Review by Gary Tooze

Production:

Disc:

Video:

Audio:

• The Evolution of Lucy (16:14)

• Cerebral Capacity: The True Science of Lucy (10:04)

DVD - and code for downloadable

Bitrate:

 

Description: From La Femme Nikita and The Professional to The Fifth Element, writer/director Luc Besson has created some of the toughest, most memorable female action heroes in cinematic history. Now, Besson directs Scarlett Johansson in Lucy, an action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic. Lucy also stars Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman.

***

Morgan Freeman and Scarlett Johansson headline this EuropaCorp/TF1 Films co-production directed by Luc Besson, and released by Universal Pictures. The story centers on a woman Johansson who falls prey to sinister underworld forces, but who gains superhuman abilities that allow her to strike back at her oppressors.

 

 

The Film:

Towards the sticky end of a summer of films based on toys, comic-books and other films, here, at last, is a film based on the Kantian model of transcendental idealism.

In his 1781 page-turner, the Critique of Pure Reason, the German philosopher Immanuel Kant warned that the human brain, in its pinky-grey feebleness, has to rattle the world into an order it doesn’t possess purely to make sense of it. Otherwise, as Kant snappily puts it, “all constitution, all relations of objects in space and time, indeed space and time themselves, would disappear.”

Lucy, the new film from Luc Besson, is about a young woman whose brain becomes powerful enough to see the world as it really is – which, as it turns out, is exactly like a Luc Besson film. The plot has been inspired by the old myth that human beings use only 10 per cent of their potential brainpower – which, like all myths, speaks to deeper fears about the universe and our dispensable role within it.

Excerpt from The Telegraph located HERE

 

Starting with the provocative premise – that human beings use only 10% of their brain capacity – this is strictly science fiction. Filmmaker Luc Besson knew that this percentage figure was inaccurate, yet plunged ahead with his inventive adventure, revolving around a naïve young American named Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) who gets tricked into delivering a mysterious metal briefcase to a Taiwanese crime boss, Mr. Jang (South Korean actor Choi Min Sik), and forced to become one of his drug mules. When she’s repeatedly kicked in the gut, there’s leakage from the bag of blue crystals, a narcotic known as CPH4, that’s been surgically inserted in her abdomen, and a metamorphosis occurs: Lucy becomes superhuman. Determined not only to wreak primal revenge on her captors but also to acquire more and more knowledge, employing her increasing array of powers and skills – she contacts Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman), a neuroscientist who is lecturing about cerebral capacity at a university in Paris.

Excerpt from Susan Granger located HERE

Image :    NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

Lucy - one of the more incredible pieces of cinema eye-candy in recent years - has come to Blu-ray from Universal.  The 1080P image quality is pristinely crisp and the film has bountiful effects with, very Besson-ian, plenty of intense close-ups. It is a hypnotic presentation.  This is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate. Colors are deeper and truer than SD could export and the image has plenty of depth. Contrast exhibits healthy, rich black levels. The image is bright and clean without a hint of noise. This Blu-ray is flawless and the visuals are wonderful demo-material.

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The audio doesn't take a backseat to the amazing video with a DTS-HD Master 5.1 at a deep and rich 4282 kbps. The frequent gunplay aggression rises and falls like a rollercoaster ride and the lively score is by Eric Serra (Besson's The Fifth Element, Leon: The Professional, The Big Blue) which adds intensity to the abundant action while Mozart's Mass No. 19 in D Minor, K.626 'Requiem': Introitus: 'Requiem Aeternam' adds wonderful serenity to the contemplative, often slow-motion, scenes with some included hints of Beck, Guillaume Bouchateau and others. Wow - deep and very tight throughout. There are optional subtitles and my Oppo has identified it as being a region FREE disc playable on Blu-ray machines worldwide.

Extras :

 

 

BOTTOM LINE:
Lucy is Luc Besson returning to form - but in overdrive. My suggestion is to suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride. Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman are perfect casting. This is not 2001: A Space Odyssey, it's not subtle but it is thought-provoking and mesmerizing. I think it will be looked at favorably in years to come, although, sure, it can be superficial and hollow - but its doesn't strive to compete with Stephen Hawking. If you are at all keen, and in a less-critical mood - Lucy is a great way to spend your time. You may actually wish it was longer! The Blu-ray is some of the most impressive a/v I've encountered in a while. Home Theatre aficionados will appreciate the spectacle. Enjoy! 

Gary Tooze

January 14th, 2015