It’s the third film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) with Jared Leto taking on the role of the Living Vampire. Our J.P. gives his take on “Morbius,” also starring Matt Smith and Adria Arjona.
Morbius
Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
- Directed by Daniel Espinosa
- Written by Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless
- Produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Lucas Foster
- Starring Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, Tyrese Gibson
Studio Synopsis:
One of the most compelling and conflicted characters in Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters comes to the big screen as Oscar® winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?
J.P.’s Take:
After being set back for release for a couple years, another silver aged Marvel comic character finally sees the light of day (so to speak) on the big screen. “Morbius” has been given new life and makes its debut with a bit of a different spin on the characterization found in the “Spider-Man” comic series.
First introduced in “The Amazing Spider-Man” #101, Dr. Michael Morbius is a known adversary to the webbed one. Later on in the comics, he was more of a vigilante, who allied himself with Spider-Man and other heroes. Here on the “silver screen,” Ph.D., M.D. Morbius is now a victim of circumstance, which plays upon a different dynamic for the screenplay. We find he’s the misunderstood “living vampire” than horrifying blood sucking creature. The setup sees young Michael as an ailing child with a rare blood disease, whose life is spent in a hospital for children with special needs. There he befriends another boy named Lucien, whom Michael nicknames Milo, who suffers from the same disease.
Within the nearly two hours running time, there is an odd juxtaposition of context in the way this film plays out its tale. The movie first opens with Dr. Morbius (actor and musician Jared Leto) on an expedition in Costa Rica to research vampire bats for a cure to his chronic ailments. It’s an unsettling scene, especially if you don’t like bats, but, in the long run, you’d be quite disappointed with this unconventional way of storytelling. In other words, the lore building would be for naught and the consequences thereafter would be mute. Personally, I felt they could have saved the opening sequence for a later time in order to create an effective way to reveal the coming of Morbius.
With this also being Marvel’s horror show, it could have become the type of vampire movie say along the lines of “Blade,” but it made rather generic choices in how the vampire antics transpired. We get a good eyefull of Leto’s transforming into the vampire like creature and it is alarming to watch. That scene reminds me of the graphic scenes in “American Werewolf in London,” where the transformation that took place. However, this could have been a chance for director Daniel Espinosa (“Safe House,” “Life”) to truly emphasize the grueling and slightly gorier (or grittier) aftermath of Morbius’s reign …. even more vampire jokes would have been nice. Unfortunately, the safe route was taken here and again we miss out on something more terrifying, although I did get a charge out of how he discovered and utilized his abilities here.
Many moments felt rushed as well, like the enamored sibling like relationship between Michael and Lucien / Milo (Matt Smith, “Doctor Who,” “The Crown”) that quickly spiraled into a vengeful one. The budding romance between Dr. Morbius and his counterpart Dr. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona, “6 Underground,” “Pacific Rim: Uprising”) seemed undefined. Again, to me, its moments that should be allowed more time to ruminate. Other moments I found just as curious, if a bit odd as well, is when FBI agents Stroud and Rodriguez (played by Tyrese Gibson and Al Madrigal) are out investigating murder scenes. When confronting Morbius in prison to find answers, he begins to turn. While he tries desperately to contain his transformation, the agents don’t seem heavily phased by what’s happening in front of them. It’s those kinds of off kilter situations that don’t help sell the terror that awaits. With wave of bodies, drained of their blood and being left out in the streets and tunnels, you’d be asking yourself shouldn’t these agents be more concerned … even frightened? Those scenes could have really been taken advantage of, instead of the nonchalance.
On a good note, Jared Leto doesn’t leave his character. Leto has the uncanny ability to take Morbius and turn him into his alter ego. You can see the inner conflict within him as he struggles to keep his Jekyll & Hyde personality under wraps. Almost as if he’s enjoying the pain and suffering he’s inflicting upon his brethren, Matt Smith as Morbius’ surrogate brother also takes center stage when he goes from debilitated and brilliant financier to grotesque villain. Yet, the time span in which this happens all seems like a flash in the pan, because it happens so quickly that you feel like you’ve missed something.
Visually when it comes to the battles scenes, we get a muddy mess of things. For the life of me, I can’t understand why scenes, which are created to provoke a visceral response from the audience, turn out to be a visual jambalaya. I couldn’t bare to watch most of them.
I give praise to Leto, Smith, Jared Harris (as Dr. Emil Nicholas), Arjona, Gibson, Madriga, and Corey Johnson (Mr. Fox) for their vital performances. Michael Keaton makes a cameo as well, as this connects with “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” However, when it was all said and done there wasn’t much else for them to do.
While “Morbius” adjoins the “Spider-Man” / “Venom” universes, this served as a better intro than “Venom.” I’m giving “Morbius” my lukewarm endorsement on the count that it’s the unconventional vampire/hero hybrid tale. It has the look, even some visual elements of a horror flick, without the flinching horridness, which is something I would have also loved to have seen. Yet, the filmmakers really could have further drawn out the allegorical drama of brotherhood, the romance between Dr. Bancroft, and what it means to be the monster on the outside with a hero’s heart on the inside. Stay tuned for more during end credits.