Morgan

Year: 2016
Genre: Sci-Fi Action
Directed: Luke Scott
Stars: Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Rose Leslie, Michael Yare, Toby Jones, Chris Sullivan, Boyd Holbrook, Vinette Robinson, Michelle Yeoh, Brian Cox, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Giamatti, Crispian Belfrage
Production: Twentieth Century Fox

It has been near thirty-five years since director Ridley Scott blew people's minds with Blade Runner (1982). Based on a novel by Philip K. Dick, the story of intrepid "Replicant" hunter Rick Deckard caught the imaginations of film fans for decades; seamlessly blending deep philosophical themes into a tech noir, sci-fi aesthetic that felt both out of time and completely 80's. Now in 2016, Scott's son director Luke Scott seems to want to create a variant of the same idea. A film that once again delves into what it means to be human, while entertaining its audience through the latest popular sci-fi milieu: sustainable futurism.

Go green or parish, human!

No, you're gonna die first!

Similar films in themes and aesthetic like Ex Machina (2015) and Under the Skin (2013) merely stumble a bit on wanting slasher cliches. Morgan on the other hand practically impales itself on cheap, low-level pulp, bad characterization and scattershot story progression like a witchcraft scapegoat on a Judas Cradle. It tries so hard to be above it all, and any film fan can admire its ambition. Yet when the plot skips second gear and goes right to third, you can't help but feel you're watching an homage to Hollow Man (2000) bombast instead of Blade Runner subtlety.

Morgan (Taylor-Joy) isn't so much a she but an "it". A genetically modified humanoid created by a team of closely knit scientists working for a seemingly omnipresent company. After a very violent outburst threatens the future of the five-year Morgan Program, the company brings in a corporate risk-management consultant to evaluate whether or not to terminate the project.

It's quite a challenge to try to make the case for or against Morgan when the film's trailer tries so hard to keep the film's inner workings obscure. Walking in, audience members might find themselves looking forward to anything from a modern vampire blood-bath to an understated Frankenstein-type horror film. Without ruining too much, it's possible the film can be considered both and neither. It's essentially two films rolled up into a double-helix and spliced, guaranteeing no one will be happy with the result.

As our business-like heroine, risk-manager Lee Weathers (Mara) is varying degrees of believable depending on the scene. Juicy moments between her and researchers Dr. Ziegler (Jones) and Brenner (Yare) percolate with layers of power struggle, while moments with Boyd Holbrook's nutritionist Skip (because aren't they all called Skip) are guardedly fun. Yet when put up against Taylor-Joy's Morgan, Mara and the screenplay let on a lot more than they really need to.

Anya Taylor-Joy as the callow and calculated Morgan does alright though her Jekyl feels far more effective than her Hyde. Despite grey skin, carefully syncopated speech and a hoodie out of Eminem's 8 Mile (2002), you do feel for Morgan, who is essentially a five-year-old with the addled brain of a confused teenager. Yet seemingly with the flick of a switch or the pull of a trigger, Morgan goes full Commando (1985) with the nonplussed expressions of an actor playing a psychopath. This is as opposed to either fully committing to the role or making the more appropriate choice of acting like a caged animal in flight or fight mode.

My mind games are better.

Yet for every major performance that underwhelms and feels patently false (Rose Leslie you are hereby on notice), there are a few that really shine. Paul Giamatti appears for a brief spill. He plays a patently prickly psychologist who despite the character's boorishness creates one of the best interrogation scenes so far this year. Michelle Yeoh as the project's head researcher does exactly what she needs to while one-day shoot players Jennifer Jason Leigh and Brian Cox maximize their effectiveness.

Morgan attempts to be a moody psychological thriller, a philosophical think-piece and a conspiratorial cautionary tale but uses all the wrong tools to accomplish its goal. It's blunt when it should be contemplative and frenetic when it should be calm. It calls attention to itself and angrily glares at you like a huffy six-year-old who just found out they're not getting dessert. The next time a film comes out that tries to pose questions about the ethics and nature of humanity, make sure to check for characters that resemble humans.

Final Grade: C-