Movie Review: Lucy ****

Scarlett Johanson is Lucy, a party girl who gets wrapped up with the wrong guy in Taiwan. He forces her to deliver a package and problems arise. Lucy becomes the victim of a synthetic drug overdose that causes her to gain access to all of her brain power. However, the drug dealers want their product. They follow her to Paris and try to retrieve it with dire consequences for everyone involved. Meanwhile, Morgan Freeman plays a neuro-scientist who is the world’s foremost authority on the brain. He is giving a lecture on what humans could expect as they gain access to 20% of their brainpower. Then he describes what could happen if it rises to 30% and more. An entirely different existence is depicted should humans fully develop our brains.

First, you have to believe that humans only have access to 10% of their brain–I think they got the percentages wrong, but for the sake of the movie, I went along with it. At 20%, even new experiences will be instantly analyzed with total proficiency. At 30% and more, a superior being will exist with unlimited power. Lucy’s first time holding a gun killed all of her adversaries with a single shot to each in a split second. Her first time driving a car in Paris outmaneuvered all of the police and all of the wrecks she caused while arriving safely at her destination without the use of GPS. I enjoyed Lucy’s transformation from dumb blonde to super brain. Scarlett Johanson is very easy on my eyes. Morgan Freeman is believable as an authority figure. I had some problems with the numbers, but I enjoyed the story that was told. I enjoyed thinking about the potential power of the human mind as I experienced a thought provoking movie. I was entertained. 4 out of 5 stars.

Movie Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes *****

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a new addition to the modern edition of the original 1960’s Planet of the Apes franchise. In this movie, the apes have created a peaceful civilization in a colony outside of what once was San Francisco. The humans have been devastated by a killer virus. There has been no contact with people in over a decade, so the thought is that they may all be dead. However, a chance encounter is made with a surviving group of humans who wish to encroach on the apes’ land to gain access to a hydroelectric plant that could provide power for the humans. Deals are made, problems arise, and a war ensues.

This is a very good story about trade, deals, cooperation, jealousy, trust, and power. The makeup and technology made me believe that monkeys could talk. Monkeys riding horses seemed a little silly. The very real danger of a powerful populace who need something on the land of a peaceful populace is dramatized very well. I was engaged for the entire movie. I enjoyed the cooperation between the civilizations as well as the conflicts that arose through misunderstanding, misinformation, and mistrust. The NRA is going to hate this movie because of its depiction of gun violence against an unarmed people that could lead to a total overthrow of a peaceful coexistence. Everyone with a gun on both sides is depicted as being an out-of-control blood-thirsty lunatic. There is a conclusion that leads to the possibility of another sequel. I was entertained. 5 out of 5 stars.