Lucy (15A) ***

Scarlett Johansson shows us why she’s cinema’s hottest female star in this sci-fi/action flick.

Johansson  -  who’s been churning out the box-office hits of late -  carries this movie from director Luc Besson.

Scarlett plays the titular Lucy, an American student living in an Asian city who’s tricked by a boyfriend into delivering a mysterious suitcase to a client in a hotel.

Unfortunately for her, that client is a pretty nasty drug lord who’s intent on forcing her and others into working as drug mules. Their role is to transport a powerful substance in their stomachs to Europe  -  but when Lucy’s starts leaking into her bloodstream, she finds herself developing super powers of intellect and strength.

In an attempt to lend credence to this bonkers scenario we’re introduced to the authoritative and velvet-voiced Morgan Freeman.

He plays a renowned neuroscientist who proffers the theory that humans only use ten per cent of their potential brain capacity  -  and that if we used more, we could change the world.

Lucy is best enjoyed if you park the daft plot twists and go along for the ride. After all, in a movie summer that has offered us warring mutants and alien robots, a bit of mumbo-jumbo about brain capacity doesn’t seem so bad.

Besson has rarely been known for making sense but he’s not afraid to put female stars in the thick of the action.

Here, Johansson doesn’t disappoint, effortlessly embracing Lucy’s transformation and kicking ass in the action scenes. Jennifer Lawrence take note: Johansson’s not quite ready to pass on her title as queen of the Hollywood blockbuster just yet.

What If (15A) ***

Daniel Radcliffe is very good as a lovestuck college dropout who befriends the object of his affection in this amiable romantic drama. But the film’s efforts to establish its own indie credentials (it desperately wants to be this year’s 500 Days of Summer) do wear a little thin.

Radcliffe is Wallace, a medical school dropout and old-fashioned romantic, who’s looking for Ms Right despite having been burned in previous relationships.

He’s instantly smitten with the kooky Chantry (Zoe Kazan) when they meet at a party, only to discover she has a long-term boyfriend (Spall).

Set across a number of different cities  -  including Dublin  -  What If is a familiar but likeable romance bettered by a decent cast. It’s a standard, light, enjoyable date movie  -  but it wants to be more and its efforts to present itself as wacky and whimsical almost becomes the movie’s undoing. A predictable but fun romance.