Entertainment

Why We're Glad For the Existence Of 'Lucy'

by Alanna Bennett

Scarlett Johansson's contract with Marvel to play Black Widow has repeatedly put her at the center of the ongoing discussion of the need for more female-centered superhero movies. Marvel itself has gone back and forth (and back, and forth) on whether it's willing to give Johansson the chance to prove to audiences and studios alike that a solo superhero flick with a woman at the center would be something genuinely exciting and worthwhile. And, well, she's on her way to proving that now — without Marvel. Because the trailer for the Johansson-starring Lucy has arrived, and it kicks ass.

Johansson's Lucy isn't a superhero in the very strictest sense — and we can't tell from this trailer what she'll be fighting for other than her own life — but she is a woman who develops superhuman abilities and has to cope with a world not quite ready for her.

The film's directed by Luc Besson, who has experience directing some of the action genre's most iconic women (La Femme Nikita and The Fifth Element come to mind). His next film seems likely to add to that list: Lucy is "an action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic." And according to those who've already seen a chunk of the film, this one's shaping up nicely.

Meanwhile we're hoping Scarlett Johansson's in some conference room with Marvel execs somewhere being all:

And maybe a little...

But we'll always have Lucy:

Images: Universal Pictures, Tumblr, Tumblr