Kicking off with the pseudo-scientific notion that humans use only 10% of the brain’s capacity, dizzyingly silly, extravagantly enjoyable sci-fi thriller Lucy has Scarlett Johansson getting to deploy the other 90%. A naïve expat living in Taiwan, she becomes an unwilling drug mule for a criminal gang and turns from luckless dupe into superhuman ass-kicker when the synthetic new drug sewn into her abdomen leaks into her bloodstream en route. As her brainpower increases, the film fires off shoot-outs, a blistering car chase through Paris, and dollops of cod science from Morgan Freeman’s biologist before getting even weirder. Not everyone will want to hang on for the ride, but Johansson radiates cool, the action scenes zing and the images really fizz.
Certificate 15. Runtime 89 mins. Director Luc Besson.
Released on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital by Universal Pictures.
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