Morgan

Morgan bears all the hallmarks of late-summer, genre-based counterprogramming — which is not always a bad thing. Unfortunately, it also bears all the hallmarks of a nepotistically achieved directorial debut — which almost always is. As with similar cinematic scions Max Landis and Jason Reitman, the films of Luke Scott will inevitably draw comparisons with his father’s canon. The real problem with Morgan is that it compares so unfavorably.

Ridley Scott might have been able to do something with this pulpy story of A.I.-augmented assassins had he taken on more than just producing duties. But it’s doubtful, as the proceedings are hamstrung by a stupid script and an even stupider twist ending. Playing like a much dumber Ex Machina (2015), Morgan is what happens when character development and narrative take a backseat to a gimmicky premise that some lazy writer thought sounded clever. (That writer would be Seth W. Owen, penning his second feature script. The first was some nonsense called Peepers (2010), an alleged comedy about a group of voyeuristic Canadian teen sex offenders who clearly missed the boat on that whole internet porn thing. So, I guess this latest film constitutes a step up?) While it’s a common screenwriting tactic to seed climactic plot turns early in a script, this twist isn’t so much seeded as it is transplanted, root ball and all, into the first act. If you can make it halfway through this movie without guessing how it ends, you might not be as disappointed in the narrative as I was — and I envy your lack of cynicism. That being said, were the film only deficient in the story department, it might not have earned my unmitigated scorn. It isn’t, and it does.

Morgan manages to miss the mark in almost every capacity. It’s a purported psychological thriller almost entirely lacking in psychological dimension. It’s intended to include some action elements but sports some of the worst fight sequences this side of Gymkata (1985). It’s got a solid cast that is utterly wasted, with all the disposable redshirts you’d expect from an 80’s slasher movie but none of the sex. Most damningly, Scott the Younger tries to favor style over substance without a sufficient understanding of either, leading to a film that’s as directorially confused as its story is vacuous.

Kate Mara amounts to little more than a prop in the role of corporate risk assessor, possessing an emotionless monotone, a bad pantsuit and a knack for moving the plot forward arbitrarily. Anya Taylor-Joy is similarly squandered in terrible makeup and an oversized hoodie to hide said makeup. (If it sounds like I’m unduly criticizing the leads’ respective wardrobes, it’s solely because this film’s dearth of characterization doesn’t leave me with a whole hell of a lot else to mention.) Jennifer Jason Leigh and Toby Jones are both criminally underused as well. The only actor who delivers anything resembling an actual performance is Paul Giamatti, but his lone scene comes and goes so quickly that you’ll barely have time to appreciate his unabashed haminess. Seriously, what kind of a filmmaker casts Michelle Yeoh and then fails to use her in any of his obligatory fight scenes? It boggles the mind.

Luke Scott may well develop into a fine filmmaker one day. After all, he’s got the resources and connections to keep trying despite the fact that Morgan boasts the seventh-worst box office of all time for a film opening on more than 2,000 screens. As it stands currently, if the director was trying to fill his father’s Blade Runner (1982) shoes, he screwed up badly enough to warrant a lengthy time out. “Don’t let it out,” reads the promotional tagline for Morgan, and I can’t help but wonder if that might not have been an inside joke from studio execs who would’ve rightly shelved this turkey were they not afraid of pissing off the director’s dad. But they should have been reminded that, in addition to a few unquestionable classics, Ridley Scott has made a boatload of flops in his time. Sometimes the nut falls close to the tree in all the wrong ways. Rated R for brutal violence and some language .

Now playing at Carolina Cinemark, Carmike, Regal Biltmore Grande, Epic of Hendersonville