Lucy

Lucy opens in Taipei where a young woman is tricked into carrying a mysterious synthetic drug for a criminal ring. When the cargo leaks into her system, the compound dramatically expands her mental and physical capabilities, turning her into someone who thinks and reacts far faster than ordinary people. As she becomes more powerful she stops accepting orders and starts hunting the men who exploited her, while authorities and ruthless gangsters race to control or stop her. Along the way she seeks out a respected neuroscientist whose ideas about brain potential may help explain what is happening, all while the changes accelerate and the future grows harder to predict.

The film was written and directed by Luc Besson and released in 2014, with Scarlett Johansson leading a cast that includes Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked and Julian Rhind-Tutt. It originated as an original screenplay and was produced in Besson's signature high-energy style.

Lucy became a commercial hit, earning more than $460 million worldwide on a reportedly modest production budget near $40 million. Its box office success helped secure Besson and Johansson as bankable figures in international action cinema.

The movie sparked conversation beyond typical action fare, partly because it popularized the myth about humans using only a fraction of their brains and because its striking visuals and set pieces were widely shared online. Scenes from the film turned up in memes and parodies, and Johansson's performance helped cement her image as a modern action lead with crossover appeal.

Critics were divided, with many praising Johansson's intensity and the film's kinetic pacing while others questioned its scientific premises and narrative leaps. Thematically it grapples with information, mortality and what increased cognition might mean for identity and ethics, all framed through high-speed set pieces and bold stylistic choices.