Morgan

Luke Scott made a movie the same way I wrap a tent into its bag. I presume there must be some methodology to packing it more simply, more sensibly, without risk of damage, but in the interests of saving time I always find myself stuffing it in with my knee anyway, stomping on it with my foot, always managing in the end to cram a four-person shelter into a small carry-on, and with the last zipper unzipped I breathe a proud sigh of relief and feel like I've accomplished everything that was asked of me. Well, Morgan is the result of the same thinking, only in a film. This system can pay off if you’re pulling together a dynamic thriller with clear points A and B (The Gamer, Running Scared), but not if you’re trying to build a constant atmosphere of moral-ethical ambivalence with a big ba-dum-tss at the end that even the biggest Jindra Hojer figures out before the halfway point. Then suddenly, all the supporting characters are reduced to two or three simple expository scenes before the plot explodes, so the second half degenerates into a simple slasher ending (geez, in my last review I wrote the exact same thing about Alien Covenant, I guess it must be a raised-on-Ridley Scott thing) with the obligatory B-grade fight scene like in the golden days of Renny Harlin. It's probably obvious that if I had the desire to make a sci-fi about identity, an artificially created new evolutionary link, the road would be longer and muddier. (01.09.2017)

Guilty pleasure AF. An exceptionally well put together B-movie with an almost needlessly good cast. So what can you expect – especially after watching the well edited trailer – but something more ambitious, or at least more serious? Well, Morgan is neither very ambitious nor serious (though I’m afraid that the creators sometimes believe it is), but I chose to ignore that and had fairly good fun, to the point that I was surprised. The bonus is the most stupid group of scientists that’s ever been on screen (they will make you retroactively appreciate Prometheus!), and the almost pointless – though unexpected – final twist. If every bad film was as good as this, the world would be so beautiful! (02.12.2016)

I felt cheated.  I was led to believe this was a horror film but no matter how hard I looked, I found no elements of the horror genre. Then again, it wasn’t boring, even though I could hear the script desperately gasping for air at times. Watching the actions of the research team sometimes felt like watching a comedy. The plot did manage to surprise me, though. The downside was the cast. I expected much better from such a line-up. (13.01.2017)

Obviously more was expected from a horror film directed by Ridley Scott's son, but you have to start somewhere and I have little reason to grumble. On the plus side, the cast is very decent by B-movie standards. Young star Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch) shines the brightest, but the rest of the more familiar acting faces are a joy to watch as well. The idea itself is interesting, I didn't find it too stupid, just not particularly intelligent either unfortunately, but the film is enjoyable to watch, the pacing is decent, the visuals are good and I liked the final killing sequence, even if the gore was pretty sparse. Based on the lukewarm reviews I expected worse, in the end I'm even surprised how watchable Morgan is. There's also an unexpected twist at the end. Story 5/10, Atmosphere 6/10, Gore 4/10, Visuals 7/10, Action 6/10, Suspense 6/10, Humour 0/10. Entertainment 7/10, Scares 0/10. (06.12.2016)

K Morgan attracted me thanks to my favorite Anya Taylor-Joy, but the film puzzled me a bit, and with the main roles, it's a bit tricky (perhaps the first film where my former favorite Kate Mara didn't excel as usual). Of course, all the proper reviews discuss the character of the director from the famous family, and although there are soon to be judgments about unfulfilled expectations, from a purely technical point of view, it is a suspenseful B-movie that kept me entertained throughout the entire duration, and I was pleasantly surprised by various plot twists several times. I warmly recommend the movie to horror fans. Also, it's not often that you see so many familiar faces in supporting roles. (22.08.2017)