MOVIE REVIEW: SPLIT (2017)

From IMDB: 

After three girls are kidnapped by a man with 24 distinct personalities they must find some of the different personalities that can help them while running away and staying alive from the others.

76 Metascore From metacritic.com

Reviews 10 user | 36 critic

From Rotten Tomatoes:

While the mental divisions of those with dissociative identity disorder have long fascinated and eluded science, it is believed that some can also manifest unique physical attributes for each personality, a cognitive and physiological prism within a single being. Though Kevin has evidenced 23 personalities to his trusted psychiatrist, Dr Fletcher, there remains one still submerged who is set to materialise and dominate all the others. Compelled to abduct three teenage girls led by the willful, observant Casey, Kevin reaches a war for survival among all of those contained within him - as well as everyone around him - as the walls between his compartments shatter apart.

Rating: PG-13 (for disturbing thematic content and behaviour, violence and some language)

Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan

Written By: M. Night Shyamalan

In Theaters: Jan 20, 2017, Wide

Runtime: 116 minutes

Studio: Universal Pictures

TOMATOMETER 81%

Average Rating: 7/10

Reviews Counted: 21

Fresh: 17

Rotten: 4

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

WANT TO SEE 97% want to see

User Ratings: 12,917

Meet Hedwig, he's nine. He likes to dance in his room to the music of his favourite singer Kanye West. ©Universal Pictures

M. Night Shyamalan might have gotten his groove back...

Okay, so Split, M. Night Shyamalan's 13th directorial effort and the 11th one that he also wrote. He's famous for his plot twists which worked real well in The Sixth Sense (1999) and in Unbreakable (2000) but then didn't in pretty much every movie after. His movies slowly became sort of a joke in that you know you're in for something weird and interesting but one where the weird might end up a little silly. Of course, I'm just exaggerating. 

This is Dennis. He's stern, is an OCD and he really hates it when things get dirty. ©Universal Pictures

So what's Split about? Well, by now you've probably seen the trailers so you know that it's about a man played by James McAvoy who suffers from something called Dissociative identity disorder or DID which was previously known as Multiple personality disorder (MPD) in movies they usually call those characters as having a split personality. In this case, Mr Kevin Wendell Crumb has 23 distinct personalities which have been identified by his long-term psychiatrist Dr Karen Fletcher (Betty Buckley). What Dr Fletcher doesn't know is that a few of these personalities have sort of taken over in order to prepare for the coming of what they refer to as The Beast. Part of the preparation, of course, is what you see in the trailer where one of Kevin personalities named Dennis kidnaps three girls, Casey Cooke (Anya Taylor-Joy), Claire Benoit (Haley Lu Richardson) and Marcia (Jessica Sula). As the film unfolds not only do you learn about Kevin, The Beast and his many personalities but also about Casey who has quite a story of her own. 

This is Barry. He likes fashion and has quite a talent for it. ©Universal Pictures

The likes.

• The story. It's really quite good and intriguing. You're really not too sure of what's going to happen. And each element to the story just reveals itself at the right time.
• The cast. The main characters that you'll be following are Kevin and his multiple personalities, Dr. Fletcher and Casey. James McAvoy is just amazing here. He plays each character so well and distinctly and he transitions between them so well. You can tell which personality has taken over just by looking at his face or body language. Anya Taylor-Joy is pretty amazing too. I've only seen her in one other film which was last years Morgan, and I was pretty impressed with her there too. Here she really gets to flex her acting chops and she's pretty good. And Betty Buckley was also just as good as you can sense her concern turning to suspicion of something wrong with her patient. 
• The music. Really provides ambience and drives the scene.
• The other cameo other than the one you expect of M. Night Shyamalan who shows up in all of his own movies. Very cool. 

The not so likes.

Hmm... let's see. I guess there are glaring plot holes but they really don't get in the way of the story or of enjoying the story. I'm sure there are things that a real movie critic can pick on and rip this movie to shreds but for me, at this very moment, I can't think of any. Maybe I'll fill this in when I think of something.

