Director: Luke Scott
Cast: Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rose Leslie, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Michelle Yeoh, Brian Cox, Chris Sullivan, Vinette Robinson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Giamatti
Rating: C+
Creators of science fiction films have often explored what would happen if life were created out of something unnatural. The classic 1931 version of Frankenstein was one of the first to explore this theme – today we have Morgan, a modern day Frankenstein-like story. A group of scientists mix up genetic materials in a lab and manage to give birth to an artificially created being with special abilities that are developing at lightning speed. At first they are delighted with the experience of raising a child that could be the next step in human evolution but when Morgan starts to exhibit some strange behaviors they are suddenly not so sure about the miracle child they have brought into the world. Will this new take on science gone wrong breathe new life into a classic old Hollywood theme or just have audiences going back to the classic sci-fi horror films of days gone by?
The corporation that is backing the medical experiments sends in Lee Weathers (Kate Mara), a risk-management consultant to determine if Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy) should just be terminated after she (Lee refers to the child as “it”) brutally attacks one of her creators. Arriving at the secret location of the lab that is hidden away in a dense forest, Lee is met with much resistance from a team of doctors that try to convince her that their “child” just needs some extra parental guidance since she is only 5 years old. She is growing rapidly both physically and mentally so their theory is that Morgan must be emotionally confused by an overload of information she is trying to absorb. In charge of the medical research is Dr. Lu Cheng (Michelle Yeoh). Her team is made up of Dr. Simon Ziegler (Toby Jones), Dr. Amy Menser (Rose Leslie), doctors Darren Finch (Chris Sullivan) and Brenda Finch (Vinette Robinson). The fifth team member, Dr. Kathy Grieff (Jennifer Jason Leigh), is the victim from Morgan’s attack, and is pumped up on painkillers recovering from her injuries.
Dr. Ziegler, who is just in awe of what he created with his colleagues, makes an earnest attempt to explain to Lee exactly how Morgan was created and emphasizes just how unique and special the silver skinned girl is and the value she could have to take humanity to the next level. Lee is not too impressed by the big reveals and is waiting to see the findings of Dr. Alan Shapiro (Paul Giamatti), a therapist hired in to evaluate Morgan’s mental and emotionally stability. During Shapiro’s interview, Morgan becomes increasingly agitated by the therapist’s questions and ultimately he pushes her to edge. The end result is a violent reaction to the badgering session that convinces Lee to take steps to exterminate the female creature. The team that has raised and grown to love Morgan is not convinced that killing her is morally right and takes steps to defy Lee’s authority. All hell breaks loose and it is the adults that lose control leaving Morgan running the show.
This latest science fiction thriller is filled with tons of dialogue and cockamamie explanations of how life can be created out of nothing. The film has an extremely slow start as it tries to explain itself and for the most part learning about the recipe for birthing a person in a lab is just a confusing lesson in genetics. There is no insight into the workings of Morgan’s mind and the character is never really developed. You would think that when a child lashes out the adults around her would ask why she is acting a certain way and try to understand and guide her through any turmoil. But in this story the intelligent group of doctors just skips over this part of child rearing. There was some real potential to make Morgan into a really interesting and complex character, but the screenwriters missed this opportunity.
Other than a few video flashbacks, we don’t get to really see how Morgan bonded with her creators, so it is really far-fetched when she starts referring to Dr. Cheng as “mother.” One would wonder why none of the male doctors is called “father” – a point not worth pondering. Once Morgan goes on a rampage there is barely anytime spent on getting to know the rest of the cast so for the most part all the actors are underutilized.
Playing a steel-faced cold calculating business executive to the hilt, Kate Mara (who is a real standout in the film) holds the movie together. Audiences won’t like her character much but will love how the actress kicks some major ass with stylized fight scenes that many superhero actors can only dream of doing. Ann Taylor-Joy, an upcoming actress with a ton of potential and who was recognized for a great performance in 2015’s The Witch, is unfortunately not given enough to do to really show off her acting skills.
Although this sci-fi horror flick starts off sluggish it does pick up some intense speed during the last twenty minutes which thankfully saves the film from falling completely apart. Once all the pieces come together there is not much flavor to sink your teeth into and most will want to go back to their DVRs and get a serving of excitement with the more classic tales of science defying nature.
Looks like a movie I will watch.