[yasr_overall_rating]
A corporate risk-management consultant must decide whether or not to terminate an artificially created humanoid being.
If there is one lesson mankind has still not learned, it is do not play God. Movies like “From Beyond,” “Mimic,” “Splice,” and “Ex Machina,” are proof of that but as a species, we are just so damned arrogant and cavalier, I fear that we are doomed to repeat our mistakes, indefinitely. “But they are only movies,” I hear you say. While you might be correct about that, where do you think the science for these films come from? I think it would be very presumptuous to assume that the screenwriters just made it up and while the characters and plot might be fictional, make no mistake, the science behind “Morgan,” is very real. While we have cloned animals and I’m sure, have created lifeforms in a lab, it is only a matter of time before we are introduced to some of these creations and then you never know, we might just have a real life situation comparable to any of the movie titles listed above.
“Morgan” revolves around corporate risk-management consultant Lee Weathers (Kate Mara), who is sent by her boss to a top-secret location in the wilderness, to ascertain exactly what happened after one of their scientists was viciously attacked by their own creation, Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy), a lab experiment who defies nature with her super-human qualities. Lee must assess the situation and decide whether or not to terminate Morgan before she becomes a risk, not just to the remaining scientists, but also to the outside world.
Luke Scott (producer Ridley Scott’s son) makes his feature film directorial debut and in many ways, it is comparable to his father’s superior and classic creature feature, “Alien.” We are shown in abundance, that the facility where Morgan is housed, is literally hundreds of miles from civilization so if things go south, any survivors will have to travel a long way, just to escape. And with Morgan continuously learning, at an exponential rate, the chances of departure, for anyone, are practically next to none.
While Morgan is aware that she is not human, the scientists that created her, gradually begin to think of her that way. And that is their big mistake. Because they are so far away from society, they eventually let her out of her room, accompanied by kindly Amy Menser (Rose Leslie), who has become very close with Morgan, and when she discovers nature, trees, and water, her mind multiplies at accelerated velocity. When she comes across an injured deer, she embraces it, lovingly, and then quickly snaps its neck. Because of her reaction, the scientists think it best to keep her inside for the immediate future, so they can analyze her more but once Morgan realizes that they will not let her back outside again, she attacks one of them, Dr. Kathy Grieff (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and blinds her in one eye utilizing a knife. Things quickly begin to spiral out of control and after Morgan is interviewed by Dr. Alan Shapiro (Paul Giamatti), a psychiatrist that is there to test her state of mind, Morgan does not react well to his line of questioning, and it is at this point that Lee decides to shut the program down. Morgan comprehends what is about to happen and manages to escape but as the bodies begin to pile up, it is up to Lee to track her down and terminate her, before she reaches civilization.
“Morgan” is extremely entertaining and is aided by strong performances by all throughout, accompanied by moments of sheer terror and nail-biting suspense and while it raises more questions than it can answer, by the time the final credits begin to roll, you realize that a possible film franchise lays ahead. Director Luke Scott employs a visual aspect akin to his father Ridley, and thankfully, he shoots “Morgan” much like his father shot the aforementioned “Alien” and “Blade Runner,” administering plenty of wide angles and slow, ominous tracking shots, to help set up the movie’s ambience and atmosphere. I for one, look forward to his next project with great enthusiasm.
In theaters now
