Scarlett Johanssonis an actress who has done such consistently great work that it is easy to take her for granted. While Johansson proved herself capable of doing in-depth dramatic material with her early performances in Ghost World, The Girl With The Pearl Earring, and Lost in Translation,among others, it was her role as Natasha Romanoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that indicated that she had what it took to be an action star. Although Marvel Studios bided their time in greenlighting a Black Widow film until it was no longer relevant, Johansson was able to show her action expertise in the science fiction action thriller Lucy. While the work of Luc Bessonhas always been received with mixed responses by the critical community, the fact that Lucy became one of the highest-grossing R-rated action films of all time is an indication of what a significant draw Johansson is.
What Is ‘Lucy’ About?
Johansson stars as the American student Lucy Miller, who is forced to become a drug mule after she is kidnapped by gangsters in Taipei when her manipulative boyfriend Richard (Pilou Asbæk) is killed. After the dealers force Lucy to sew various experimental substances to her body to smuggle them overseas, she accidentally injects several enigmatic materials that give her superpowers, including telekinesis, telepathy, and the ability to witness different moments in time within her memory. Although Lucy is able to get her revenge by taking out the men who had subjected her to torture, she decides to seek out the University of Paris’s leading scientist, Professor Samuel Norman (Morgan Freeman), to learn more about her condition. Although Lucy imagines the possibilities that her powers could have for the betterment of mankind, she is forced to deal with a dangerous band of criminals that still believe that she is their “property.”
Lucy was perfectly suited for Johansson’s sensibilities as an actress, as the film is just as action-packed as it is thematically rich. Johansson had to convincingly play a character who was capable of taking down vicious gangsters and criminals, despite not truly understanding the powers that she has been granted; in an impressive physical performance, Johansson was able to give Lucy a sense of innocence, whilst still being utterly ruthless. However, Lucy takes a philosophical turn as it continues, as Johansson had to show how she had transcended physical form and gained extraordinary knowledge about the history of the universe, including the Big Bang. While enhancing a character with that level of knowledge could have made her unrelatable, Johansson was able to show how Lucy was burdened by the responsibilities that came with her newfound abilities, and showed the trepidation of learning more about existence than any one person had gained within the history of time. Although the action is just as inventive as one would expect from a Besson film, Johansson was able to add an existentialist component that made the material more interesting.
‘Lucy’ Proved Scarlett Johansson Was a Generational Action Star
Lucy defied box office expectations in nearly every way, as it proved that an original, R-rated action film with a female lead could be a major blockbuster, as it even surpᴀssed some of the established franchise sequels released the same summer. While Besson is certainly a filmmaker with a built-in fan base, he had not had a mainstream hit since The Fifth Element, and was considered a liability. Johansson’s involvement was an indication of quality, and Lucy was able to encourage her fanbase to take a chance on a surprisingly thought-provoking science fiction thriller that didn’t adhere to formula.
Lucy is representative of what makes Johansson’s career so exciting, as she can bring mainstream sensibilities into more artistically-minded films, and takes chances on experimental ideas. Lucy examines a timeless story of humans flirting with the possibilities of becoming gods, but it’s also an unquestionably feminist thriller that shows a woman earning justice for the crimes committed against her. Lucy isn’t Johansson’s biggest movie, nor is it her most acclaimed, but it’s hard to imagine that any other actress working today could have taken such a transgressive concept and turned it into one of the breakout sensations of the summer.
