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[Review] ‘Morgan’ Offers a Beautiful, Tightly Contained Thriller

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MORGAN

We first reported about Morgan back in early 2015. After that, it took over a year before we heard anything else about the sci-fi thriller/horror, which stars Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) in the title role. The first trailer hooked me immediately and I wrote that it showed me, “…just enough to make me want to know more and nothing else.”

Since seeing footage of the film, I knew that I would be seeing the film. But when I heard that Morgan essentially tanked this past weekend shocked me. I knew that it wasn’t going to be the number one film of the weekend but I also felt that it was at least going to be in the top five. I guess the marketing machine for the film failed as it entered the box office report in the stunningly dismal 17th place with only an estimated $1.6 million take.

Because of this news, I made it my mission to go out and see it, to support a horror thriller that I originally thought had a strangely Alien vibe. While that feeling didn’t hold, I did get to enjoy a solid thriller, one that wasn’t afraid to put its characters in difficult positions.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS DISCUSSED IN THIS REVIEW

The plot of Morgan is simple in concept but becomes more complex as the movie progresses. The way it was promoted was that a, “…corporate troubleshooter Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) is sent to a remote, top-secret location, where she is to investigate and evaluate a terrifying accident. She learns the event was triggered by a seemingly innocent “human,” who presents a mystery of both infinite promise and incalculable danger.

The reason Weathers is sent to the complex where the experiment is taking place is because Morgan attacked and seriously injured one of the team members (Jennifer Jason Leigh). The reason for this attack was because Morgan, who was normally allowed to go outside, had this privilege taken away from her and Leigh was unable to get it reinstated. Weathers is called in after this incident to understand if the project has derailed and whether it’s financially worth it to continue. This sparks contention between Weathers and the Morgan team, who have been living there for several years and have grown from a group into a family, something they stress many times over.

As Weathers’ investigation of Morgan continues, we begin to realize that her creation wasn’t just to see what science could accomplish for the betterment of humanity. Rather, there is something more nefarious at work here and Weathers herself is not who she claims to be. As these revelations come to light, the movie ramps up the tension and all hell breaks loose.

Speaking of Morgan, she herself is a mix of organic and computers, her “impregnation” done via IVF and many of the cells are nanorobots that attach to organic matter and impart their “knowledge”, creating a mix of machine and human. This doesn’t mean Morgan is like a Terminator, with actual metal inside her. Instead, her skin has a strange silver tint and her fingernails stand out whenever shots of her hands appear. That’s really about it in terms of what sets her physically apart.

Visually, Morgan is absolutely gorgeous. Morgan herself “lives” in what is essentially a cage. Sure, it has some nice amenities and is very spacious but there is no mistaking that it’s meant to contain her. The glass wall she and the scientists can see/communicate through is like an aquarium pane and she is the “pet”. All scenes that take place in the compound are cold and bereft of any sort of intimacy. However, the complex is surrounded by a forest that is gloriously shot. It’s not just the camera that revels in the beauty of nature but also the characters, which makes it all the more understandable why Morgan is frustrated and upset that she can’t go outside.

Speaking of Morgan’s frustrations, the film opens with the attack on Leigh and it is shot in such a way that we don’t see the gore but we hear and see enough to know that it’s devastating. It’s not an easy moment and can definitely make some people feel squeamish, especially if you’re against damage done to eyes.

However, after that terrifying scene we are shown footage of Morgan as a child, her innocent curiosity and playful nature on full display. She smiles and laughs as the scientists play with her and celebrate her unprecedentedly fast growth. The music and warmth of these shots made it very easy to become conflicted about Morgan. From the very beginning, we know she is dangerous. These images though show a different side of her, one that makes you want to care for her. You want to empathize with Morgan and see her find happiness and joy in something as simple as visiting a nearby lake (something that was promised to her). This conflict was only exacerbated by Taylor-Joy’s fantastic acting. She embraced the role and demonstrated a wonderful approach to a character who is adult in sight but a child mentally.

