on MORGAN
(2016, 92 minutes, R)
MORGAN is the launch of Luke Scott’s directing
career on the silver screen. Yes, that
last name should look familiar, because he is the son of Ridley Scott. And, it is also writer Seth W. Owen’s venture
into larger budget films.
It’s intriguing to me how this movie reflects a
particular perception and/or acceptance I hold of new writers’ stories. MORGAN is a decent film, nothing spectacular,
but worth the watch even if being a retold story. It has more of a philosophical twist with how
I personally view allowable common plots to still pass as suitable material as
a writer is trying to grow. To show you,
this movie has been done before – a boy/girl/entity has been created and housed
to see what becomes of the experiment; I.E. EX MACHINA, SPECIES, SPLICE, A.I.,
BICENTENNIAL MAN, etc… I find that
telling a story, even if closely paralleling another, still needs to be
told. Most editors will squeal and
squirm from such a statement, but I find a writer needs that release. I’m okay with that.
MORGAN will not break any box office records or
garner notoriety for anyone involved in the project, but the story needed to be
told. The acting was on par with major
projects so no complaints there. Kate
Mara (of THE MARTIAN, 127 HOURS, SHOOTER, IRON MAN 2) does an excellent job and
is the central viewpoint. Young actor Anya
Taylor-Joy (of THE WITCH) is decent and was challenged to reflect emotions and emotional
responses far above most roles. You
learn this through the psychological evaluation scene. The subtlety of her progression in the
responses, the core understanding of her intellectual level to respond in kind
as a reflection of the expected responses rather than the expected empathy
makes for a tough scene. This does give
credit to Scott to be able to capture all of that through the lens and her to
carry the sense of realism throughout.
Even though this one does not sit high on my ‘must
watch list for 2016’, I recommend the film to all aspiring writers and
directors to learn from. You get to see
what support from producers and third party talent can do for a film that is
not anticipated to be a competitor for the summer blockbusters, but a vehicle
for future projects.
Grade: B-
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