Movies Like Lucy That Sci-Fi Fans Need To Watch

In "Lucy," Morgan Freeman's Professor Samuel Norman tells us that human beings only use, at most, 10% of their brains. Of course, this is nonsense. Still, Luc Beeson's rollicking and visually rich sci-fi action outing is almost 100% fun. What it lacks in narrative depth and subversive elements, it more than makes up for with fantastic set pieces, grisly violence, and a fantastic Scarlett Johansson at the center. 

After a bag containing a synthetic drug bursts in her stomach, Johansson's Lucy Miller develops considerable physical and mental abilities, including (though not limited to) telepathy, time travel, Carrie White-esque telekinesis, and insensitivity to pain.

An early precursor to the likes of "Atomic Blonde," "Red Sparrow," and "Anna," "Lucy" is responsible, at least in part, for the recent trend of female-led action flicks titled with women's names. Yet, most of the movies it inspired dial back the science fiction elements for grittier, more grounded tales. Here, though, we'll be recounting 15 movies like "Lucy" that honor both its sci-fi action and artificially enhanced lead. Fire up your Blu-ray player because the movies are guaranteed to power up movie night.

Other than her Oscar-nominated roles in "Marriage Story" and "Jojo Rabbit," Scarlett Johansson's career these past several years is all but defined by her perennial role as Marvel's Black Widow. Despite appearances in action fare such as "Lucy" and "Ghost in the Shell," the Marvel Cinematic Universe seemed to be a priority for Johansson. Although she is one of the highest-paid actresses in the world, Johansson, more often than not, is willing to experiment, collaborating on unusual projects that expand the capacity of what filmmaking is and should be.

In 2014, she assumed the lead role in Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin," a sci-fi horror hybrid about an alien woman who preys on men in Scotland. It's an austere and aggressively stylish horror outing with fantastical science fiction elements. It engages the brain just as often as it sends chills down the spine. While its $13 million budget isn't exactly small, it's a far cry from the mammoth costs the MCU's output demands, and it's thrilling to see Johansson return to her more modest roots. Her portrayal of the otherworldly woman is sensational, easily grounding "Under the Skin's" thematic underpinnings. Loneliness, gender, and sexuality are all at play in this inimitable horror hybrid that truly does get under the skin.

If you haven't seen it already, stop reading this now and go watch Brandon Cronenberg's "Possessor." Brandon Cronenberg, son of esteemed body-horror auteur David Cronenberg, created a science fiction horror masterpiece with Possessor." It's grim, gory, enigmatic, and abstract — just simply sensational stuff. Andrea Riseborough and Christopher Abbott are two parts of a mysterious whole in the film.

Riseborough's Tasya Vos is an assassin for an arcane organization with the capacity to allow its assassins to take control of other peoples' bodies. Tasya is suffering considerably on account of the work, both mentally and physically. Taking over another person's brain can't be easy. She agrees to one last job and takes over the body of her latest target, Colin Tate (Christopher Abbott), the fiancé of a wealthy CEO's (Sean Bean) daughter.

"Possessor" is both consistently entertaining and rich in wonder. With smatterings of graphic violence, it earns its horror moniker, but the science fiction elements excel. Like the best of the genre, it poses and deliberately refuses to answer profound questions on identity, morality, and control. It's a singular, brutal work that is uniquely capable of possessing its audience and never letting them go.

In a sense, "Limitless" is "Lucy" with Bradley Cooper in the Scarlett Johansson role. Directed by Neil Burger from Alan Glynn's 2001 novel, "The Dark Fields" (which was later adapted into a swiftly-canceled television series), "Limitless" sees Bradley Cooper unlocking the full potential of his brain after taking NZT-48, a nootropic drug that allows him to use his brain at its fullest capacity. Eddie is capable of incredible recall, stellar interpersonal skills, and even develops profound inspiration for his next writing project. Where can I get some of that NZT-48?

It's not all fun, though. Cooper's Eddie Morra is soon embroiled in a murder mystery, finds himself being stalked, and must grapple with the discovery that everyone who has previously taken the drug is either in the hospital or deceased. A box-office success at the time of its release, "Limitless" might not attain classic status, but it's still a fun, inventive, and thought-provoking foray into the full potential of the human mind and the folly innate in unlocking it.

