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    Morgan

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    I had a lot of hope for “Morgan”. At the beginning, my mind was swirling with ideas, trying to think of what was going to come up next. Unfortunately, it squanders its potential to go with a safe, familiar story. You can’t help but compare it to other, similar, and better films.

    Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) is a risk-assessment specialist sent to investigate Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy), a synthetic human whose development had been progressing well until a violent outburst caused it to savagely attack one of the scientists on the project. Arriving at the remote research facility, Weathers notices that everyone seems a little bit too comfortable around the artificial and potentially murderous creation.

    You look at the cast list and your jaw drops. Kate Mara, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Toby Jones, Michelle Yeoh, Boyd Holbrook, Paul Giamatti and a slew of other talented actors. You figure they read the script, were blown away by it and decided to take a part – any part - in this sci-fi thriller. That’s what I figured. As the film begins, you’re intrigued by this weird relationship Lee observes. These are supposed to be scientists. If anyone can be objective when it comes to artificial life, it should be them, right? Sure, they’re not machines themselves so they would develop and attachment to the artificial creation that is Morgan, but they take it way, wayyy too far. Has Morgan developed telekinetic abilities that allow her to manipulate people’s minds? Is it a master of deception that hones in on what people want and delivers it to them? What is its end game? If you’re asking yourself this, it’s because you’re smarter, much smarter than this film is.

    It’s impossible not to compare “Morgan” to “Ex-Machina”. Everything that film did right, this one does wrong. From the get-go, Morgan is dressed in a gray hoodie to obscure most of her face and acts creepily. You never, not for one instant, think that maybe the scientists are mistreating her or that the “attack” was a cry for help in disguise. She’s just an evil robot girl that doesn’t look like a robot. It’s as easy as that. From there, you quickly label the scientists as unprofessional halfwits that would know better than to act the way they do if they had seen or read a single sci-fi story. It’s just way too obvious and there’s no artistry to distract you from how predictable the plot is going to be. Even the ending, which is fast-paced and takes the film in a new direction didn’t offer any surprises for me. Either I’m really good at analyzing stories about androids, or this film’s not too bright. You decide!

    Technically, “Morgan” is a science fiction film. It’s got robots, genetic manipulating, it’s set in the future, etc. but it’s not really a science fiction film. This story is not concerned with the ideas, moral dilemmas or theoretical behavior that would accompany the creation of a gynoid. It could be, but instead, it decides to become a run-of-the-mill thriller. I’m not saying that every story needs to reinvent the wheel or explore deep facets of humanity, but you’ve got to try something new or try approaching the subject matter from an angle that hasn't been tried before. “Morgan” doesn’t have any such ambitions. It’s not terrible, I can even see people enjoying it, but ultimately, it’s not very memorable. It's the kind of picture that gets less interesting the more you think about it. I wasn't bored in the theatre, but thinking back, there are a lot of plot holes throughout and it doesn’t live up to your expectations. If you're a fan of stories about robots, you already own better films than "Morgan" on your shelf. (Theatrical version on the big screen, September 3, 2016)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  6.9.2016 age: 26-35 2,867 reviews

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