Morgane

Before anyone reads this, I am glad to read that some movie goers found the movie great. However, this is just my personal take when I saw this film.

Without going into too much detail about what this film entails, I felt as though there were a few moments in the film which could have been better.

1/ The ending was slightly disappointing... and for those who do not understand why then I am sure it will become clear in the end. I just expected more.

2/ I felt as though more connection was needed between Morgan and the audience. I found the clips of her as a child sweet and warming. I even felt sympathy towards her after she had attacked her first and second victims. However, in the end I felt as though I lacked sympathy for her character, after she became more and more out of hand. This also ties into the first point to do with the ending. I was expecting to be moved, riveted. But instead I felt a mixture of "Really... after all that, that's how it ended?", along with a sense of the lack of what I felt was emotion.

3/ I wanted to understand more about why and how the members of staff loved her so much. OK, she was special - but why did they love her the way they did, even after it became clear that she was starting to become dangerous? Why didn't one of them even question themselves over how out of hand things were getting?

Just a couple of points. Apart from that, the film was good enough to hold the majority of my attention throughout and definitely had the potential to be very, very good indeed. Credit where it is due, the film's intentions did seem surprisingly in the right place, but certainly more spark... more depth was needed.

Luke Scott, Son of Ridley Scott, give us his feature debut, a sci-fi thriller that has similar elements to Ex Machina, Splice and even Blade Runner. The story is central to genetically created Morgan who is only five years old but displays immense intelligence and emotions beyond teenagers, which comes with violence.

Morgan, superbly played by Anya Taylor-Joy is housed in a confined facility in the middle of nowhere where she's raised by a group of scientists responsible for differences areas of her development like Behavioural Analyst, Amy played by GoT's Rose Leslie and an unrecognisable Boyd Holbrook who's the nutritionist or chef. I couldn't place his face at first but remembered him from Run All Night after looking him up. The team also includes Michelle Yeoh, Toby Jones, Michael Yare, Chris Sullivan, Vinette Robinson and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who all give convincing performances even if only brief.

Something goes wrong and Lee Weathers, played by Kate Mara, a corporate risk assessment manager is sent to do more than just investigate. Taking telephones orders from a Brian Cox who seems to have similar authority as his character in the Bourne saga. There's an eerie sense of conflict amongst everyone and there's even a hint of jealously from Mara's character.

Things go from bad to worse when Paul Giamatti comes to evaluate Morgan's behaviour and the film steps up a gear. Not that it's slow, it's paced very well, introducing each of the characters and then snowballing to the finale before you figure out what's happening. However, I figured it pretty early on, being suspicious of certain characters. If there was meant to be clever twist, it didn't work for me though still a good story and reminded me of Bourne.

There's a moral point here about genetics and human rights though not entirely thought provoking as the film's displays why compassion for Morgan is threw out the window. The finale is great with both Mara and Morgan showing their true colours.

I might be missing something, but could there be a hint at the film Hanna, as there's mention about the Helsinki incident. But there's nothing else to indicate that this is fact. It's very similar indeed, and the end gives away a larger picture.

There's a good score from Max Richter adding to the sinister backdrop of the movie, however I wouldn't as far to say this film is a horror. Eerie, and maybe a little suspenseful perhaps but not scary. It's quite cold, emotionless in parts, but that's possibly deliberate. It's a worthy watch and a great job by Luke Scott but it's not unfamiliar territory and nothing entirely original.

Running Time: 8 The Cast: 8 Performance: 8 Direction: 7 Story: 6 Script: 6 Creativity: 7 Soundtrack: 7 Job Description: 7 The Extra Bonus Points: 5 for being on point for a feature debut. Looking forward to seeing more from Luke.

69% 7/10

This is a very good movie. The bad reviews focus on expectations. Morgan is not a blockbuster by any stretch but it is clearly above average fair for sci-fi flick. It deserves better than the 5.8 on IMBD's scale and much better than the bad reviews listed here.

This movie will not give you many philosophical questions to ponder about when it comes to the morals of AI, instead we get a pretty run of the mill movie with good performances from Ana Taylor Joy and Kate Mara, whereas the rest of the characters were very forgettable. It's a slow start but picks up after a while!

I would recommend this movie if you are a fan of the actors or the subject of AI.

I don't understand why this movie garnered so much hate from some of the reviewers here. I can only assume it is as a reviewer by the name of BB mentioned, they simply don't understand it.

I'm not going to draw lengthy comparisons between Morgan and Ex Machina, or reminisce about the director's credentials. (Seriously, just go count how many butt hurt Ex Machina reviewers you can spot here. It's annoying, guys.)

I'll simply say this:

1. It's a decent movie, on it's own, and deserves a watch.

2. It's listed as a Horror movie. It is not a horror movie.

3. I guess some of the acting could be better. Overall, it's really not that bad.

4. It has elements that Ex Machina lacked. It's fast-paced and there are actual action scenes. It's not as drawn out either.

5. I am disappointed that Paul Giamatti only appears in one scene. Also, Taylor-Joy was an interesting choice for Morgan. I look forward to seeing her in the upcoming Split.