Lucy
Universal Pictures | Release Date: July 25, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
62
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 46 Critic Reviews
Positive:
28
Mixed:
16
Negative:
2
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
60
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonSep 5, 2014
This ridiculous, highly watchable, at points startlingly psychedelic action thriller is probably Luc Besson’s best film since ‘Léon’ (which isn’t saying a great deal). Read full review
60
EmpireIan NathanAug 18, 2014
What begins as a thrilling pastiche of comic-book formula gets bogged down in its own scientific prattle — not that you ever stop adoring Johansson’s magnificent heroine. Read full review
60
The DissolveMatt SingerJul 23, 2014
Lucy earns points for its unpredictable treatment of its vaguely superhero-ish premise and an appealing silliness, but it struggles to match wits with the genius at its center. Read full review
60
The GuardianJordan HoffmanJul 23, 2014
The end of the movie goes completely off the rails, but in a way that is charming in its stupidity. Read full review
58
Charlotte ObserverLawrence ToppmanJul 24, 2014
Whether you take to it will depend on whether you consider “high-octane” or “nonsense” the more important word. Read full review
58
HitfixDrew McWeenyJul 23, 2014
There are moments of real wonder and even beauty amidst the slam and the bang and the big bada boom, and while Lucy is a mixed bag, it's been mixed by a master, and it is delightfully, happily insane. Read full review
52
Film.comKate ErblandJul 23, 2014
Even Besson’s most bold choices – and this is a film that goes weird, and then just keeps getting weirder – don’t seem so revolutionary when packaged in such well-tread trappings and increasingly shoddy writing. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerJul 25, 2014
I know we’re supposed to think that Besson’s daffy cinematic calisthenics are entertaining because at least they are not boring. But I was bored. It didn’t help that Morgan Freeman shows up as a brainy scientist explaining everything to us in his deepest intonations. When was the last time Freeman, a great actor, really acted? Read full review
50
SlateDana StevensJul 24, 2014
An entertainment choice I wouldn’t recommend, but one you might not regret if you dial your expectations down (or your drug intake up). Read full review
50
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJul 24, 2014
When everything and anything is possible, nothing feels urgent or truly dramatic. The movie devolves into a melange of digital effects and sequences of glamorous slaughter, as Lucy swaggers around, with that big brain, and slouches toward becoming a full-lipped deity. Read full review
50
Tampa Bay TimesSteve PersallJul 24, 2014
The junk in Lucy doesn't entirely eclipse the moments when weird is fun. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter TraversJul 24, 2014
Remember "Limitless," the 2011 thriller in which Bradley Cooper becomes a whirling killer dervish from a drug that lets him access 100 percent of his brain? Well, Lucy is basically the same movie with Scarlett Johansson in the Cooper role. It's not a good trade-off. Read full review
50
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeJul 23, 2014
Lucy is a confounding experience, but at a brisk 85 or so minutes, it manages not to outstay its welcome. Those not enamored of Besson's particular brand of Euro-schlock grindhouse existentialism, however, may find their brains more stimulated elsewhere. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanJul 24, 2014
A brazenly mindless thriller about the infinite capacities of the human brain. That said, sometimes we just want to shut down and give in to bombastic summer entertainment. In that regard, as usual, Besson delivers. Read full review
40
Village VoiceAmy NicholsonJul 24, 2014
There's enough mumbo jumbo about space and time and cellular division to allow Lucy to feign depth, but what lingers is Besson's regressive belief that even the most intelligent woman on earth can't figure out how to get her way without a miniskirt and a gun. Read full review
40
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeJul 23, 2014
Lucy plays more like a big dumb superhero flick than sci-fi. Read full review
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