Lucy: in equal measures vapid, pretentious and needlessly violent, Luc Besson’s film is an unpleasant spectacle. The high-concept plot feels almost an afterthought, simply being the vessel for a lot of philosophic mumbo-jumbo. Scarlett Johanson plays not so much a character, but an all-powerful cypher; not much is known about her, making it hard to care, relate or worry about her fate. Morgan Freeman is not given much to do. Visually, the film is slick; the early interludes end up being distracting rather than elucidating.