And Dennis kidnapped these girls because The Beast told him to. ©Universal Pictures

So there you go. A movie written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan that I actually enjoyed. I can remember when I last enjoyed an M. Night Shyamalan movie, it was The Sixth Sense ()1999) and Unbreakable (2000). The question I guess then is, is Split as good as those two? Hard to say, too much time has passed since then but on its own merit, it is good. Go for the story, go for James McAvoy who does an impressive job and looks like he's having fun doing it. Just go. It's been a long time since M. Night Shyamalan has done something this good. If you're wary, give him the benefit of the doubt and go read some of the other early reviews by actual movie critics. But from this casual movie fan, the verdict is in and Split is well worth the price of admission. 

I'm giving Split a solid 4 out of 5. 

Check out the trailer below.

A HUGE THANK YOU GOES TO BFM RADIO AND TO UNITED INTERNATIONAL PICTURES MALAYSIA FOR THE EARLY PREMIERE PASSES!!

MOVIE REVIEW: ANGUISH

From IMDB:

Tess is a teenage girl diagnosed with identity disorder, however that may not be the problem after all. Lucy, a teenage girl who's in the same town, and around the same age. The unlikely pair meet in a way that so few people actually understand, and usually misinterpret.

Reviews 10 user | 43 critic

From Rotten Tomatoes:

A new girl in a quiet town, Tess (Ryan Simpkins) tries to manage her psychosis while adjusting to her new life with her mom (Annika Marks). After stumbling upon the shrine of Lucy (Amberley Gridley), a hit and run victim, Tess finds herself overwhelmed by hallucinations of the dead girl and starts to question her sanity again. When the spirit possesses Tess's mind and soul, mother and daughter are at a loss for where to turn next for salvation: religion or medicine? Both institutions have failed them to date but faith leads them to the house of Sarah (Karina Logue), Lucy's mother, who has been despondent since the accident. All together with time working against them, Sarah is desperate to believe that Lucy is still alive in Tess but neither parent wants to give up on their daughter. Now that she understands what is happening to her, ultimately Tess must decide whether she wants to keep fighting or succumb to her affliction.

Rating: NR

Genre: Horror

Directed By: Sonny Mallhi

Written By: Sonny Mallhi

In Theaters: Dec 18, 2015 Limited

On DVD: Apr 5, 2016

Runtime: 91 minutes

Studio: Anguish Film

TOMATOMETER 50%

Average Rating: 4.7/10

Reviews Counted: 10

Fresh: 5

Rotten: 5

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

AUDIENCE SCORE 25% liked it

Average Rating: 2.4/5

User Ratings: 239

This is Tess she isn't like other teenagers. She hears and sees things. 

This isn't your typical thriller/ horror film...

So Anguish, not a new movie it had a limited release in the US last year before going to DVD and VOD. Written and Directed by Sonny Mallhi, this is his directorial debut after acting as producer on such films as The Lake House (2006), The Strangers (2008) and Oldboy (2013). If you're a fan of the genre you've either already seen this or have surely heard about it or even read the many, many reviews written about it. I am not a fan of the genre and didn't know anything about this film until I saw the trailer for it a few days ago. 

That is a picture of Lucy. She died in an accident. 

The trailer does a very good job of leading you on to believe that this is just another run-of-the-mill horror movie about demonic possession. 

Anyway, I'm not going to go into any details or background about this movie so I'm going to go direct to what I liked and didn't fancy much. 

No that's not a strange party game happening inside there.

What I liked.

• The story. It's interesting. Different. Not perfect but different.
• The cast especially the Ryan Simpkins who plays Tess. This movie isn't heavy on the dialogue but what it lacks is made up by Ryan's performance. Very subtle and dramatic. 
• The atmosphere. The lack or maybe refusal to use the tired old horror genre gimmicks and tricks to scare you. Instead this movie relies on building the tension with a slow visual pace accompanied by score and sound design. It works pretty well.
• The camera work was quite delightful. 
• The twists. When you've watched enough horror/thriller movies you sort of get a sense of what's about to happen. You can guess how things might turn out or will happen. This movie I think takes advantage of that. 
• The all female cast was a refreshing change. And with that refreshing change came an interesting difference when compared to other films of the genre, the way the situations is dealt with. 

And that's not a loving hug that she's receiving. 

What I didn't fancy much. 

