Morgan

Luke Scott (son of Ridley) makes his directorial debut with this sci-fi thriller set in a top-secret remote facility—a decrepit mansion located deep in the woods—where risk-management consultant Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) is sent to investigate and evaluate a scientific experiment gone awry. Classified as a prototype, Morgan is a bio-engineered organism made from synthetic DNA. Although chronologically five years old, Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy) looks like a pale and precocious teenager. Wearing a gray hoodie, pants, and sneakers, she appears androgynous, with a sulky, childlike innocence that belies her remarkable physical and intellectual abilities. Morgan has been painstakingly raised by a devoted team of scientists, led by Drs. Lui Chang (Michelle Yeoh) and Simon Ziegler (Toby Jones), a psychoanalyst (Rose Leslie), and their hunky nutritionist/chef (Boyd Holbrook). Recently, however, Morgan inexplicably turned on a behavioral psychiatrist (Jennifer Jason Leigh), brutally stabbing her in the eye. Weathers and consulting psychiatrist Dr. Alan Shapiro (Paul Giamatti) must now determine whether Morgan should be terminated. Working from a thin script, Scott is unable to prolong the initial sense of unease and eerie intrigue, descending into bloody stalk ‘n' slash carnage in this artificial-intelligence thriller that pales in comparison to Alex Garland's Ex Machina. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Luke Scott, the behind-the-scenes featurette “Modified Organism: The Science” (20 min.), Scott's 2012 short film “Loom” (20 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), a stills gallery, and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD and digital copies of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (S. Granger)