Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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SEPTEMBER 21-27, 2016 UCW 55 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Post Modern Prometheus II Morgan (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS Morgan (92 minutes) reminded me of both Splice and Ex Machina, without being able to match their better realized concepts. This was extremely frustrating, because I wanted so much to love what I watched. I generally enjoy films that make me question the nature of humanity, and this film had so much potential. Ultimately, that potential remained unrealized. Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) works as a "risk-assessment" specialist for a company that specializes, more or less, in creating the replicants from Blade Runner. Mara, probably still trying to atone for the catastrophe known as Fantastic Four, does her level best to play the character as coolly efficient and self-contained. Her foil is a human hybrid owned by the company, called Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy). Morgan exhibits rapid growth without appropriate moral development. Her handlers include Dr. Lui Cheng (Michelle Yeoh) and Dr. Simon Ziegler (Toby Jones) as well as Dr, Amy Menser (Rose Leslie) and Dr. Kathy Grieff (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Lee arrives following an unfortunate incident. Morgan has attacked Dr. Grieff, stabbing her in the eye repeatedly with a pen…either because Dr. Grieff was the bearer of bad news or because Morgan sat through Jason Leigh's Hateful Eight performance. Lee tries to have a coherent conversation, first with Dr. Menser, then with Dr. Grieff, but that doesn't go so well. Probably because they are both coming across as mentally unstable, making me wonder what sort of screening process is used to decide who gets to work with experimental new life forms. They are both extremely protective of Morgan, explaining that even though she appears mature she is only 5-years-old and not yet fully socialized. Which, point taken, doesn't put the eye back in Dr. Grieff 's socket, now, does it? Lee agrees to meet with Morgan, who is also displaying precognitive abilities— something that is briefly mentioned without having any real impact on the plot. Perhaps it was intended as a red herring, or meant to provide rationale for the way that Morgan responds to events later in the film? I wish the psychic powers subplot had been developed in the script as either a source of subtle influence on her handlers or a way for Morgan to infer their intentions or true feelings towards her. As it is, when she lashes out it tends to justify the company's intent to kill her rather than illustrating the value of her as an individual intent upon preserving her own life. A company psychologist, Dr. Alan Shapiro (Paul Giamatti) arrives, but he sucks at his job. He sets the final act into motion, which is where the story really fell apart for me. The Morgan vs. Lee fight isn't satisfying and the big twist at the end was, frankly, neither as big, nor twisty, as the writer probably intended. If I cannot say this is the little film that could, at least I can say this is the little film that tried. Now showing at Patriot 14 + IMAX. HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. SEPT 9 - OCT 2, 2016 PRESENTS Co-Producers: Anderson Creek Club, Brown & Associates Investment Services, Cape Fear Center for Digestive Diseases, Will Gillis, Up and Coming Weekly, & The Wright, Cobb, Tilghman Group FOR TICKETS: Call 910.323.4233 Buy Online at www.cfrt.org Buy Tickets Today at 910-323-4233 or visit www.CFRT.org. $i. 50 Drink, Every Day, All Day! $i. 50 Drink, Every Day, All Day! $i. 50 Popcorn. Every Day All Day! $i. 50 Popcorn. Every Day All Day! $i. 50 Popcorn. Every Day All Day! $i. 50 Drinks. Every Day, All Day! $i. 50 Drinks. Every Day, All Day! $i. 50 Drinks. Every Day, All Day! $2.00 before 6:00 p.m. $3.00 after 6:00 p.m. $1.00 extra for 3D MOVIES Movie Monday: $1.50 All Day(Holiday or 3D movies excluded)