• Right at the start they state that this is inspired by true events and also a statement about how mental illness is approached and treated in the U.S., this of course leaves you with a few preconceived ideas about what the story is about. So yes, Ryan does suffer from some form of mental illness but then when she gets possessed by Lucy (Amberley Gridley) and then we hear from Lucy's mom (Karina Logue) tell Tess's mom (Annika Marks) about how when she was younger she used to move a lot because of her missionary parents and that in India she witnessed a woman get possessed by spirits of the dead in order to give closure to those still living, I sort of wondered what the director is trying to say. What is the takeaway message or moral of this movie especially when you consider that opening statement in the beginning and the way the story unravels? I found that to be a little confusing.
• The pace. I sort of like it and hate it. This movie if you're not prepared for it, if you were expecting it to be like a lot of other films in the genre that was recently released then you may find it a little odd or maybe even disappointing. You might even find it a little tedious and dull because of its deliberate pacing. So be warned and be prepared. 

Closets and narrow hallways seem to be a favorite place that possessed people like to hang out in. 

Anguish is an unusual movie for the genre, it leads you on thinking you're going to get the same twists or the same plots and solutions but it doesn't. It feels like an Indie movie in many ways but there's that supernatural/horror/thriller element to it and also the different way the the characters and the story eventually resolves the situation. Anguish isn't for everyone. It certainly isn't for those looking for the usually supernatural/horror/thriller fare but if you're willing to give it a chance and are prepared for something different you might find yourself entertained. Anguish gets a decent 2.8 out of 5 from me.

Check out the trailer for Anguish below.

A GREAT BIG THANKS TO TGV PICTURES AND CINEMAONLINE.COM.MY FOR THE PREMIERE PASSES!!

MOVIE REVIEW: INFERNO (2016)

From IMDB:

Storyline

Academy Award® winner Ron Howard returns to direct the latest bestseller in Dan Brown's (Da Vinci Code) billion-dollar Robert Langdon series, Inferno, which finds the famous symbologist (again played by Tom Hanks) on a trail of clues tied to the great Dante himself. When Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones), a doctor he hopes will help him recover his memories. Together, they race across Europe and against the clock to stop a madman from unleashing a global virus that would wipe out half of the world's population.Written by Sony Pictures Entertainment

Reviews 10 user | 76 critic

From Rotten Tomatoes:

MOVIE INFO

Tom Hanks reprises his role as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon in director Ron Howard and screenwriter David Koepp's adaptation of author Dan Brown's bestselling novel Inferno, which finds Langdon using Dante's The Divine Comedy as a tool in the race to prevent a devastating global pandemic. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rating: PG-13 (for sequences of action and violence, disturbing images, some language, thematic elements and brief sensuality.)
Genre: Action & Adventure , Drama , Mystery & Suspense
Directed By: Ron Howard
Written By: David Koepp
In Theaters: Oct 28, 2016 Wide
Runtime: 121 minutes
Studio: Sony Pictures

TOMATOMETER 24%
Average Rating: 4.3/10
Reviews Counted: 33
Fresh: 8
Rotten: 25

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

WANT TO SEE 97% want to see
User Ratings: 17,878

INFERNO OPENS IN THE U.S. ON THE 28th OF OCTOBER AND IN MALAYSIA ON THE 13th OF OCTOBER. TO FIND OUT WHEN IT OPENS NEAR YOU CLICK HERE. 

The movie doesn't start here but Mr. Langdon's troubles in Italy certainly does. ©Columbia Pictures

A movie where you spend most of the time in rooms, hallways, museums with the occasional walk outdoors... 

First a caveat, I have not read any of Dan Brown's books nor have I seen any of the previous films adapted from his books. But I do know what they are about. 

So Inferno, the fourth novel in the Robert Langdon book series and the third film in the series directed by Ron Howard. If you follow the books you'll know that Inferno is the fourth in the series, and if you've followed the films as well, that the films don't follow the release sequence of the books. If Ron Howard and the studios had followed the books then what cinemagoers should have seen first would be Angels & Demons (2009) before The Da Vinci Code (2006). And if you really are a fan you'd be wondering why they skipped over another book, The Lost Symbol (2009), to make this one. I have no answers for you on that. 

And within the few hours that transpires between that evening and when he wakes up in the hospital the bad guys manage to put amazing visions inside his head. ©Columbia Pictures

Anyway, on to the film. If you haven't read the book or seen the trailer or read the descriptions for it up there then let me try to briefly inform you of what it's about without ruining the whole story for you. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) finds himself in a hospital in Florence, Italy being attended by a Dr Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones). He has no memory of the past 48 hours and has no idea of even traveling to Italy. Just as he is about to get his bearings a woman dressed as an Italian Carabinieri (Ana Ularu) tries to kill him and they both escape finding refuge at Dr. Sienna's apartment. 

