--- title: "Lucy: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/lucy/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/lucy" critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 27 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Lucy (2014): what the critics said Critics' score 64 from 27 reviews: 13 positive, 11 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics lean positive on Lucy, though hardly anyone treats it as sensible. The reviews agree that the film is preposterous and that this is largely the point: a brisk flight of fancy that Besson keeps moving. Praise clusters around Scarlett Johansson, whose transformation is singled out again and again as the reason to keep watching. The energetic first half, the bloody action and the inventive imagery of Lucy’s growing powers draw the warmest notices, and several critics call it Besson’s best work in years. The reservations gather in the second half. Many critics find the film overexplains its pseudoscience, grows pompous and loses interest as its heroine nears omniscience, and the abstract ending is a common complaint. The spread is wide: the Los Angeles Times finds it quickly dull, and The Hollywood Reporter calls the storytelling too weak to carry the premise. Only three reviews are negative, but the mixed middle is large. ## IndieWire — Gabe Toro Rating B+. 23 July 2014. Toro praises the film as an ideal summer movie, despite its unevenly lyrical execution. He singles out Johansson’s performance and the inventive depiction of Lucy’s growing powers. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-luc-bessons-lucy-starring-scarlet-johansson-and-morgan-freeman-274231/) ## The AV Club — Ignatiy Vishnevetsky Rating B+. 24 July 2014. The critic finds the film an imaginatively goofy, brisk flight of fancy rather than ordinary dumb fun. He praises its energetic first half and weird imagery, while noting that the second half overexplains its premise. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/luc-besson-s-lucy-is-pure-lunacy-1798180974) ## Little White Lies — David Ehrlich Rating 2/4/4. 21 August 2014. Ehrlich calls the film an exciting, wildly ambitious action movie and a welcome return to form for Besson. He praises its audacious visual style and the way it fuses familiar genre influences into a chaotic, exhilarating whole. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/lucy) ## Total Film — Kate Stables Rating 4/5. 22 August 2014. Stables finds the film preposterous but exhilarating, praising its controlled blend of action, pop science and metaphysical ideas. She especially applauds Scarlett Johansson, whose performance makes Lucy’s transformation compulsively watchable. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/lucy-review/) ## Slant Magazine — Abhimanyu Das Rating 3/4. 23 July 2014. The critic finds the film’s absurdity entertaining, despite its failure to fully realize its metaphysical ambition. They praise Johansson’s mesmerizing performance and the film’s visually coherent, exuberantly bloody action. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/lucy/) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 4 October 2014. The critic finds Lucy an entertaining, visually striking comic-book romp, though it loses interest as its heroine approaches omniscience. He praises Scarlett Johansson’s performance, especially her convincing shifts into unnatural intelligence. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/lucy-film-review-another-big-comicbook-treat-intensely-visualised-with-scarlett-johansson-as-lady-vengeance-all-over-again-9684940.html) ## Variety — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2014. Chang finds the film an enjoyable, unpredictable, if wildly uneven sci-fi diversion. He especially praises Scarlett Johansson’s performance for bringing the film’s disparate elements together. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-lucy-1201267405/) ## Vulture — David Edelstein Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2014. Edelstein finds Lucy an outlandishly entertaining blend of silliness and style, despite a weak, abstract ending. He praises its inventive, high-energy action sequences and Johansson’s transformation into an action-movie force. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2014/07/movie-review-luc-besson-lucy-scarlett-johansson.html) ## The Guardian — Jordan Hoffman Fi1m's normalised score 65/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2014. Hoffman finds the film mindless and incoherent but ultimately enjoyable, calling it Besson’s finest work since The Fifth Element. He praises Johansson’s magnetic performance and the propulsive action, while faulting a pointless subplot involving Korean criminals and French police. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/jul/23/-sp-lucy-scarlett-johansson-first-look-review) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 20 July 2014. The article appears to be a review of Luc Besson’s Lucy, but its text is inaccessible. The available page content does not reveal the critic’s verdict or what the review singles out. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/20/movies/scarlett-johansson-gets-superpowers-in-luc-besson8217s-8216lucy8217.html) ## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall Rating 3/5. The critic presents the film as a mind-bending, physical spectacle with a mixed-to-positive verdict. They single out Besson’s collision of science-fiction ideas and Johansson’s transformation as its defining attractions. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-xyh19b/lucy/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2014. Brody finds the film’s science-fiction ideas fascinating and its visual spectacle thrilling, but says its story and implications are clumsy and hollow. He especially praises the audacious, visually inventive sequences that approach the metaphysical scope of Terrence Malick’s *The Tree of Life*. