A deliberately silly sci-fi thriller that isn’t supposed to make sense unlocks its full potential on streaming

The theory that humans only use 10 percent of the brain’s potential has been widely dismissed as a myth, but that doesn’t mean it can’t serve as the basis for a spectacularly silly sci-fi action blockbuster, with Luc Besson’s Lucy gleefully leaning into the nonsensical science of its premise to delightful results.

Audiences were certainly receptive to the unhinged thriller’s unique set of charms, seeing as the film went on to become one of 2014’s biggest box office successes after recouping its $39 million budget 11 times over, to wind up with a healthy sum of $463 million in the coffers.

Almost a decade later, and Scarlett Johansson’s title hero unlocking her full potential after being accidentally subjected to experimental drugs during an illicit smuggling operation gone wrong has expanded its mind to become one of the most-watched features on Starz in the early part of 2023’s opening week, per FlixPatrol.

At no stage does Lucy even entertain the prospect of taking itself seriously, and it’s all the better for it, although it helps that the dulcet tones of Morgan Freeman can help legitimize even the daftest lines of dialogue that barely even try to tether themselves to scientific law.

There was talk of a sequel for a while, but the last we heard, the Lucy franchise has been refitted into a potential small screen spinoff series instead, with Freeman currently the only member of the original cast in line to reprise their role. If it’s as nuts as the feature, then we’re entirely on board.