The next day, going through his belongings they discover a biohazard canister with a thumbprint scanner on it. Langdon puts his thumb on the scanner and voilà it opens to reveal a carved piece of human bone with a projector in it. Turning on the projector reveals an image of Dante Alighieri's conception of hell. But someone has altered it somewhat. They find a name on the image and a quick search on the internet leads them to a man named Bertrand Zobrist (Ben Foster). Putting what they know so far they guess that he may be planning to release a virus that would kill well over half of the world population. They decide to call the American Consulate. 

Which eventually ends up with him in some strangers apartment with a tiny projector built into a piece of human bone. ©Columbia Pictures

Their call to the consulate brings about a man named Cristoph Bouchard (Omar Sy) and his swat team to the apartment. They are from the W.H.O. The pair manage to escape and Bouchard has to face an unhappy Dr. Elizabeth Sinskey (Sidse Babett Knudsen) who tells them to try harder. At the scene also is Vayentha, the policewoman who tried to kill them at the hospital, her employers too are unhappy and she is given clear instructions to complete her mission or face harsh consequences by a man she calls "The Provost", a man named Harry Sims (Irrfan Khan) the head of a secret security organisation that provides unique solutions. 

So as Langdon tries to piece together what has happened to him in the last 48 hours as well as try to solve the clues that he finds in one museum after another, taking trains and planes from one country to another, he also has to contend with numerous people trying to chase after him. And he has no idea who is trying to kill him or help him. 

With a clue that leads them here, trying to look for tiny words in huge paintings. ©Columbia Pictures

So here's a few things I sort of liked.

1. Tom Hanks. As always his performance is a pleasure to watch. 
2. The museums. Always cool to see these places and especially the areas you don't usually get to see as tourist. 
3. The art/museum pieces. Always nice to learn something about them. 
4. Using Dante Alighieri's Inferno. It was sort of cool. Sort of interesting.
5. The camera work and the visuals as well as the editing. Interesting work. Kept it feeling tense and dramatic but not all the time though. 

Then at another place looking for something that he had stolen but couldn't remember. ©Columbia Pictures

A few things I wasn't impressed with.

1. The story. It started off interestingly enough but soon became a little dull and tedious. Having characters that have been introduced as either being professionals in their field or being a child prodigy obsesses with history and whatever else Robert Langdon is interested in and then having historical facts and trivia mentioned among them in the most inane way just so that the audience is informed of something just makes it all so stupid and silly.
2. A few things were really hard to believe. That someone could have a specific amount of time erased from his memory temporarily so completely and have it replaced with very specific imagery and visions in a few hours. That the W.H.O. has a paramilitary section that can do whatever it needs to do unhindered by local enforcement. That a brilliant scientist/billionaire can create the deadliest and fastest spreading virus ever and decides to put it in a big clear plastic bag and hides it almost in plain sight under less than a feet of water. That a museum housing some of the world's greatest artifacts doesn't do a full walkthrough/check of it's displays at the beginning and end of the day and that there are no anti-theft measures installed. There's more. All of it made it hard to get into the story.
3. The dialogue was so trite and unimaginative let alone intelligent. 

A valuable death mask that someone had vandalized but somehow the museum that displayed it didn't discover. ©Columbia Pictures

Inferno didn't turn out to be the tense intelligent action thriller that I was expecting it to be. It started of somewhat promisingly but quite quickly deteriorated into a tedious Where's Waldo search where the parents are right there telling you where to look. Was it like this in the previous two films? Are the books like this? I did check out the reviews and ratings of the previous two films and it would seem that Inferno is no different from the others. If the books aren't like this then I'm wondering if it's the fault of the film makers for dumbing it down to please what they think fans of Dan Brown's book enjoy. If those and this film is what Dan Brown's fans enjoy and think is good then.. 

And also they get chased around by a drone. ©Columbia Pictures

In the end I was far from entertained. Too many hard-to-believe situations occur in this film that made it hard for me to really get into it and enjoy it. In fact it made enjoying Tom Hanks difficult. I can only give this a 2 out of 5. If you're a fan of the first two films and actually enjoyed them maybe you'll like this one too. If you're a fan of Dan Brown's book maybe go see it. If you've neither read the books or seen the previous films, you can give this a miss.

