Trailerblazing -- Poltergeist (2015)

Poltergeist -- July 24, 2015 -- directed by Gil Kenan -- starring Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris, Nicholas Braun, Jane Adams

Like many horror aficionados, I was not eager to see a Poltergeist remake. The classic scares, cast chemistry and occasional playful charm of the 1982 original have stood the test of time and I did not want anyone diluting the magic, even though I liked the announced cast and crew. I have to say that my opinion changed as soon as I saw the trailer, because this thing looks scary as hell. David Lindsay-Abaire -- whose gorgeous screenplay for the soul-shattering Rabbit Hole was based on his play -- is the perfect writer for this story, one that deals not so much with ghosts and hauntings as it does with a family crisis. Newcomer Kenan is at the helm, and you can never go wrong with Rockwell and DeWitt. The iconic moments from the first film have been revived and then some, and examples of modern technology have been nicely incorporated. I am happy that the location concept was not changed and that the general aesthetics remain similar to the Poltergeist that we know and love. In short, they are here again, and in a big way. 

Weekly Review -- Over capacity

Lucy (2014) -- Action films are often a dime a dozen, with their 'tried, tested and true' motto not being challenged. Fast cars, hot guys and hot girls is a surefire winning formula; a heroine fighting the odds is another; the third one yet is space invaders forcing earthlings to band together and, you guessed it, fight the intruders. Very rarely does one of these stories get a twist and rarely are any of them taken beyond the genre. In Lucy, filmmaker Luc Besson takes seen-before ingredients, mixes them up and produces a concoction that is both a visual and a philosophical spectacle.

After she gets caught up in a criminal enterprise, student Lucy (Scarlett Johansson) is forced to become a drug mule. Things take an even more ominous turn when the potent new drug inside her stomach leaks into her bloodstream, infusing her with capabilities that no human has ever possessed. Armed with her newfound aptitude, Lucy goes on a quest for retribution, while searching for the doctor (Morgan Freeman) that may be able to help her harness the knowledge that she is gathering...

The film contains numerous Luc Besson's trademarks -- elaborate shootouts, a central female figure caught up in a bizarre and possibly fatal situation, colors and effects that pop -- but is different from any Besson work so far. The trailers and TV spots make Lucy seem like a generic flick, when it is anything but. Besson uses genre tropes to explore the concept of humanity, leaving the viewer to ponder the meaning of the story and question what we know about ourselves. When her brain capacity initially increases, Lucy turns emotionless, setting off on a mission of revenge with no regard for other people. The question is: do our emotions make us human or is it something else? How connected are emotions to our intelligence and abilities, if at all? Can one facet of our brains ever trump another in relevance? Sure, Lucy becomes mentally and physically stronger after she ingests the drug, but at what cost? There is no way that humanity and our planet would survive if everyone lived life this way. While we are the most advanced species on the planet, we are not able to live in isolation. We are not able to only be surrounded by our thoughts and immersed in our intelligence, because our desire for altruism and relationships forms an integral part of our psyche. As in the much overlooked The Fifth Element and particularly in its powerful war scene, Besson here explores people's knack to destroy themselves through their own progress. We inevitably use all of our inventions and creations against ourselves and others.

Another aspect of the tale examines humans being merely a fleck situated within the infinity of the universe; a naive, frenetic collection of individuals that overestimate our importance. In Lucy's words, "We've codified our existence to bring it down to human size, to make it comprehensible, we've created a scale so we can forget its unfathomable scale". Throughout our lives, we chase experiences and obsessions, our survival instinct forcing us to forget how small we really are. We do bring everything down to size, the relevance of our day-to-day activities surpassing the bigger picture, simply because of our practicality and arrogance. As they say, it is human nature and, as Besson implies, we cannot handle anything else. Paradoxically, these flaws in our intelligence are the very reason why we are not able to grasp more of it.

The intriguing thing about Johansson is that, while she possesses a certain kind of icy beauty, she never comes off as cold. Even as Lucy is reaching the outer limits of pragmatism, she does not turn into a soulless robot. Johansson creates an unbreakable link between Lucy 1.0 and Lucy 2.0, if you will, not neglecting the person inside the super-powered avenger. The actor has already shown in her Black Widow role -- pardon the pun -- how physically adept she was and here she expands upon her set of skills. Freeman provides his usual calming, charismatic presence as the doctor instrumental in helping Lucy, and Min-sik Choi is effective as a devious mob boss. Contributing to the thrills is the exciting score by Eric Serra, Besson's frequent collaborator, and the gorgeous production design by Hugues Tissandier (Taken). 

Lucy is a welcome addition to the genre, as well as a refreshing approach to what can sometimes prove to be outdated ideas. Its philosophy will stay with you long after the film is over, inspiring you to think about how your abilities influence and entwine with your role in the universe. The here and now is all that each one of us has, and we had better do some good and make it count. In the end, perhaps we are not meant to be more than what we are. Perhaps we do not deserve it yet.

9/10