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/luc-bessons-surprisingly-metaphysical-lucy) ## Time Out — Tom Huddleston Rating 3/5. 18 August 2014. The critic finds the film ridiculous but highly watchable, calling it Besson’s best since *Léon*. They single out its startlingly psychedelic moments as a key strength. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/lucy) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 55/100 (inferred from the text). 14 July 2014. Nathan finds the film thrilling and stylish at first, but says it grows pompous and bogged down in scientific prattle. He praises Scarlett Johansson’s scintillating performance as the main reason to keep watching. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/lucy-review/) ## Screen Daily — Tim Grierson Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2014. The headline presents the film as both Besson’s best in years and an especially ludicrous effort, suggesting a mixed verdict. It singles out the film’s audacious absurdity, though the review’s details are behind a paywall. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/lucy/5075499.article) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 24 July 2014. Turan finds the film an erratic blend of philosophical speculation and action that quickly becomes dull. He singles out its early superpower sequences as the most entertaining part, while criticizing the droning lectures and overblown ideas. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-lucy-review-20140725-column.html) ## The Hollywood Reporter — THR Staff Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2014. The critic dismisses the film as a poorly executed, increasingly absurd superhero spectacle. They single out its unsupported, godlike powers and weak storytelling as undermining both the premise and the action. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/lucy-film-review-720583/) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 August 2014. The critic finds the film absurd but captivating and calls it a return to form for Luc Besson. They single out Johansson’s performance and the film’s atmospheric style for praise, while criticizing its heavy-handed use of documentary footage. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/lucy-review/) ## The Skinny — Josh Slater-Williams Rating ★★★★. 22 August 2014. The critic finds the film a thrilling, daft success despite its pseudoscientific logic gaps. They praise its assured visual craft and energetic, wide-ranging style. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/lucy) ## Paste — Geoff Berkshire Rating 8.6. 24 July 2014. Berkshire finds the film a startling, unpredictable blast of cinematic zeal despite its bogus scientific premise. He particularly praises Scarlett Johansson’s performance and the energetic visual and technical work that make the film’s silliness engaging. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/lucy) ## Eye for Film — Richard Mowe Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 7 August 2014. The critic finds the film uneven but engaging, and ultimately a stimulating, arresting, fun ride. They praise Besson’s creative use of special effects and the premise about evolution and the mind. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/lucy-2014-film-review-by-richard-mowe) ## NME — Dan Brightmore Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds the film a frantically enjoyable blend of action and sci-fi silliness. They praise Scarlett Johansson’s action performance and the film’s energetic, provocative take on evolutionary ideas. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-various-artists-15567-304002) ## The Playlist Fi1m's normalised score 64/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2014. The page is blocked, so the critic’s verdict cannot be determined. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the supplied text. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-luc-bessons-lucy-starring-scarlet-johansson-and-morgan-freeman-20140723/) ## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael Rating 3/5. 19 August 2014. The critic finds the film entertainingly audacious but ultimately vacuous, with Besson's reach exceeding his grasp. She praises its energetic pacing and flamboyant effects, while noting that Lucy becomes difficult to empathize with. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a590728/lucy-review-scarlett-johansson-goes-from-the-sublime-to-the-ridiculous/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 23 July 2014. The critic finds the film absurd but entertaining, though its escalating ideas and action eventually become less engaging. They praise Besson’s knack for keeping his loony, ridiculous films from ever becoming dull. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/lucy-review-scarlett-johansson-morgan-freeman-luc-besson/) ## Den of Geek — Don Kaye Rating 2.5/5. 24 July 2014. The critic finds the film’s ambitious ideas overwhelmed by an exhausting, silly action spectacle. He praises some of the finale’s visual effects but faults the storytelling for failing to realize the film’s potential. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/lucy-review/) ## Consequence — Blake Goble Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2014. The critic finds the film a frenetic, emotionally hollow sci-fi actioner whose ideas are poorly executed. They single out its brain-expansion premise as intriguing, but say its attention-deficient approach undermines it. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2014/07/film-review-lucy/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/lucy.md