by Reg Geli

Guardians of the Galaxy is not the only science fiction film to hit cinemas this month. Lucy is the tale of a 25-year old woman and the transformation she undergoes as she unlocks her full human capabilities. The movie plays with the notion that humans only use up to 10% of their brain’s capability. The titular character, played by Scarlett Johansson, is tricked by her boyfriend into being a drug mule. A package of the fictional drug, called CPH4, is surgically inserted into her body; but after one of her captors kicked her in the stomach, the package starts leaking and the dangerous chemical is released into her body. As a result, Lucy acquires new abilities, which grow as more of her brain is unlocked.

Lucy as she deciphers communication signals

Entering the movie theater, I expected a sci-fi action thriller, as it was marketed in the trailer. However, what I got was a slightly-action and mostly-profound cinematic experience. Rather than concentrating on the big explosions and fast car chase scenes, the movie decided to explore humanity and Lucy’s inner spiritual journey. It was a rather artsy film. It utilized a lot of cutaway scenes. For example, as the drug gang walked threateningly towards Lucy, there was a sudden film cutaway of cheetahs stalking a prey. There were two instances of these cutaways and then afterwards they were only used during Professor Norman’s (played by Morgan Freeman) lectures as he explained the nature of the human brain. It was strange to see the cutaways only at the beginning of the film. It felt like the filmmakers decided to experiment with a concept and then decided it wasn’t such a good idea, but kept what was already there anyway.

That aside, it was a fairly enjoyable movie. Despite its philosophical weight, the director still made use of action. There were gunfights and car chases, but they were placed strategically throughout the film; enough to keep the movie exciting but not too much that it overrides the actual narrative. The plot may have been a bit lacking and paced too quickly, but the contentions with that, I think, are mostly because of how misleading the marketing was. Like I said, the audience expected an action thriller but got a load of insight instead.

But what the narrative lacked, the characters made up for. The actors displayed good acting chops and were able to inject personality into their otherwise one-dimensional characters. The characters were able to interact well, not only with each other, but with the audience as well. I especially commend Scarlett Johansson. She does well in playing both the terrified captive and the nearly-robotic superhuman.

Lucy as a normal, terrified citizen

Lucy as a ruthless and calculating machine, after the effects of the drug

All in all, if you put aside strange art film attempts and the scientific inaccuracies, and you don’t take it so seriously, you can still find yourself enjoying the movie. It’s a fun movie you can watch with your friends, and you might even leave the theatre with a little more spiritual insight.