Morgan

Dir: Luke Scott

2016

***

Luke Scott's directional debut was always going to be scrutinized more so than most due to his famous father's reputation (his father is renowned director Ridey Scott) and also because he's venturing into sci-fi, something his father has conquered several times over. Indeed, his father also produced the film, so 2016's Morgan was highly anticipated. Seth W. Owen's story was also placed on the 2014 Black List of best unproduced screenplays, so really no pressure then. I honestly can't fault the direction, it is crisp and clean and suits the story perfectly. I knew little of the story before watching which was hugely beneficial but I'm afraid I saw the twist ending coming within the first twenty minutes. However, it didn't really matter, how the whole concept was handled was unexpected, entertaining and rather thought-provoking. It has a mixed cast of well-knowns and newbies including Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Toby Jones, Rose Leslie, Boyd Holbrook, Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Cox and Paul Giamatti. The film never focused on any one character, so you were never too sure what to expect or who would fall victim first, indeed if I had wagered the turn of events for each character in turn I would have lost all of my money. The character development is superb, it takes up the majority of the film and is vital in its believability, as far-fetched as the idea is. With the great character development also comes a great script, this is a very intelligent story told with intelligence, with a bit of slasher action thrown in for good measure. The idea of an experiment going wrong is nothing new but here it is the what the experiment is, how it goes wrong, how it effects those that performed the experiment and how the experiment is dealt with that really matter. Among the sci-fi lies a certain level of truth that will stay with you for many hours after watching, more so than the film's actual conclusion. My only real grievances with the film are that the script goes out the window somewhat after the 'event', some of the lesser-known actors don't pull their weight, there is a distinct lack of Jennifer Jason Leigh and Ex Machina came first and did it better. Paul Giamatti's big scene is amazing, Kate Mara plays her part well and it is beautifully written, it just doesn't quite warrant a four star rating. It comes close, it all just seems a little too familiar. It is a concept that generally isn't perfected as well as it has been here but there aren't enough surprises to really put the thrill into this would be thriller. It will stay with you though, which is to its credit. Maybe it is destined for cult-classic status in the near future, I'm sure I will revisit it in time which is rare for me to say, so it has clearly had an effect, there is just something about it that I can't put my finger on. Maybe it's the sign of true greatness, but I don't think so, I think it's something else.