I will admit that I am excited for Lucy, Scarlett Johansson’s upcoming summer flick.
I am excited because it has the potential to be a great superhero movie with a main woman character at the helm.
Lucy isn’t being advertised outright as a superhero movie, but let’s be real…that’s exactly what it is:
An ordinary and weak human woman is thrust into extraordinary circumstances. In the midst of said circumstances, she encounters a substance that gives her strange new powers.
She must then use those powers (with the help of a wise mentor) to overcome a great evil. However, with great power comes great responsibility and there’s the risk her powers might be too much for her.
It has all the tropes and all the fixings.
Considering Hollywood’s reluctance to invest in a quality superhero movie featuring a woman as the main character (please don’t bring up those godawful Resident Evil movies…), this movie may be a subtle test to see whether or not American audiences are interested in super-powered women.
With all the comic movies flooding movie theaters and raking in billions, we know that audiences love their men in tights.
Scarlett Johansson Uses 100% of Her Brain in New 'Lucy' TV Spot http://t.co/XcKkUkn4rZ #Lucy pic.twitter.com/PibNfk4WLG
— MovieWeb (@MovieWeb) June 18, 2014
The argument has been that it’s nearly impossible to make a good superhero movie with a woman character.
Despite the finger pointing at American audiences, it often comes down to an inability to write convincing women characters and present a bankable plot.
But why blame the movie makers when you can blame the moviegoers?
Why the new TV spot for Scarlett Johansson's 'Lucy' is the perfect movie trailer.(See it here) http://t.co/xsTtjZgEA6 pic.twitter.com/Ao5pamT8Wg
— ForbesLife (@ForbesLife) June 10, 2014
The one major asset that Lucy has in its favor is Scarlett Johansson herself. We all know her as the kick-ass Black Widow in Iron Man 2, The Avengers, and most recently Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
All of these movies were massive hits, though Johansson can’t be specifically credited with their success.
#BlackWidow to ride New Electric Powered #HarleyDavidson Motorcycle in #AgeOfUltron #MovieNews #ScarlettJohansson pic.twitter.com/79Gz4etjHH
— MoovieNews (@MoovieNewsTweet) June 23, 2014
However, because we have seen Johansson in action as a convincing superheroine, it stands to reason she can bring her A game to Lucy.
The movie arrives in theaters July 25th.
Image via YouTube