Directed By:
Daniel Espinosa
Written By:
Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Roy Thomas
Starring:
Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Michael Keaton, Adria Arjona
Genre:
Action, Adventure, Drama
Rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, some frightening images, and brief strong language
All media used courtesy of Columbia Pictures, Marvel
World-class cinema.
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You still there? Ok, good. Had to do an Aprils fool prank seeing as firstly it’s April Fools and secondly because Morbius is a bloody joke. Starring Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius, who suffers from a crippling blood disease but gifted with a brilliant mind. He has been searching his entire life for a cure for his disease, and after attempting to cure himself with bat-infused blood, becomes a vampire dependent on blood. This is the newest Sony/Marvel film in the same universe as Venom, but still completely unreferenced or utilized in the incredible animated Spiderverse. This is a continuation of the Spider-Man Villains turned anti-hero’s, but what makes Morbius unbearable is in it’s unoriginal, narrative regressing story that sets the genre back to the early 2000’s.
We remember (or those of us around for Superhero films this long) how inconsistent the quality was in Marvel and DC films during the late 90’s-early 2000’s. Morbius feels like it could be ripped from that time, with stale characters, over-serious tone from our main character that almost becomes farcical, and visual effects and character choices that boggles the mind. Jared Leto may have unintentionally given audiences the worst Marvel & DC films from the current era. It’s honestly not even his fault, because the films true main saboteurs are its writers.
Leto brings his passion to the character no doubt, but with very little support for his interpretation. Matt Smith plays Michael’s old friend, also disabled. He feels like he’s in an entirely different movie- one I honestly felt more drawn to than the one currently playing. Tyrese Gibson is completely misused as the straight guy in his cop duo, and the underutilization of Jared Harris is almost unforgivable. The music almost blatantly rips off Batman Begins theme, the story is tired, and the set ups this film tries to do feel like they were thrown in out of nowhere. Don’t expect a lot of what you see in the trailers to be in the film.
Don’t waste your hard-earned money on this. I promise, as a critic who actually enjoyed Venom and even Venom: Let There Be Carnage, this is not good. If you see it on a streaming platform and have some time to kill and want to share in the conversation sure, go for it. Otherwise get some garlic, holy water, and RUN.