nice short film,none of this 2hr plus nonsense.quite simple,similar to Ex Machina,not as good.Seemed to set up for existential questions on what is humanity on a more emotional level but turns into the terminator in the 2nd half.Worth a watch
This is one of the most gripping films I've watched in a long time, although I'm not sure why. The story is ridiculously simple, none of the characters are that great, the score wasn't memorable. And it's a rip off of one of my top three films of all time "Hanna". However, I enjoyed every minute of it and frankly could have watched it for many more hours. Bemusing!
Luke Scott is Ridley Scott’s son and it is Ridley’s production company that produced Morgan in 2016, so far so the usual way the cinematic world runs, but with this connection and the way that the story unfolds I could not help but link father to son in some way. Without spoiling exactly what is happening in Morgan it could be taken as an origin story for the unforgettable Roy Batty and his comrades. That is just me saying that no one else. The two Scotts are the only connection because while the late Hauer’s Roy Batty is iconic and unforgettable, Anya Taylor-Joy’s Morgan is dull as dishwater and entirely forgettable.
Morgan is a film that thinks it is far cleverer than it is. It is trying to say, just like Luke’s dad’s Blade Runner is trying to say, ‘what is it to be human’ and ‘who are the real monsters’ but this is a common theme in modern AI/robot films, so if you are going to ask the question you now have to ask it in a special or interesting way. Ex-Machina did this perfectly.
In the end, Morgan is just an average piece of science fiction with some action/peril near the end and if you are not paying full attention it might surprise you with the outcome, I was, and guessed the ‘surprise’ and the ending in short order.
Kate Mara, Roony’s older sister, is the mysterious protagonist who at first is the baddy but then flips your feelings for her, more than once. That in itself is interesting and fun. But, and it is a big but, the way Mara plays Lee Weathers makes it blindingly obvious what she is about and who she is, this makes you sigh and raise your eyebrows, about a quarter of an hour into the run time. Was it bad acting, writing or directing? Surely Luke Scott could have told her to reign it in a bit?
Mara herself is surrounded by a group of good and well-renowned actors, all of whom I am convinced did this film to either do Ridley Scott a favour or to get into his good books. Brian Cox bookends the film to let you know what is going on and what happened, Jennifer Jason Leigh is sort of in it but if you had cut her part out it would have made no difference to the story. Toby Jones plays a fairly cardboard cut-out character in the tale, which is a shame, and Paul Giamatti plays the world’s worst psychologist, so poorly written, if they had said, ‘That doctor, he was not a doctor but a plumber faking it’ that would have been believable. Michelle Yeoh again seems to be in the film but really her screen time is in minutes. All these great actors pop in and pop off to save on salaries I presume.
Probably the most interesting character was nutritionist Skip, Boyd Holbrook, his inclusion made me think there was something more to his role. There was not, he was just a nutritionist. A waste.
On the whole, Morgan was watchable, I cannot help feeling poor old Anya Taylor-Joy got the role because of her looks, which is a shame, but I will never watch it again and I will not remember it in a month or so.
For a film that tries to be intellectual and challenging about an interesting and controversial subject, it tends to get more stupid and easier to figure out what is happening the longer it runs.
It was a wasted opportunity and sadly had the reek of ‘the old boys club’ about it in some places.
Shame, a story about how the human race developed and made the likes of Roy Batty many decades before the time of Blade Runner would have been an interesting tale.
Coming straight from the hands (and vision) of Ridley Scott’s youngest – Luke Scott – Morgan is a decent exercise in trying to provoke, astonish, mezmerise, and scares, not necessary in that order. With that being said, Morgan is nowhere near “Alien” level, which wouldn’t be achievable even with today’s standards of filming. That is to say, Morgan is a satisfactory attempt at existential horror that would most certainly appeal to those captivated by cult hits such as “Cube” or “Event Horizon”. Which by the way is me, so expect some bias in the following review.
The film starts off by introducing the audience with Lee Weathers (played by Kate Mara), a corporate risk management officer (talk about euphemisms) who is sent to investigate a recent, let’s say incident and leave it at that – for now. During her evaluation, she must assess the risk-to-profit ratio and find out what the hell had taken place there. And lo and behold: this top secret location features a peculiar individual named Morgan (played by the talented Anya Taylor-Joy) who comes with her own mysterious threads that slowly unravel into a captivating study of character and a mediocre exercise in plot. Take that as you will, but it seems like Morgan wastes so much potential based on its premise alone, which compared to the disjointed screenplay – produces a cinematic experience that is just “good enough” (instead of being excellent for instance).
To this extent, Morgan doesn’t address anything new really, but rather takes familiar science-fiction concepts and digest them through its own set of understandings and rules (as the director sees fit). For example, there’s the theme of creating life ex nihilo (out of nothing) and dealing with the moral consequences until it’s too late. The presentation of this theme is so-so, but the slow (and meticulous) buildup results in a satisfactory culmination deemed worthy for the ages. Which inevitably leads us to the performance of Anya Taylor-Joy.
Simply stated, this young actress’ approach to performing on screen is mezmerising, fearsome, and something to be on the lookout for. Her portrayal of an individual with a seemingly inexistent identity gives the character an emotional credence that stays long with you after the credits roll. Or to avoid beating around the bush: Anya Taylor-Joy is just excellent.
When it comes to the technical details, Morgan has it all: great cinematography (although the lightning could see some improvements down the line of Luke and his team’s future endeavors), the dialog is serving its purpose – with the screenplay being average at best.
Finally, if you’re fond of cinematic achievements such as “Event Horizon” and “Cube”, then Morgan will most certainly tickle your fancy. If not, it’s worth considering giving it a chance in the least.