Lucy (2014)

2/5

Luc Besson's Lucy is a sci-fi action movie built on an entirely fictitious and impossible premise. Lucy (Johansson) is a young woman studying in Taiwan who gets tricked into being a drug mule. When the drugs accidentally get released into her bloodstream, she develops the ability to use more than "10% of her brain." Using "more" of her brain apparently gives her superpowers that somehow transcend the laws of physics.

The premise is insane--no one can argue that. But improbable scenarios do not necessarily make for bad movies (see The Lucky Ones, for example). In this one, though, it kinda does. To be fair, the movie has some phenomenal computer-generated special effects and some scenes were just flat-out cool. But that's about all it has going for it. And that doesn't make up for bland acting, stilted pacing, or atrocious writing. The whole affair is pretty tepid for such an outrageous idea. It manages to satisfy just long enough so you don't ask for your money back but not long enough for you to remember anything about it after you finish. If I somehow had the ability to go back in time, I would pass on it.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2872732/

Taken (2009)

3/5

Taken was sold to me as Bourne--but middle-aged. And it was sold accurately. The little plot there is (co-written by Luc Besson) follows an ex-CIA agent (Liam Neeson) racing to find his kidnapped daughter (Maggie Grace) in Paris. The first 30 minutes of the film actually give the movie a strong dramatic foothold, which helps us empathize with the father and his situation (albeit in a manner that is both overly melodramatic and unabashedly stereotypically extreme). It provides an unexpectedly long but satisfactory framework for the next 60 minutes, where the father kills everyone everywhere in every way imaginable. I suppose it is written, acted, and shot in a realistic manner, but the final product is just too ludicrous to be seen as such.

Speaking of which, the movie is extremely well-made: action-packed and adrenaline-filled, slick and cool. The cinematography is crisp, the fight scenes thrilling, the pacing tense. And while I trash-talk the plot, the all-too-real sex trafficking terrors it brings up are worth thinking about and fighting against. All in all, Taken is a solid piece of entertainment and I do not regret spending $0 on my free ticket. Anyone who loved Bourne is going to love this, so go out and enjoy.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/

La Femme Nikita (1990)

3/5

La Femme Nikita stars Anne Parillaud as a cop killer given a second chance at life as a government assassin. As you can guess, this is an action movie. But it's by Luc Besson, which means that it's one of the most bizarre action movies I've seen in a long time. Weird camera angles, editing that's just a bit off, and characters that are off-the-wall combine to form an interesting viewing experience, to say the least. But I found the action to be too excessive, the romance too bland, the plot too predictable, and the characterizations too unrealistic. It all didn't match up to form a cohesive whole. And yet it works. The unique story pulls you in and never lets you go. It had a strange attraction that forced me to keep watching, intrigued. The pacing was flawless. The imagery was startling, vivid, and memorable. And I absolutely loved the ending. Knowing that Jean Reno was in the movie, I kept waiting for him to appear. When he finally did, his little cameo didn't quite live up to my expectations. But his role was really cool. I guess that's what Luc Besson movies have to offer to me--cool little nuggets in weird action movies.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0100263/