lucy was just like her roommate but something happened and... she GREW UP.
My praise of the movie's philosophical and theological ideas shouldn't be interpreted to mean that I agree with every jot and tittle. It's a sci-fi/thriller blockbuster, after all; it's just that this one has more interesting ideas than most. Secondly, who agrees with everyone about everything? Is that even healthy?
Needless to say, I love "Lucy"!
The film doesn't wear out its welcome at a mere 1 hour, 29 minutes, and was shot in Taiwan, France and a German airport.
GRADE: A