Check out the latest trailer for it.

A BIG THANKS TO KLIPS.MY AND SONY PICTURES MALAYSIA FOR THE PREVIEW PASSES TO INFERNO!!

MOVIE REVIEW: THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (2016)

From IMDB:

The Girl on the Train is the story of Rachel Watson's life post-divorce. Every day, she takes the train in to work in New York, and every day the train passes by her old house. The house she lived in with her husband, who still lives there, with his new wife and child. As she attempts to not focus on her pain, she starts watching a couple who live a few houses down -- Megan and Scott Hipwell. She creates a wonderful dream life for them in her head, about how they are a perfect happy family. And then one day, as the train passes, she sees something shocking, filling her with rage. The next day, she wakes up with a horrible hangover, various wounds and bruises, and no memory of the night before. She has only a feeling: something bad happened. Then come the TV reports: Megan Hipwell is missing. Rachel becomes invested in the case and trying to find out what happened to Megan, where she is, and what exactly she herself was up to that same night Megan went missing.

47 Metascore From metacritic.com

Reviews 10 user | 64 critic

From Rotten Tomatoes:

Rachel, devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the seemingly perfect couple who live in a house that her train passes every day, until one morning she sees something shocking happen there and becomes entangled in the mystery that unfolds. Based on Paula Hawkins' bestselling novel.

Rating: R (for violence, sexual content, language and nudity)

Genre: Drama , Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: Tate Taylor

Written By: Erin Cressida Wilson

In Theaters: Oct 6, 2016 Wide

Runtime: 112 minutes

Studio: Universal Pictures

TOMATOMETER  52%

Average Rating: 5.7/10

Reviews Counted: 66

Fresh: 34

Rotten: 32

Critics Consensus: Emily Blunt's outstanding performance isn't enough to keep The Girl on the Train from sliding sluggishly into exploitative melodrama.

WANT TO SEE 98% want to see

User Ratings: 15,169

THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN OPENS IN THE US ON THE 7th OF OCTOBER IN THE U.S. AND ON THE 6TH OF OCTOBER IN MALAYSIA. FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD FIND OUT HERE.

Meet Rachel, she's recently divorced and has a substance abuse problem... ©Universal Pictures

There are two other movies with the same title but you won't have heard of the other two...

In fact, I didn't even know they existed until I did a little search to find out about this movie. Truthfully, I didn't know about this movie until I knew I was going to watch it and I didn't know there was a book first either. So I saw this movie last night which means it's been a full 24 hours since I saw it. It opens today in Malaysia and in a little over a day in the US but if you've been curious about this movie I'm guessing you've already read some of the early reviews for it. My opinions of this movie won't diverge all that much from the general opinions found in those early reviews. 

Rachel on her daily commute sees Megan and begins to fantasize about who she is and the type of life she has. ©Universal Pictures

The book written by British writer Paula Hawkins was first published in January 2015 quickly became a bestseller and debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Fiction Best Sellers of 2015 list and remained at the top until April. Then about a year later it again went to the top of the best sellers list but this time reviewers began to comparisons between it and Gone Girl, claiming it to be the next Gone Girl. Gone Girl too became a movie in 2014 and went on to be nominated for several awards. Gone Girl was an incredible film. You can read my review of it here. 

She also passes the home of Tom and Anna. Tom used to be her husband and their house used to be her home. ©Universal Pictures

Unlike Gone Girl which took a bit more time to be picked up by the studios, DreamWorks Pictures acquired the film rights to the novel before the book was even available to the public in March 2014. By January 2015 while the public was falling in love with the book and putting it on the best sellers list, Erin Cressida Wilson was already working on the films screenplay. In May of the same year Tate Taylor was hired to direct and in the following months various actors and actresses were rumoured to be part of the production. Among them included Emily Blunt, Kate Mara, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Jared Leto, Chris Evans, Édgar Ramírez, Justin Theroux, Allison Janney, Lisa Kudrow, Luke Evans and Laura Prepon. Of course not everyone was available to be part of the final film. 

