Movie Review: Thoughts about Lucy

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOLERS.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

“Lucy” is everywhere

  

Lucy is no ordinary action-thriller. Nor is it a valid scientific proof to the false belief that humans are only using 10% of their brains. Rather, it is a thought-provoking introduction to philosophy, which discusses the origin of the universe, the notion of time, and the very existence of human beings.

With extremely negative reviews on the web and a so-so score on Rotten Tomatoes, I didn’t have much expectation when I walked into the theater. But when I sat down, I suddenly realized that I was on exactly the same seat in the same house 4 years ago, watching Inception. This strange familiarity just made me anticipate a little bit more about the latest production of the famous Luc Besson, and of course, it did not disappoint.

Lucy, the leading role played by Scarlett Johansson, is a young woman fallen into the hands of some evil gangs based in Taipei. With a packet of synthetic drug called CPH4 inserted into her belly, Lucy is used by the ruthless smugglers as a drug mule. However, the packet is broken during a fight, and the drug is absorbed by Lucy’s body. It turns out that this CPH4 could gradually unlock the full capacity of the human brain – which only 10% is used by “normal” people as claimed in the movie. And soon enough, Lucy gains access to a variety of superpowers, such as telekinesis, mind control and even telepathy. Sounds like a true planeswalker in Magic: The Gathering right? But unfortunately, Lucy doesn’t find it totally appealing when she manipulates people around her; in contrast, she begins to lose patience and empathy towards them, just as the flavor text on the telepathy card says: “The most disappointing thing about learning telepathy is finding out how boring people really are.”

In contrast, Lucy is more intrigued by the vast amount of knowledge gathers in her head, and the fact that knowledge is passed on, generation after generation. In this way, even after our flesh vanishes, “We never really die.”

After unlocking 100% of her neural capacities, Lucy flies backward in time, until finally reaching the Big Bang period, during which the universe is developed. The physical body of Lucy vanishes, leaving only a message:

“I AM EVERYWHERE.”

So who – or what – exactly is “I”, or Lucy? A subatomic particle, a substance, or something else? The movie did not answer any of the questions, but that is understandable. Everyone has different responses to those statements, and it should be left to the audience to figure out their own answers. Entertainment-wise, Lucy has got intense and exciting actions, and 90 minutes simply slipped away in the blink of an eye. And just like four years ago, I left the theater with a lot of deep thoughts in my mind, and this is what makes the entire experience nothing short of mesmerizing.

By Jessica Olsen