A small disappointment I had was that the eerie childlike lullaby we heard in the first trailer (embedded above) was not present during the film itself. That’s not to say that composer Max Richter (Shutter Island, Waltz with Bashir) didn’t offer some real gems, although there were some cues that were a bit heavy-handed, but I really wanted that piece in the film.

Okay, here’s where I’m really going to lay out some spoilers, so avoid reading this if you don’t want me to ruin the experience for you.

The twist in the movie is not just that Morgan is a genetically engineered human that is meant for military purposes (hell, I figured that out well before she snapped) but also that Weathers isn’t really a “corporate troubleshooter”. Instead, she’s something very much akin to Morgan

Morgan is part of an initiative called “L9”. There is a lot of mention of the “L9” program, so we, the audience, are clued into the fact that there have been several iterations beforehand and this is simply the next step in the company’s investigation. At the end of the movie, we’re shown high up corporate officials discussing the preceding events and it’s mentioned that Weathers is part of the “L4” program. Essentially, everything we’ve witnessed was actually part of a much larger experiment to see which iteration was more combat effective.

End spoilers

At the end of the day, Morgan is effectively efficient and adds its own take on themes explored in movies such as Ex Machina and Splice. It felt a bit restrained at points and some scenes came off a bit too on-the-nose but Scott has proven that he can create something emotional, tense, and exciting.

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Managing editor/music guy/social media fella of Bloody-Disgusting

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SCREAMBOX Investigates UFOs and Extraterrestrials: Several Documentaries Streaming Right Now!

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As someone who is obsessed with UFOS (or more recently known as UAPs) and the concept of extraterrestrials, I love a good documentary. Sightings have been on the rise since the 1940s, with the atomic bomb seemingly acting as a catalyst for new visitors. But what are these UFOs/UAPs? Is there an explanation or are they simply beyond our explanation? Why are they here? Who are they? How much do our governments know? The questions are endless and so are the documentaries that attempt to uncover the secrets behind decades of sightings and alleged confrontations.

Whether you’re a seasoned viewer or new to the rabbit hole, there’s always a handful of interesting documentaries to get your neurons firing and leave you with sleepless nights. SCREAMBOX is investigating with the addition of several docs, all streaming now on the Bloody Disgusting-powered service. Here’s the breakdown:

Aliens (2021): Beam into this unidentified streaming documentary for a glimpse into Extraterrestrial life. Aliens are hypothetical life forms that may occur outside Earth or that did not originate on Earth.

Aliens Uncovered: Origins (2021): Before Area 51, hidden deep in the desert, the military discovered a hidden gem that helped them create Project Bluebook.

Aliens Uncovered: ET or Man-Made (2022): The crash of Roswell wasn’t meant for New Mexico. In 1947, a neighboring state had 3 major sightings that were swept under the rug.

Aliens Uncovered: The Golden Record (2023): In the late 70s, the US government launched a message to our distant neighbors.

Roswell (2021): This high-flying documentary examines the July 1947 crash of a United States Army Air Forces balloon at a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico. Theories claim the crash was actually that of a flying saucer, but what is the truth?

Also check out:

The British UFO Files (2004): Since the 1940’s the British Government has been investigating the Flying Saucer phenomenon. High-ranking military and government personnel, speak out for the first time, offering unique eyewitness accounts and inside information.

Alien Abductions and Paranormal Sightings (2016): Amazing Footage and stories from real people as they reveal their personal encounters of being abducted by Aliens.

And do not miss Hellier (2019): A crew of paranormal researchers find themselves in a dying coal town, where a series of strange coincidences lead them to a decades-old mystery.

These documentaries join SCREAMBOX’s growing library of unique horror content, including Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls, Here for Blood, Terrifier 2, RoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCop, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, The Outwaters, Living with Chucky, Project Wolf Hunting, and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

Start screaming now with SCREAMBOX on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Prime Video, Roku, YouTube TV, Samsung, Comcast, Cox, and Screambox.com.

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