Since the dawn of storytelling, a common trope can be found throughout cinema: man creates monster. Monster becomes more powerful than its creator. Monster manipulates and eventually outsmarts and overpowers the creator. You know the story.

In a similar fashion, “Morgan” tells the tale of an artificially created human-like being who’s sick of living in her captive state. Morgan is a highly intelligent, fast developing new type of human species created in a laboratory by a team of scientists, yet she is emotionally incompetent and proves to have a vicious streak because of it.

After an incident where Morgan lashes out against one of the scientists, and stabs her repeatedly in the eye, a member from the corporation funding the project comes to evaluate safety. The corporate representative decides that Morgan should be terminated because of her unpredictable violent outbursts, much against the wishes of the scientists who created her. However, Morgan has other plans, and she uses this as a means to escape her confines and embark on a murderous rampage.

So is “Morgan” a good movie? Yes and no. There is no doubt that “Morgan” is a well crafted movie with an interesting premise, good pacing, and excellent acting. Up and coming actress Anya Taylor-Joy is perfectly cast as the quiet and naive Morgan, who, at the drop of a dime, transforms into a raging sociopath when she doesn’t get her way.

Another highly commendable thing about “Morgan” is that it provides a thought-provoking commentary on the ethical ideals of creating a humanoid creature, and if said creature should have the same fundamental human rights as we do. With the ever-progressing field of science and genetic engineering, we may have the answer to this question sooner rather than later.

However, from producer Ridley Scott, director of science fiction classics like “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” and most recently the Oscar-nominated film “The Martian,” I guess you could say I expected a little more. While “Morgan” is a decent science fiction film in itself, the premise is just too overdone. In fact, a movie called “Ex Machina” shares a very similar concept, focusing on an artificial intelligence android that tries to escape the confines of its cell. Similar to “Morgan,” the A.I. manipulates the scientist and human it interacts with, and it eventually exacts its revenge after escaping from its cell.

While watching this movie, my mind kept wandering back to “Ex Machina.” “Morgan” seems to have the same exact feel as “Ex Machina” did, right down to the sets, character development, costumes, plot points, and sometimes even how the characters looked. “Morgan” seems to piggyback off the ideas of this and other similar movies, but, in a way it does effectively create something different. While it is not blatantly retelling the same story, it does leave a familiar feeling, making you say “haven’t I seen something similar to this before?”

Would I recommend “Morgan”? I would say yes. To reiterate, it is not a bad movie whatsoever, just know before you go that this is not a “game-changer” in the field of science fiction, and you’ve probably seen something very similar to this movie before. But, if you are a fan of Ridley Scott’s other filmography, or even films like the aforementioned “Ex Machina,” you will without a doubt find some sort of enjoyment while watching “Morgan.”