Too Many Scientists in the Lab | Morgan (2016)

Portentous reflections in the looking glass.

Dir. Luke Scott

As a science fiction thriller, Morgan does a decent job at creating a believable universe within which a fast-paced plot and interesting reveal weave a suspenseful cautionary tale concerning the ethics of using human DNA for genetic engineering.

Case in point is titular subject Morgan—an it, not a she, let’s be clear—a prodigious 5-year-old child, the product of a nanotechnology breakthrough that enhances normal human development. Now Morgan must be assessed by corporate risk management consultant Lee Weathers (Kate Mara), who, in light of a recent, violent incident, must determine if it’s time to abort the project before shit gets even more out of hand.   

            Morgan the film is about as claustrophobic as the chamber they keep Morgan the genetically-engineered child in, beautiful exterior shots of nature notwithstanding.  The aerial views of the treetops are majestic. Within the forest, the sequences are dreamlike and ethereal, some featuring magnificent depth of field and rich gradations of dappled light. The trees, the bees (well, their hives) and the lake represent a tapestry of nature—painting-like in its north Irish beauty—which serves as a gauge of the biological, whether organic or engineered, and which stands in stark contrast to the grey, clinical world that Morgan inhabits. It’s a prison that encompasses much more than just a cell. 

            More than the action, it’s the character-driven aspect of the film that carries it forward. To this end there is much to praise the emotionally-engaged science staff for. Toby Jones as Simon, Michael Yare as Ted and Vinette Robinson as Brenda each deliver captivating performances. Even farm-to-table house chef Skip (Boyd Holbrook) provides a spicy touch. 

As the project’s head scientist, Dr. Lui Cheng (Michelle Yeoh) is an elegant addition. She even dies in a manner more dignified than the rest, but before she croaks, well-ahead of the operation’s total collapse, she warns Lee, “We don’t want another Helsinki.” It’s an almost comic aside whose meaning turns out to be less about a Chernobyl-like meltdown than it does a kill spree in the style of And Then There Were None, the classic Agatha Christie novel.  

For her red-haired tom boyishness, behaviorist Amy Menser (Rose Leslie) is sexy, earthy, weak, weird, brave, loving and dejected. For all her stated expertise, she really runs an emotional gamut, not unlike each of Morgan’s victims upon coming face-to-face with their impending demise. 

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dr. Kathy Grieff turns in a less-caustic reprise of her role in The Hateful Eight (Tarantino, 2015). Paul Giamatti as Dr. Alan Shapiro, visiting albeit tardily to perform a psych evaluation, is particularly enervating, another player who gets his just deserves in a movie where everyone that dies doesn’t necessarily merit their fate.  

Anya Taylor-Joy as Morgan is entrancing, her eyes doe-like, her lanky, long body like that of a beautiful gazelle or teenage top model, shrouded in ath-leisure comfort. The future seems bright for this newcomer, star of The Witch (Robert Eggers, 2015), a “New England Folktale” whose natural environs could have easily played stand-in for those in this film. 

Though the trope is not unique, Morgan the movie comes out as a beautifully shot piece of entertainment, down to the reflections on the reinforced glass of Morgan the subject’s enclosure. Despite the fun factor—Lee kicks ass even while wearing high heels—one wishes to learn more about the world these characters inhabit and the sinister corporate machinations necessitating bioengineering projects like this one. Perhaps audiences will yet get a taste, what with that faint glimmer of hope for a sequel in Lee Weathers’ cold, dark-eyed stare at film’s end.