We've all had that song in our heads before. It makes no sense at all, but for some reason it is undeniably catchy.
Luc Besson's Lucy (Rialto, Reading) is that song.
Scarlett Johansson begins the film as a doleful college girl, spending a semester abroad in Taipei, and like everyone else on the planet (according to the film) she is using only 10% of her brain. This soon changes when her temporary boyfriend decides to handcuff her to a suitcase filled with drugs and send her into a hotel full of angry Chinese guys.
Gang-lord Mr Jang (Min-sik Choi) then surgically implants a bag of the drugs in her stomach so she can act as a drug mule for them. This doesn't exactly go to plan as the bag bursts when she takes a beating, causing the drug to be released into her bloodstream. The drug, CPH4, unlocks her mind, giving her access to her brain's full capacity. Obviously that means mind reading, levitation and a robotic monotone.
To deal with her now ''limitless'' mind she recruits the help of Morgan Freeman, who we see giving a lecture on the human brain at the beginning of the film. I'm still not quite sure what she needed Freeman for, but he came along for the ride anyway.
The film was rife with plot holes and pseudo-science but, somehow, it manages to keep its charm. It moves at an astronomical pace, leaving both logic and destruction in its wake. That same speed gives it its life. It is fun and exciting, just so long as you don't take it too seriously.
Best thing: The special effects are bizarre, but very cool.
Worst thing: I'm not going to pretend the film's plot doesn't descend into complete lunacy.
Watch it with: An open mind.
