Morbius attempts to be both horror and superhero cinema, yet lacks the style and flair required of each genre. Jared Leto does his best, yet even his efforts cannot make up for a subpar script which wastes a talented cast.
Following the successful release of two Venom movies, Morbius will expand Sony’s extended Marvel universe.
Jared Leto
Jared Leto’s work in Morbius feels like an opportunity missed. The film follows a scientist with a rare blood disease who spends his life searching for a cure while maintaining relationships with wealthy childhood friend Milo (Matt Smith). But when he finally succeeds, his success comes at the cost of becoming an insatiable bloodthirsty vampire obsessed with eating human flesh.
This movie begins promisingly enough, offering some intriguing body horror scenes and intriguing glimpses into Morbius’ transformation, but quickly degenerates into predictable and dull boredom – complete with unconvincing decisions, bad villains, and an incomplete good/evil dichotomy that provides no payoff whatsoever.
What really hurts this movie is its lack of compelling characters. Morbius may have an interesting backstory in the comics, but here he comes across as just another generic hero more interested in taking down vampire villains than discovering anything about himself or finding ways to control it.
Leto gives his all, but is held back by an overly forced script which forces him to deliver his lines monotonely. Leto’s performance would have been much more impactful had it been more natural; while Smith, seemingly plucked straight out of Sony Spider-Man Universe and unconvinced about his villain role. Additionally, Leto and Smith’s performances are severely limited by clunky dialogue and slow pacing which further diminish the film. As such, the resultant movie comes across more as being produced out of a superhero factory rather than entertaining its audience members.
Will Smith
Morbius finally hit theaters on April 1. The film centers around Michael Morbius, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist suffering from an incurable blood disease who develops synthetic blood to save lives but at the cost of becoming a deadly vampire himself. Morbius must decide if his newfound power justifies any human losses associated with this invention.
Daniel Espinosa’s Life gives Morbius an intense darkness while keeping the action moving at a rapid pace. He makes some interesting visual choices, like showing Morbius’ superspeed as an invisible trail left by himself and his enemies behind, or showing Morbius and others’ echo-location powers ricocheting off walls across cityscapes.
Though the film does suffer from some pacing issues, it remains an engaging sci-fi thriller. Smith shines once more as his performance brings depth and personality to a character with no backstory or context; all other cast members contribute well enough but don’t stand out as truly outstanding performances.
If you like superhero films, this movie is definitely worth your while. Contrary to critics’ claims, it isn’t as bad as they claim – though certainly no great masterpiece like most cheesy crap released today!
Morbius offers some memorable moments, yet ultimately feels like just another generic Marvel spin-off. While not as bad as last year’s lackluster Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Morbius doesn’t bring anything new or fresh to the table either; reaching for more of a Jekyll and Hyde narrative but ultimately opting for an uninspiring origin story with limited bite.
Al Madrigal
Director Daniel Espinosa’s adaptation of Marvel comic book Morbius fails to rise above its unsatisfying origin story. While both script and performances (Leto in particular as teeth-baring monster scientist) are strong, the movie never fully delivers due to too much exposition and logistical confusion; characters’ ethical dilemmas often serve as window dressing instead of making meaningful arguments for action or change.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to relate to the storyline in this film. The highlight is undoubtedly Jared Leto’s memorable performance as Morbius as he undergoes his transformation into an evil vampire – something which violates medical ethics and threatens humanity at large – making this experiment particularly horrifying and also giving Jared Leto ample screen time as Jareth Leto plays out its effects as it appears from behind a pair of teeth-baring vampires.
The film suffers from its lack of focus, striving to be both horror and thriller films but failing on both counts. Special effects are laughably cheap; perhaps its only modern cinematographic touch are Morbius’ footprints left in the snow that reveal trails of digital “smoke.”
Al Madrigal, who plays FBI agent Alberto Rodriguez in the film, has come out in defense of it despite its poor critical reception. As one of his stars in I’m Dying Up Here (known for being on The Daily Show and also hosting multiple comedy specials) Al is quick to defend it as not as bad as everyone claims it to be.
Tyrese Gibson
Morbius takes risks while simultaneously employing a more intense approach than its predecessor venom movie. While its predecessor was lighthearted and humorous, this one takes an altogether darker route with body horror elements and disturbing imagery, which add a refreshing change of pace from most comic book movies. Unfortunately, however, its script and supporting cast remain weak; though Jared Leto, Adria Arjona and Matt Smith all play their parts well without contributing any real energy or humor into this one.
Though the story of a mad scientist’s experiment in bargain-bat creation is gripping enough, the plot becomes bogged down with endless dialogue about his quest for blood – though never completely explained – it appears that being transformed into a vampire has given him an insatiable thirst; his only source of comfort comes in form of Dr Martina Bancroft (played by Arjona) having an intimate telepathic link with their beastly creation.
Though the CGI of a skinless vampire is technically impressive, it wasn’t enough to save this film from becoming an absolute disaster. Jared Leto looks bored throughout and lacks the charisma needed for his role. Additionally, most of the other cast members seem disengaged while most action scenes remain boring and nondescript.
Though its story itself is captivating, its delivery is marred by an awkward script and uninspired direction that make for an unappetizing viewing experience. Additionally, too much emphasis was put on Spider-Man and Adrian Toomes throughout this movie, almost making you self-aware about its place within Sony Universe – thus leading you to avoid this film entirely.
Michael Arjona
Morbius is an ineffective blend of uninspired action and monotone performances from Jared Leto as scientist-turned-bloodthirsty vampire Morbius; even his performance can’t salvage this underwhelming entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe.
Dr. Michael Morbius is a brilliant scientist suffering from an obscure blood disorder who dedicates his life to discovering a cure for it. When he finally succeeds, however, the treatment turns him into a bloodthirsty vampire; therefore he must battle both urges to drink blood as well as help his friend Milo who also took the cure and has become maddened.
There are a few lovely visual touches in The Deathly Hallows: Morbius Rises that stand out, such as its use of vapor trails to show Morbius flying through city streets and subway stations, and his use of echo-location powers aboard an international ship (a nod to Nosferatu director F.W. Murnau). Unfortunately, however, Morbius himself remains largely unlikeable and inoffensive throughout; neither his personality or humor come across strongly in the movie itself; ultimately no matter its creator.
Overall, the story lacks any discernable narrative logic or emotional resonance; only a handful of scenes provide any sense of character development; the rest is just a series of uninteresting superhero tropes with laughably bad vampires (particularly Morbius himself) with poor CGI face work that looks laughably fake.
Morbius stands out for one reason only: its cast. Adria Arjona and Matt Smith bring some much-needed life to an otherwise dull script; unfortunately their talents are wasted on such an unimaginative and lifeless film as Morbius – it will quickly be forgotten about.