If you’ve considered seeing Lucy, consider first whether you like Luc Besson films, because that’s a good indicator of how much you’ll enjoy this one.

Personally, I’m not his biggest fan. I will freely admit that I haven’t sampled much of his work, but that each of his movies has at some point come onto my ‘do I want to see this?’ list, and most have been passed over. I just recently saw The Fifth Element for the first time, and was genuinely displeased with my experience of it—I can see why others like it, but it’s just not my style.

I will give credit where it’s due: I think Lucy is a much stronger film than The Fifth Element, at least in terms of the criteria by which I evaluate and enjoy movies. It’s a visually stunning experience, a refreshing change from Scarlett Johansson’s normal sultry seductress role, and a potentially interesting story. I also think that Luc Besson might be one of the most original story-tellers in Hollywood, coming up with new, refreshing ideas and ways of presenting them to the audience. Unfortunately Lucy lacks character development, or the time to explore the ideas fully, leaving me unsatisfied and wanting more (though honestly, I’m not sure where the “more” could have been put without turning into a behemoth movie).

I really enjoyed the idea of Lucy, and some parts of it. I didn’t enjoy others, such as the juxtaposition of stock film footage and the butter-scraped-over-too-much-bread handling of the plot. I’m not sure it’s worth the box office price, but it’s certainly a good movie for the next time you’re looking for a little action movie time from the couch.