Universal Pictures' new mind-bending action thriller “Lucy” examines the possibility of what one human could truly do if she unlocked 100 percent of her brain capacity and accessed the furthest reaches of her mind.

As her abilities keep evolving, Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) reaches out to Professor Samuel Norman, an expert on the human brain, to try to understand what is happening to her. Soon after she is supercharged, she finds herself able to do anything from learning Chinese in an hour to beginning to control space and time.

The production was fortunate enough to have Academy Award® winner Morgan Freeman join the team as the world-renowned neurologist whose lifelong focus is how we access the information stored in our brain.

As Freeman is quite a science buff, and particularly enthusiastic about the mind’s capacity, the actor was a natural choice. Writer-director Luc Besson notes: “Morgan Freeman is the ultimate professor, for two reasons. First of all, he’s fascinated by the theory we develop in the movie because he’s very familiar with it, which I didn’t know before we met for the film. It was a pleasure for him just to talk about it. And secondly, he’s such a good actor that you believe everything he says.”

Producer Virginie Besson-Silla was also thrilled to see Freeman come aboard. “Morgan is one of the only people who could play God,” she enthuses. “So, to play the character of wisdom in the film, it was pretty obvious that he was the perfect actor.”

Freeman was equally excited to join the cast, admitting that he holds his character in high esteem. “Professor Norman has written about the brain for years,” he says. “He gives lectures all over the world and has been at the Sorbonne, in Paris, for a number of years. Because he’s preeminent in the field, he is tracked down by Lucy, who’s trying to figure out what’s going on with her brain.”

The veteran actor offers that Professor Norman is flattered to be contacted by Lucy: “When she calls him up and says, ‘I’ve read everything you wrote,’ he replies, ‘You can’t have.’ And when she starts quoting what he wrote, he says, ‘We’ve got to meet.”

Opening across the Philippines on August 06, “Lucy” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Flipper with more heart. This is actually what I thought after watching Dolphin Tale, inspired by the story of the dolphin Winter (Which stars the movie amazingly as herself) she was caught in a crab trap,which caused unrepairable damage to her tail. This made the natural ability of Winter to swim become a daunting task. With the help of a dedicated marine biologist, unconventional prosthetics doctor, and a boy who believes, they were able to create a groundbreaking miracle that may also help other people in the world.

I was actually expecting that this movie will make eyes well with tears but it is not. It was a feel good movie, that exemplifies family values and determination that is quite rare in the films that we see nowadays. Although there were unnecessary parts in the film, that might try to cater to the light-comedic (?) and graphic infested era of films that we have, the message of the movie rings true: The courage and determination of a dolphin who wants to swim.

Anyone would be captivated with Winter, followed by a supporting cast that may not be equally lovable but is lovable in their own right. Nathan Gamble as Sawyer was well casted in the film, he was able to inject enough fun and compassion that the film deserves. Another favorite is Morgan Freeman, who yet again steals the show as the brilliant bow-tied prosthetics doctor who made the impossible possible. Small lines, big impact as he was with his other movies.

There were unnecessary CGI-ed parts of the film, which I strongly hoped was made naturally because the characters are already likable without the unnecessary computer imagery . Although it was quite in your face, it was not that of a big deal as the film was still likable.


Overall, I would recommend that you watch this film with your family. We do not get to see movies that champions courage, love for family, and determination without showing superheroes nowadays.

The Showbook Rating: 4.5 spotlights