I’ve noted before that as far as my opinion on movies are concerned, I’ve mellowed out considerably and give features far more of the benefit of the doubt than before.

But there are limits to this and I present to you Example A: Morgan.  Here’s the movie’s trailer…

Directed by Luke Scott, son of Blade Runner/Alien director Ridley Scott, Morgan feels like an attempt to tread in Blade Runner territory with more than a little of Frankenstein.  Perhaps the movie was meant to be a Blade Runner prequel?

Anyway, Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy) is an artificial creation housed in a remote forest lab.  She is five years old though looks to be in her later teens and, as the movie opens, she viciously attacks Dr. Kathy Grieff (Jennifer Jason Leigh, completely wasted in a small cameo role).  The attack, which results in Dr. Grieff losing one eye, is in turn investigated by the corporation funding the Morgan “project”.

Sent in to check the status of the scientific group, Morgan, and the viability of the project itself is Corporate clean-up specialist Lee Weathers (Kate Mara, sadly one note and morose throughout this film).

She begins her investigation and meets the various people in this scientific community, almost all of whom, including Dr. Grieff, have strong positive feelings toward Morgan and try to convince Weathers that Morgan’s attack was an anomaly and that she deserves a second chance.

Ok.

So we have Weathers meet up with the group and, eventually, Morgan herself.  Since the attack, Morgan has been placed in isolation and behind a thick glass.  Morgan states she is sorry for the attack and all and Weathers takes it in unemotionally (as she does everything else) and things are oh-so-serious and…dull.

And then, stupidly (there are an awful lot of stupid things being done by supposedly smart people here), the corporation brings in Dr. Alan Shapiro (Paul Giamatti, acting set to “overkill”) to interview Morgan and see just how stable she is.

He does this by essentially yelling he’s got the power to kill her and what the hell is she going to do about it?!

Now, can you just guess what Morgan will do about it?

The movie’s second act, as if you haven’t guessed it yet, is Morgan going apeshit on those she is convinced are out to kill her (some are, most are not).  This leads to the movie’s climax and a “twist” ending that does almost nothing for the film and an epilogue featuring Brian Cox who explains everything that’s just happened and…

…ugh.

Morgan, if you haven’t guessed it yet, is to me an almost complete bust.  The movie features a lackluster, all-too-simple and all-too-familiar plot that begs for a much more robust, in-your-face and perhaps even campy presentation.  We need blood and guts and craziness but instead are offered a far too-mannered, too-Masterpiece Theater presentation and this, unfortunately, makes the movie’s plot problems all the more evident.

A real disappointment.