Then one day she decides to get off the train after a particularly bad day. ©Universal Pictures

So if you haven't read the book and have only seen the trailers then the only other clues you have regarding what this movie is about are the two things that are mentioned above, that it's the new Gone Girl and the title that mentions a girl on the train. With regards to Gone Girl this film shares a few similarities I guess. The tone of the two films are pretty similar. The two films have a gritty and tense atmosphere. They both throw all sorts of details at you to try and throw you off the path of the true criminal. Both use a fair bit of sex in the film to add another layer of complexity to the characters and their situations. As for the girl on the train, Emily Blunt plays the central character who rides the train from her home to work and back and is the one is the link to all the main players in this mystery. 

After which she gets a little visit from a detective. ©Universal Pictures

So here's what I enjoyed about the film.

1. The story wasn't too bad. Played out pretty nicely but if you were paying attention you could about two thirds of the way in figure out what really happened and who the culprit really is.
2. Emily Blunt is pretty amazing. 
3. Visually. Scenes nicely played out and paced. Tate Taylor and Charlotte Bruus Christensen did a pretty good job of keeping the scenes tense and gritty. 

After the detectives' visit Rachel decides to help this man out. ©Universal Pictures

A few things I didn't fancy much.

1. The balance between the characters or something like that. Emily Blunt was amazing but the others sort of were not. 
2. Things ended up being too melodramatic at times. Didn't suit the scenes so well or the film overall.

But in the end she's back on the train. ©Universal Pictures

Overall this was a pretty good story to watch, it was tense and as things played out you were kept guessing. But to compare it to Gone Girl is to flatter this movie a little too much. If I were to say how similar or close to Gone Girl this film is I'd probably say about 60% maybe. The thing or person that really drives this film is Emily Blunt without her I don't think this film would be as entertaining or watchable. But since I did enjoy it I'm going to give it a decent 3.2 out of 5.

Check out the trailer. 

MUCH THANKS GO TO BFM RADIO AND UIP MALAYSIA FOR THE PREVIEW PASSES!!

MOVIE REVIEW: MORGAN (2016)

From IMDB:

Storyline

A corporate risk-management consultant must decide whether or not to terminate an artificially created humanoid being.

52 Metascore From metacritic.com
Reviews 8 critic

From Rotten Tomatoes:

MOVIE INFO

A corporate troubleshooter (Kate Mara) is sent to a remote, top-secret location, where she is to investigate and evaluate a terrifying accident. She learns the event was triggered by a seemingly innocent "human," who presents a mystery of both infinite promise and incalculable danger.

Rating: R (for brutal violence, and some language.)

Genre: Drama , Horror , Science Fiction & Fantasy

Directed By: Luke Scott

Written By: Seth W. Owen

In Theaters: Sep 2, 2016 wide

Runtime: 92 minutes

Studio: Scott Free Films

TOMATOMETER 41%

Average Rating: 5.3/10

Reviews Counted: 22

Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 13

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

WANT TO SEE 92% want to see

User Ratings: 2,825

MORGAN OPENS IN THE U.S. ON THE 2nd OF SEPTEMBER AND IN MALAYSIA ON THE 1st OF SEPTEMBER. TO FIND OUT WHEN IT OPENS NEAR YOU CLICK HERE.

See that little girl in the hoodie? She's only a few months old. ©20th Century Fox

From the man who was the Second Unit Director on such films as Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) and The Martian (2015)...

So this is the directorial debut for Luke Scott who prior to this has worked as a Second Unit Director on his father's projects whom you can probably guess by now (if you hadn't read about it somewhere) is Ridley Scott. Those are pretty big shoes to fill. And considering how people/fans remember Ridley Scott more for his Sci-fi work e.g. Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982) than his other stuff e.g. Thelma & Louise (1991) and Gladiator (2000), I guess it isn't all that surprising that his first feature length film would be something Sci-fi then something period and epic like Gladiator. 

And that's Morgan about five years later trying to creep people out. ©20th Century Fox

Anyway, Morgan. What is Morgan? If you haven't read about it or seen the trailer then let me briefly try to clue you in without giving away the whole movie. Morgan is an artificially created human. She is the ninth iteration of the artificial human project created by a corporation for purposes which you will eventually discover at the end of the film. The difference between the L9 a.k.a. Morgan (Anya Taylor-Joy) and the others is how she is raised. The project helmed by Dr Lui Cheng (Michelle Yeoh) takes place in what appears to be an abandoned mansion in a desolate area surrounded by forest. She is assisted by Dr. Simon Ziegler (Toby Jones), Dr. Amy Menser (Rose Leslie), Dr. Darren Finch (Chris Sullivan), Dr. Brenda Finch (Vinette Robinson), Dr. Kathy Grieff (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Ted Brenner (Michael Yare) and Skip Vronsky (Boyd Holbrook).

