http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/lucy_2014/

I rented the movie Lucy last night from DIRECTV and I was pleasantly surprised. Usually Hollywood shies away from any Sci-Fi theme that is a little dark or too complex. They tend to go towards commercial themes that don’t scare the paying moviegoers away.

I have some problems with the results of Lucy gaining control of 100% of her brain. There are biological limitations to what would happen but this is Sci-Fi.

Gaining use of 100% of a person’s brain won’t give them the energy to control the environment around them. Regardless of how efficient the brain is, transmitting energy is a very different issue. To have that skill, they would be eating constantly or at least putting their finger in a power outlet. I always enjoy a damaged character that quickly regrows an arm or repairs their skin. Again, the energy required is huge and unless they have an external power source, it wouldn’t work. I do admit they did show the character consuming a large amount of food after she escaped the prison.

Regardless of the obvious biological limitations the story and theme was entertaining. I think Scarlett Johannson and Morgan Freeman did great jobs. I always enjoy their work.

From a Sci-Fi perspective the movie did follow a typical theme of ‘what would happen it’, which is fundamental to most Sci-Fi stories. They did retain what I think is the essential part of good Sci-Fi. They went into the social and human implications of the story. The character evolving towards a positive end was important and a major contributor to my enjoyment of the movie.

In my series SIMPOC and the follow-on series Virus (to be released Feb 2015), I’ve tried to stay within logical bounds yet allow the computers to expand and become salient. The underlying story creating a virus and destroying humanity is a little farfetched but based on nonprofessionals’ understanding of genetics.

 

Ray Jay Perreault

Science Fiction