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Netflix viewers have days left to watch forgotten Scarlett Johansson film that caused uproar after highlighting this one myth

Home> Film & TV> Netflix

Published 12:00 1 Aug 2025 GMT+1

Netflix viewers have days left to watch forgotten Scarlett Johansson film that caused uproar after highlighting this one myth

The film only really works by playing into the myth

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard Kaonga

A film from 2014 starring Scarlett Johansson that initially frustrated viewers for doubling down on a common myth is about to leave Netflix.

Scarlett Johansson is one of the biggest actresses in the game and has an impressive list of films under her belt. But despite her star power, not every film was a massive hit with fans and critics...

One of her films from 2014 was certainly intriguing but forced viewers to believe a long-debunked myth for... well, for the film to work at all.

With that said, some fans have described the film as having an interesting premise but failing to stick the landing.

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So it might be worth checking it out yourself if you are a big Scar-Jo fan or fancy an odd action sci-fi film which touches on an interesting idea.

Scarlett Johansson stars in the film as a woman who 'unlocks' a larger percentage of her brain  (Universal Pictures)
Scarlett Johansson stars in the film as a woman who 'unlocks' a larger percentage of her brain (Universal Pictures)

The film in question? It's Lucy, directed by Luc Besson, and it is expected to leave Netflix in early August.

Now, what is the big myth that the film pretty much falls apart if you don’t believe?

Well, it's the idea that the average person only uses 10 percent of their brain.

Yup, you have probably heard this sometime in your life (likely on the playground).

The film does a fun job of delving into what a person could accomplish if they had access to the fabled ‘dormant’ 90 percent.

And what better person to showcase all of humanity’s capabilities than Johannson, as the character of Lucy.

Caught in a drug trafficking deal gone wrong, Lucy showcases superhuman feats including telekinesis and the ability to manipulate matter and even time.

When the film came out in 2014, experts pretty much told anyone that would listen that everyone is *already* like Lucy and uses 100 percent of their brain.

Speaking on the All Things Considered NPR podcast, Baylor College of Medicine neuroscientist David Eagleman did his best to dispel the myth once and for all.

The film frustrated scientists because it perpetrated the common 10 percent myth (Universal Pictures)
The film frustrated scientists because it perpetrated the common 10 percent myth (Universal Pictures)

He explained that someone who only uses 10 percent of their brain would actually be considered brain dead and admitted that the myth has become popular in society since at least the early 1900s.

Offering an explanation as to why, he said: “I think it's because it gives us a sense that there's something there to be unlocked, that we could be so much better than we could.

"And really, this has the same appeal as any fairytale or superhero story. I mean, it's the neural equivalent to Peter Parker becoming Spiderman.”

But with all that being said, if you can get past the lack of science to the sci-fi flick, you might still have a great time watching Johansson do the impossible for 90 minutes.

Featured Image Credit: Universal Pictures

Topics: Netflix, Scarlett Johansson, Celebrity, Film and TV

Gerrard Kaonga
Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.

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