WhenVenomfirst hit theaters in 2018, setting up a sort-of side universe for Spider-Man’s many villains, its style didn’t necessarily turn many heads, but the comedic, off-kilter relationship between Eddie Brock and his symbiote companion was enough to carry an otherwise generic superhero film.Morbius, unfortunately, doesn’t have the name recognition of Venom, nor does the film feature the same kind of campy, scene-chewing performance from its main character. It’s all the worse for it.
This is the third entry in Sony’s MCU-adjacent superhero universe, coming on the heels ofthe mostly-deridedVenom: Let There Be Carnage. While there are no symbiotes in this movie and (almost) no mention of the webhead himself, rest assured thatMorbiusis still part of previously established canon. Whether that will help the character in the future remains to be seen.
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The titular Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) is a doctor afflicted with a rare blood disorder. In his quest to find a cure, one he has derived from vampire bats, Morbius essentially turns himself into a vampire, albeit more of a “science vampire” than a “horror vampire.” Due to this condition, the doctor must consume human blood (or artificial blood that he created) in order to stave off his more monstrous instincts.
Leto turns in a surprisingly restrained performance given the source material he’s working with. In his human form, Morbius is quiet, contemplative, and just a little bit cocky. If anything, he comes across a bit too much like a stock character, with no real defining traits besides his intelligence and his morality. Leto is a fine actor, and regardless of how anyone feels abouthis version of the Jokeror his turn in the recent docudramaWeCrashed, it’s hard to deny his talent. So why is he given so little to work with in this film?When Morbius is in his vampire form, he’s mostly just a lump of CGI, denying Leto the chance to show off his chops where it matters.
This lack of characterization is a problem that plagues the entire movie. Tyrese Gibson plays Simon Stroud, a character featured regularly in the comics alongside Morbius, but anyone unfamiliar with the source material would be forgiven for not realizing this character’s significance. Gibson and Al Madrigal are mostly just stuck in the role of cops investigating the string of vampiric murders. Similarly, Adria Arjona is given very little to do as Martine Bancroft, which is made even more egregious by the fact that she is just about the only female character in the movie. Jared Harris, playing Emil Nikols, feels like an afterthought, serving mostly as caretaker/father figure to Morbius andMatt Smith’s Milo.
Smith is clearly having the most fun here, relishing the opportunity to play a villain. He previously brought a level of menacing charm to his character inEdgar Wright’sLast Night In Soho,but here he is really cutting loose. He’s fun to watch when he’s going full vampire, but his transition from childhood friend to nemesis is so abrupt that it’s hard to really feel any tragedy behind him and Morbius facing off against one another.
Those vampiric fight scenes, however, have no teeth. They are mostly a blur of dark, incomprehensible CGI, broken up by the occasional dash ofZack Snyder-esque slo-mo.In fact, most of the action in the movie is marred by some pretty lackluster direction and effects. It’s clear that rather than trying to integrate any practical stuntwork, theMorbiusteam instead chose to go with almost all CGI. This gives the action that familiar sense of weightlessness, all motion blur and no impact. That also applies to the representation ofMorbius’s echolocation power, which is rendered using particle effects that look like they could have been made by any amateur VFX artist on YouTube.
The PG-13 rating also guarantees mostly bloodless violence, even with slashed throats and bodies torn apart. Obviously, this movie was never going to go for a hard-R rating, but it’s odd that it would then choose to highlight the violence so clearly instead of relying more on tension and what isn’t shown.
At just over 100 minutes,Morbiusmoves pretty quickly, and yet for all of its pacing, it never really feels like all that much is happening in the story. This is an origin movie of the highest order, and it would feel refreshing after so many superhero movies tossing their origin stories to jump right in if it wasn’t so rote. It essentially hits all the familiar beats, including the discovery of new powers (which is done with a lot of telling and not quite enough showing) and never really bothers to be anything more. It also ends rather abruptly, with some minor teases for future appearances.
Of course, the big question on most viewers' minds has to be “is this movie connected to Tom Holland’s Spider-Man?” The answer is a resounding “kind of.” That’s not necessarily a spoiler considering how much the advertising forMorbiusprominently featuredMichael Keaton’s Adrian Toomes/Vulture, who is indeed in the movie, but not in the capacity that audiences might expect. As for all of the other clues from trailers, anyone watchingMorbiusmay be disappointed at the overall lack of Easter eggs, especially ones that seemed to be promised in the film’s trailers.
Morbiusisn’t quite the worst blockbuster to hit theaters recently, but it might just be the most forgettable. Despite a serviceable lead performance, the rest of the movie never really feels all that significant.Much likeVenombefore it,this feels like a movie out of time, more suited to the pre-MCU era than 10 years afterThe Avengerschanged everything about superhero storytelling. As much as it might want people to think, especially with its post-credits scenes,Morbiusis not essential viewing. By its conclusion, it feels more like Sony trying its best to revive a concept that died on the vine afterThe Amazing Spider-Man 2. Judging by the performance of this living vampire, that might not be the best idea.
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Morbius
Morbius stars Jared Leto as the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius set in the Sony Pictures Marvel universe. Afflicted with a terrible illness since his youth, Michael has struggled until he met his new surrogate brother, Lucian, nicknamed Milo (Matt Smith), who shares the same disease. The two bond over the illness, and years later, Michael discovers a potential breakthrough by using a unique gene in vampire bats. When the experiment proves to be a success, it cures Michael of his ailment - however, it also turns him into a bloodthirsty vampire. While Michael aims to curtail his bloodlust, his brother, who has also taken the cure, does not share the same empathy. As a result, Michael will have to manage his powers while trying to stop his brother’s murderous rampage.