"Annihilation" director Alex Garland's directorial debut, "Ex-Machina," is so profoundly good that it genuinely needs to be seen to be believed. Domhnall Gleeson stars as Caleb Smith, a programmer invited to Nathan Bateman's (Oscar Isaac) rural estate for a one-week stay. Once there, he is introduced to Ava (Alicia Vikander), a robot enhanced with artificial intelligence. Nathan tasks Caleb with administering the Turing test, a method of measuring an artificially intelligent machine's ability to match or exceed human intelligence, to Ava during his stay. Nathan wants to know if Ava has consciousness and is capable of independent thought. He also wants to see if Caleb forgets that Ava is a machine.

If this sounds like a psycho-sexual horror thriller with science fiction undertones, it is. Caleb's loyalties shift as both Ava and Nathan pit him against the other. Vikander is especially incredible as Ava, maintaining an aura of humanity, yet adroitly masking her true intentions. It's never clear until the end what Ava's goal is. Trying to figure out whether Ava is genuine or playing a game makes the plot consistently tense, and it all culminates in a tempest of betrayal and violence. "Ex Machina" is about artificial intelligence, and it passes a Turing test of its own: It proves itself to be smarter than most contemporary science fiction fare.

"Midnight Special" is a heartbreaking science fiction road trip. Jeff Nichols is a profoundly humanistic filmmaker as evinced by such films as "Loving" and "Take Shelter." However, "Midnight Special" might be his best film yet (especially since he's departed the upcoming "A Quiet Place" spinoff). Michael Shannon stars as Roy Tomlin, the father of eight-year-old Alton (Jaeden Martell), a boy born into a religious commune who possesses extraterrestrial abilities.

Tracked by the FBI, Roy meets up with Kirsten Dunst's Sarah (Alton's mother) and friend Lucas (Joel Edgerton) to keep Alton safe and out of the hands of people and agencies looking to either exploit or destroy him. I won't spoil the ending, but it is that distinct kind of conclusion that breaks hearts with a glint of hope. It's the only conceivable way this trip could have ended, but that doesn't detract from how profoundly it resonates. With a trio of fantastic performances, sparse yet effective special effects, and rare thematic resonance when it comes to the subjects of fatherhood and parenting, "Midnight Special" is special indeed.

Before "The Invisible Man," "Insidious" and "Saw," screenwriter Leigh Whannel delivered one of the century's best cyberpunk action thrillers with "Upgrade," a movie that is best described as just really, really cool. Although Whannel made his directorial debut with 2015's "Insidious: Chapter 3," he was working within an established framework in that film. With "Upgrade," he was given room to flex his directorial muscles, delivering a sensationally staged and choreographed science fiction revenge saga.

Logan Marshall-Green stars as auto mechanic Grey Trace. After his wife is murdered by four armed men — who also shoot Grey in the spine, paralyzing him — he accepts a STEM implant, a kind of biomedical chip that can enhance a person's motor functions. Along with regaining the ability to walk, Grey develops superhuman strength and combat skills. With his newfound powers, he tracks down the men responsible for his wife's death. While Whannel doesn't exactly mine new material here, he considerably upgrades genre conventions. "Upgrade" is a violent, dour cyberpunk dream.

While 2021's "Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City" leaned hard into the source material's horror roots, Paul W. S. Anderson's initial 2002 take on the popular video game is considerably more bombastic and campy. It's a science fiction hybrid that eschews its origins beyond the mere basics — namely zombies and the antagonistic Umbrella Corporation. Consequently, "Resident Evil" is a horror-tinged "Lucy" ancestor and a gore-infused foray into superpowered humans.

Anderson's wife, Milla Jovovich (who, interestingly enough, was formerly married to "Lucy" director Luc Besson), stars as Alice, an amnesiac who awakens in a rural manor and is swiftly thrust into an underground facility crawling with the undead. Alice is the series' mainstay, often killed and resurrected as part of the Umbrella Corporation's overarching plan. Jovovich relishes the physicality of the role, easily imbuing Alice with both the physical prowess and the humanity of the best action stars, even as the series grows sillier and sillier. Far from a masterpiece, "Resident Evil" still yields its own distinct charm.