Their first meeting. This mirroring thing happens quite a bit and it means something. ©20th Century Fox

The facility and the project runs smoothly for several years until one day approximately 5 years into Morgan's upbringing that she does something that raises questions at corporate headquarters. This is where the story begins. We are introduced to Lee Weathers (Kate Mara) who is making her way to the facility and as she drives there we hear her being briefed by Jim Bryce (Brian Cox) regarding her tasks ahead. 

Meet Amy and Ted. They've been there since the beginning and have done the one thing that scientist shouldn't have done. Get too emotionally involved with their subject. ©20th Century Fox

When she arrives she meets first with the scientist as the day progresses and discovers of course that they see no reason for her to be there and that they can handle and sort out what corporate headquarters considers a problem. But things quickly deteriorate when during a psychiatric evaluation with Dr. Alan Shapiro (Paul Giamatti) and after being provoked to reveal her emotions to certain hypothetical situations she jumps up from her chair and lunges towards the doctor and kills him in cold blood. Weathers watches all this with a clinical expression and soon after reports the events to headquarters. Headquarters instructs Weathers to oversee the destruction of the L9 and the closure of the facility. 

The decision is met with quiet disagreement with most of the scientist except for Dr. Cheng and they begin to hatch a plan. Little do they know that what they were planning to do isn't what Morgan wants to do. 

This is Dr. Shapiro, he's the last to arrive to the party but boy does he make things exciting. ©20th Century Fox

Hopefully that didn't reveal too much and now here's the list of likes and not likes. 

The likes.

1. The story. It's intriguing and unfolds very nicely. You're given enough to go on and the characters you meet give enough about what's going on and about themselves to move things along and a nice pace. You're not spoon fed everything and nothing comes in big chunks of exposition.
2. The visuals are beautiful and keep the story dark and tense. The camera work and composition of certain scenes and shots add to the complexity of the situation and probably tries to say something else as well. 
3. The performances. Kate Mara is brilliant. You don't know who she is and what she's about. She's cold and methodical but there's something else about her that just doesn't fit. You find out why at the end. Anya Taylor-Joy does a pretty good job as well considering this is her first major role in a feature length film. Her transition from almost robotic to a child unsure of what's going on is pretty good. Then there's Michelle Yeoh, it's been a while since I've seen her on the big screen and although she doesn't have many scenes she does each of her scenes beautifully. 
4. Seeing for the first time a movie in the Sci-fi/Thriller genre with a few huge fight scenes not involve a single male person was pretty awesome. Kate Mara finally got to kick some ass which she didn't really get to do properly in her role in that horrible Fantastic Four movie last year. And she did a really good job at it. Would love to see her in more roles like this. 

In The Martian directed by Ridley Scott, he had her running on a treadmill in a space ship. Luke decided to have her run in the forest instead. ©20th Century Fox

The not so likes.

The story is tense and gripping from the get go but about two thirds of the way in you can begin to guess what's in store in the end and what the little twist might be. And because of that it sorts of fizzles out in the end. It's not a bad end to the film but it's sort of predictable and not the building crescendo that you were probably hoping for. 

When you've been a bad experiment you have to be strapped down on a metal bed and then... ©20th Century Fox

All in all I thought this was a pretty enjoyable movie. It had an interesting and gripping story that kept you wondering about the characters and what was going to happen. Kate Mara was impressive as was Anya Taylor Joy especially when you consider that most roles like these don't go to young female actors and especially not to new ones. As for Luke Scott, I think he did a commendable job. The directing was tight and each scene added something to the story, the characters and the film. I think that he's got a pretty good future ahead. But and there is a but here, I don't think this movie will please everyone. But then again what movie ever does. I'm going to give Morgan a solid 3.5 out of 5. Interesting story, good cast, excellent first time out by Luke Scott.

Have a look at the latest trailer for Morgan here. 

A BIG THANK YOU TO THE FOLKS OVER AT BFM RADIO AND 20th CENTURY FOX MALAYSIA FOR THE PREVIEW PASSES TO WATCH MORGAN!