Morbius is an intriguing horror flick which seems designed to generate sequels. Starring Jared Leto (who played an intriguing Joker in House of Gucci and has shown remarkable accent work here), Morbius feels as though it operates without any conscious decision-making from its makers.
As such, the struggle between hero and villain seems to have taken a backseat in this story.
Plot
Morbius is an uninspiring film that fails to engage viewers. The plot revolves around Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), whose life-threatening blood disorder prompts him to undertake a dangerous experiment in search of a cure; extracting vampire bat DNA and mixing it with human blood, hoping its natural anticoagulants might work as a miracle treatment; after animal trials he injects himself with this serum resulting in superhuman speed, strength, and an unquenchable thirst for blood that he injects himself, only later to discover superhuman speed, strength, strength, speed as well as thirstiness for blood that causes him an extreme thirst that will never quells!
Morbius struggles to control his newly acquired powers and suppress his instinct to drink blood, striving to find balance between good and evil but his efforts are complicated by becoming a vampire with a bloodlust. Unfortunately, characters remain underdeveloped while plot holes abound – there are no interesting twists or turns in the narrative, nor any examination of moral implications in its decisions by this film.
Director Daniel Espinosa attempts to build tension through slow motion and an ominous soundtrack, yet his film never rises above being dull and lifeless. Too much time is devoted to scenes which don’t contribute anything meaningful to the plot and action sequences are marred by poor editing; camera movements appear random while characters using vapor trails make their movements look more like video game characters than in real life.
Jared Leto shines brightest as Morbius, making an impressive showing as an engaging scientist seeking to assist humanity, yet aware that his physical condition could soon turn against him. Working at Horizon Labs in New York alongside Dr. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona), funded by Milo (Matt Smith).
The rest of the cast is less impressive; Adria Arjona seems disengaged from much of the movie and her character doesn’t come across very strongly; Tyrese Gibson and Al Madrigal seem underused as bickering cops; though their performances may be serviceable they cannot overcome its subpar script.
Acting
Morbius is an average superhero movie that is well acted but ultimately lifeless on screen. The plot follows many of the same tropes seen in 90s comic book movies-a tortured hero, an antihero turned foe villain, an attractive scientist/heroine and an older actor as father figure-but now that Marvel Cinematic Universe exists these tropes have either been removed from or improved upon with other stories (Guardians of the Galaxy for instance) while DC has upped their game with The Batman and more recent and engaging releases such as The Batman.
The film’s premise is intriguing, yet its execution falls flat both in terms of action and drama. Director Daniel Espinoza attempts to add some excitement with some well-executed set pieces and uses visual effects to show his titular hero’s abilities (watching his echo-locating powers bounce off walls as he tracks a heartbeat is especially fun to watch).
Unfortunately, the story falls flat as it struggles to find its identity. Jared Leto does a competent job playing Michael as the protagonist – fulfilling the Tragic Hero archetype as he battles first illness and then vampirism – but this performance won’t endure in my memory bank. Michael and Milo switch roles repeatedly from being friends to enemies as both view vampirism as either an opportunity or curse.
Jared Leto has become one of the most divisive actors of recent times, from his Oscar-nominated performance in Dallas Buyers Club to playing Super Mario-like Paolo in House of Gucci. While Leto did an adequate job carrying Morbius on his own, Tyrese Gibson and Matt Smith outshone him significantly; their antics provided much-needed comic relief that upheld an otherwise subpar movie; unfortunately the rest of Leto’s cast could not elevate this otherwise forgettable film either, leaving audiences disinterested or disengaged altogether.
Visuals
Morbius aims to be both an origin story and action/comic book film, but unfortunately fails in both regards. Its characters are uninspiring and predictable while its action sequences lack energy and vibrancy – not to mention several plot holes that will leave viewers bewildered.
This movie’s fast pace was meant to hide its faults, but it doesn’t work. The script lacks energy or spark and Jared Leto’s performance is subpar at best; his character being an ineffective superhero hard for audiences to connect with. Additionally, digital effects jarringly distract from action scenes making them look incomplete and incompletely shot.
Like its predecessor, Venom 2 features some gripping body horror and bloodier imagery than is typically found in comic book films, as well as more grisly Easter eggs from Marvel which could confuse audiences as to where this movie fits within the greater Marvel universe. Furthermore, there are strange mid and end credit scenes which don’t add anything new or contribute towards its story arc.
Cinematically, this film suffers from its dismal black-on-black cinematography which only serves to add further tension and suspense. Unfortunately, its haunting visuals fail to engage or impress audiences and lack dramatic flair that’s necessary in vampire flicks. As the hero flies past New York City skyscrapers, there’s no grand gothic cinematography; rather it feels more like a cheap Spider-Man knockoff. Unfortunately, Sony’s Spider-verse continues its disappointing track record with films. Studio has yet to find its footing with this universe, and it is unfortunate that such an intriguing concept has been hindered by such poor execution. Hopefully they’ll bounce back and release something truly great; until then Morbius should probably be avoided at all costs; perhaps better off sitting on your Blu-ray shelf rather than watching in theater.
Story
Morbius never quite stood out as a major presence in the Marvel Universe despite having an extensive history as an antagonist to Spider-Man, until Sony bought up all his rights and gave him his own movie. Unfortunately, though Morbius doesn’t quite meet up to other Marvel films;
Daniel Espinosa (Life), this film attempts to combine dark vampire story elements with sci-fi action; unfortunately, its outcome is an uneven and confusing blend. Jared Leto tries hard in his role of Dracula but is given little substance from which to work with; Milo, another vampire bitten by ingesting a serum, is far more engaging; though even with more compelling writing and direction this could have been even more engaging.
Many influences can be seen here, from 2003’s Daredevil to X-Men 2 and Joker. Unfortunately, all that influence is lost on its lackluster, soulless screenplay and direction by Espinosa. His attempts at keeping to a PG-13 rating can only make the movie worse in my view.
Pacing issues exist throughout, with lengthy scenes depicting Morbius interacting with his colleagues and labmates that never quite make sense, while in the final act there appears to be little effort made in wrapping up their plot quickly as resources ran low and needed to wrap it up quickly.
Morbius may have its flaws, but that doesn’t preclude its charms entirely. There are some good moments and competent performances, yet it can be hard to get excited about a movie with no unique identity of its own; Morbius seems like a mishmash of movies such as Blade, Alien and various horror- and superhero-themed flicks which leaves some talented actors unappreciated by being featured herein. It would have been much better off as something entirely separate.