Luc Besson. Check. Morgan Freeman. Check. Scarlett Johansson. Check. Really if you want me to see a movie any one of these names is enough to get me interested. Put all three together and I can guarantee you that I will see it at some point. So when Lucy came out to mixed reviews I was more than a little perplexed. Given that I had a lot of other things going on at the time I decided to wait to pick up the film on DVD to check it out. Which makes it a perfect film for this month’s edition of Worth It?
Let me start of by saying that I enjoyed the film. I cooked dinner, turned it on, and settled in. I didn’t feel the need to check my phone or the internet or take a break when I was watching it. It was engrossing and entertaining.
Having said that? This thing is a freaking mess. Even putting aside the fact that the entire film is based on the apocryphal idea that human beings only use ten percent of their brain it’s full of enough plot holes to sink a small nation’s navy. From scene to scene it’s hard to tell if this is a film about Asian gangsters, French policemen, a stuffy academic, hard sci-fi, or if it’s just a treatise on transcending the human condition. Besson, who has directed some of my favorite films including The Professional and The Fifth Element, seems like he’s throwing spaghetti against the wall here and just seeing what sticks. Some of it’s good, some of its bad, and some of it’s just down right weird.
I think my biggest gripe is that the movie under utilizes its star power. Scarlett Johansson is stuck with robot face because the plot dictates she loose her emotions in exchange for her new found abilities which would be cool if we got to see her go all Black Widow on some dudes but we really don’t since her powers quickly allow her to evolve beyond physical confrontation. And poor Morgan Freeman pretty much gets relegated to old professor dude who explains things to the audience. Which is really hard to do when the movie makes it clear you’re not even the smartest person in the room.
All of which brings us to our million dollar question. The one that you don’t need to use one hundred percent of your brain to come up with. So despite all of its faults is Lucy Worth It? Yes it is. And really it comes down to what I said at the start: I enjoyed the movie and I didn’t feel the need to distract myself from it. Sometimes you need to see a film that’s a mess in order to appreciate the films that get everything right. And while Lucy has its problems it’s still fun and not every movie needs to be The Bicycle Thief. So while I probably won’t be watching Lucy again anytime soon to you my loyal readers I would say yes Lucy is worth it.