LUCY - Friday 1st August 2014.

Opinion seems quite divided over 'LUCY' - the latest Luc Besson Written, Directed and Edited actioner starring Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman, but I have to say that I didn't mind it despite its quirkiness and its final chapter that might leave you thinking . . . WTF!

At a cost of US$40M+ to make, this is from Director Besson's own Production Company - 'Europacorp' - and its opening weekend in the US generated US$17.1M in box office receipts putting it ahead of the other blockbusters released concurrently and making it somewhat of a surprise hit for its Director and stars, and hence subject to the divided opinion it has so far generated.

All that said, Scarlett Johansson plays the title lead here in a story that kick starts itself in Taipei where she is conned into delivering a silver briefcase to one Mr. Jang (Min-sik Choi) - a local king-pin of the criminal underworld it seems who is hell bent on dispensing violence to get his way with just anybody and everyone in one way or another. And so Lucy lands at the desk of Mr. Jang with said briefcase handcuffed to her pretty little wrist, with either not knowing its contents. Once opened we learn that there are four 1kg packets of an electric blue synthetic crystalline substance that we come to know as CPH4. To get the substance [drug] out of the country a single bag is sewn into the stomach of each one of four unwitting drug mules - one of these being our Lucy. On the way out of the country with fake ID,  passports and a one way ticket heading to the airport for immediate departure she is sidetracked and ends up in some local prison cell where she is beaten up and kicked several times in the stomach, where, yes, you guessed it - the bag inside her splits open releasing CPH4 into her system.

The effect that this drug has on Lucy's system is that it almost immediately improves her brain power, her cognitive capabilities and her physical abilities. She can absorb information almost instantaneously, make her body repair itself, she feels no pain, and her mind can travel through time recounting memories from when she was inside her mothers womb. And, this is just the beginning as the drug continues to talk hold of her body and continue to heighten her senses, her emotions and her abilities - physical and mental.

We are told that humans use only 10% of their brain's power, and anything beyond this is really the stuff of speculation, years of research and completely unknown territory. But Lucy is about to rewrite the rule book as her brains capacity starts to ramp up to 20% at first, then 40%, 60%, 70% and so on all the way up the scale to 100% ultimately.

And so Lucy escapes her captors and goes on the rampage seeking revenge from those that did this to her in the first place whilst not yet fully understanding it, and trying to prevent the three other drug mules headed for France, Italy and Germany from delivering their secretly stashed packages. What follows is the usual cat and mouse game with action moving from Taiwan to Paris where the rest of the film plays out involving more death and destruction and a car chase reminiscent of the one in 'Ronin' and reasonably well realised nonetheless. Lucy tracks down acclaimed neuro-scientist and doctor Professor Samuel Norman (Morgan Freeman) who is the global authority on brain capability, the power of the mind and all the heightened abilities that are taking over Lucy's body right now. She also enlists the help and support of local Police Captain, Pierre Del Rio (Amr Waked) who takes notice, when using her new found telepathic skills tells him of the drug cartel at work on his doorstep, the incoming drug mules, and demonstrates what she is now capable of.

All of this presents Director Luc Besson with an opportunity to show off some creative gun play and gratuitous violence; stage a car chase through streets, tunnels and markets; add some technical wizardry; throw in a dose of mind over matter, and body; warp science with all manner of jargon that might sound convincing but is really gobbledygook; add in a very picturesque time travel montage that takes us right back to the Big Bang; and include his trademark animals in the wild shots to create added meaning and weight to a scene. . . all before we get to the closing bullet ballet and memory stick morphing conclusion.

I found this entertaining enough as long as you don't set your expectations too high, you accept the story for what it is, and enjoy the visual palette that Besson has created. Both Johansson and Freeman put in a solid enough turn as do our somewhat bewildered French Police Captain and our violence obsessed Taiwanese Criminal Overlord. It moves along at a good pace, makes the most of its locations, is heavy on the FX, and you can enjoy it on the big screen as easily as you will on the small screen when it gets its DVD/Bluray release doubtless in time for the Christmas market.

  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-