The fact that humans only use 10% of their brain’s capacity is completely false, but that hasn’t stopped Hollywood from embracing the concept and running wild with it. 2011’s Limitless took on the myth with great results, and this year’s Lucy attempts the same thing, only with Morgan Freeman narration and some serious ass-kicking from Scarlett Johansson.
In the Luc Besson-directed film, Johansson plays Lucy, an ordinary woman forced to smuggle bags of drugs that are sewn into her abdomen. When one of the bags leaks and pours the drugs into her system, she’s given the ability to tap into the unused 90% of her mental capacity.
Now that she’s able to utilize more of her brainpower, she’s given enhanced strength, superhuman cognitive thinking, the ability to change her environment at will and telekinesis. Yes, the science doesn’t quite hold up or make a lick of sense, but it gives Besson the chance to blow things up and the scenario provides Johansson with some mighty cool action sequences. Which is totally okay with me.
From everything we’ve seen so far, including this newly released international trailer (below), the movie comes off as a mix of The Matrix, Transcendence, and Limitless, feeling like the Black Widow spinoff we’ve been waiting for. While it likely won’t break any new ground, I don’t doubt that it will be an absolute thrill ride, offering a nice alternative watch for those who prefer their summer blockbusters to be female-centric.
Lucy arrives in theaters on August 8th. Check out the new international trailer below and let us know if you’re ready to see Scarlett Johansson kick some ass.
