Directed by Daniel Espinosa, Morbius follows brilliant biochemist Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) who is desperately trying to cure himself and others of a rare blood disease that is slowly killing him. But when his newest experiment for a cure involving vampire bats goes wrong, he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead.
(Small spoilers below.)
This is the latest Marvel villain solo film to come out after the two Venom films as part of Sony’s strange villain-verse of films. Despite poor critical responses to the Venom films, they both have a huge following and I enjoy both of them a lot despite their faults. But now we are being introduced to another Spider-Man villain that isn’t as popular as Venom but is certainly one of the most unique foes to be given his own film.
The film has endured quite a lot of mixed criticism before its release on account of lackluster marketing, massive delays, rumors of massive studio cutting, and confusing universe placement due to the number of connections to other franchises. But even with all of this, I was still willing to give this film a chance because everything deserves a fair shot and there could be something worth seeing. Was I expecting something perfect or masterful? Not really, but I was at least expecting something competent or entertaining or even surprising. After watching the film I can definitely say it was surprising.
It was actually not as bad as critics and other people have made it out to be. I dare say there were things that I enjoyed in this film. But at the same time, there were also a lot of issues that can be all pinned on one guilty party: Sony. The main issue this film suffers from is that it is very mangled and rushed; it feels like the studio took a chainsaw to the original cut of this film, taking out so much that it goes all over the place. Many scenes featured in the trailer aren’t remotely present in this film, and many scenes felt incomplete, like they originally had more to them.
The story is easy to grasp but was arranged very poorly, especially in the editing department, to the point where some scenes seemed to overlap each other and things jump frantically from place to place. Everything was messy and on overdrive in terms of how it’s all put together, but even among the mess there is actually a decent film to be found. The main characters for instance were good, thanks to the dedicated performances by their respective actors.
Jared Leto was extremely solid as Morbius, who is written as a tragic anti-hero. While I wish we could have had more insight into his life leading up to when he gains his vampiric powers. I felt invested in his story and he has great potential to be a complex character who is unique in Marvel’s universe. Leto brought to life a character who doesn’t seek fame or glory but wishes to cure himself and others of a horrendous disease in any way possible, and then ends up struggling with the consequences of what he unleashed. This is something I believe the film and Jared Leto really wanted this film to be about but was never given enough breathing space to do so. Also, I have to say his vampire form looks incredible, not only nailing the comic accurate look of the character but also a truly terrifying beast in action.
Opposite of him we have Matt Smith as Milo who shares a great relationship with Leto’s Morbius but also manages to steal the spotlight when he ends up becoming the film’s primary antagonist. He absolutely committed himself to his role, relishing being the bad guy when he is given a taste of power that he’s never had in his years of suffering the same disease as Morbius. He might not be the most layered villain we have had but he was definitely a fun and creepy one with great energy.
Adria Arjona gives a good performance as Martine Bancroft who really goes out of her way to help Morbius and be his moral compass. She was someone I wish we had more time with because she had the potential to be more than a side character. Same goes for Jared Harris’s character, who from trailers seemed to have a more major role in Morbius’s life. And as for the two detectives played by Tyrese Gibson and Al Madrigal, they were fine but again it felt like a large number of their scenes were cut, making them rather forgettable.
When it comes to how this film is directed it is a visually pleasing film that has mostly great action, great cinematography, and very interesting effects. When not held back by janky editing there are some really beautiful shots in this film that make some scenes feel almost like a full-on horror, including when Morbius first transforms and the hospital hallway scene that felt very well crafted.
The main highlight however is the vampiric powers of Morbius which have such a unique visual flair that is different from portrayals of vampires in other films. His heightened senses and echolocation are undeniably cool and his superhuman movements are speedy yet smooth and stylish with beautiful trails of colors. These effects made the action very satisfying to watch and felt very different compared to the typical vampire teen shit we’ve seen over and over again since Twilight happened. It felt like real vampires were back on the big screen again and I cherished every moment of it.
Music-wise the score is decent and adds more to some of the scenes but isn’t all that memorable.
Now as for the two post-credit scenes involving Michael Keaton’s Vulture that have been subject to controversy on the internet, I am personally mixed about them. On the one hand, I’m happy to see one of my favorite MCU villains return, seemingly put on a new journey that has interesting potential, but on the other hand, there is a lot of explanation that needs to be given for why he is where he is now. I can’t really go much more into it without spoiling, but my hope is that they clear up things so that people can feel at ease.
Morbius had the potential to be better and I could see a good film here and there, but it felt like Sony messed around with it big time, to the point where the product came out really messy. I do wish to see more of what happens to the character though, since the film and Jared Leto’s performance made him intriguing to me. There’s an opportunity here worth exploring under better hands. I don’t think everyone will like this film but I will still recommend watching it for some of the things I’ve listed, and it is by no means the worst comic book film ever made as so many media headlines have been saying. I’ve seen much worse than this but I have also seen much better. I’m going to give Morbius a C+ = 79.
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