A Scarlett Johansson action thriller that’s often overlooked is trending on Netflix today. According to FlixPatrol, 2014’s Lucy is the seventh most-watched movie on the streaming service globally (meaning it may not be available in every region at the time of writing). It’s interesting that it’s doing so well on the site right now, too, as we would’ve been gearing up to see ScarJo in Black Widow in a couple of weeks if it hadn’t been delayed again. So, maybe subscribers are turning to Lucy instead to hit the spot.
If that’s the case, then that’s a smart move by Netflix users, as the film is a great showcase for Johansson’s talents as an action lead and will get your excited all over again for BW. Directed by The Fifth Element‘s Luc Besson, it sees the Marvel actress play a young woman who develops a range of superhuman powers – like telepathy, telekinesis and a kind of mental time travel – after an experimental new drug accidentally enters her bloodstream.
Reviews were a little mixed at the time, as many critics got sniffy about the absurdity of the premise – Lucy is yet another movie that repeats the old myth that humans only use 10% of their brains – but audiences were much more accepting of its far-fetched nature as it proved to be a big commercial hit. On the back of a $39 million budget, it grossed $463.4 million worldwide. There was talk of a sequel happening at the time, but so far one hasn’t materialized, as both Besson and Johansson have been busy with other projects.
If you’ve never seen the movie before or haven’t caught it since it released, go and check Lucy out on Netflix now. It might help you forget about the long, long wait for Black Widow – which is currently scheduled for next May – for a couple of hours.
