Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius in Morbius.Image: Sony Pictures
Morbius, the long-delayed next film in Sony’s Spider-Man universe, is like a pulseless roller coaster. There are highs, there are lows, there is a lot of disorientation, and you end up not upset with the ride but largely underwhelmed because you feel like it should have been better.
Oscar winner Jared Leto plays Dr. Michael Morbius, a wealthy, brilliant doctor who has spent his life trying to cure his very own rare blood disease. Which he eventually does. Except that the cure involves splicing human DNA with bat DNA and it turns him into a bloodthirsty vampire. The desire to kill people and suck their blood is bad, but everything else that comes with it is good: super strength, speed, enhanced movement and hearing. So Morbius decides he needs to figure out how to reconcile the two. Will he be a hero? Or will he become a villain?
dr Michael Morbius kills a mercenary. Image: SonyPictures
That’s the basic idea behind Morbius in the beginning, and after an initially interesting but ultimately confusing opening scene that never returns to the narrative, the film begins on that trajectory. We see Morbius as a young child, he meets another boy he names Milo who has the same rare disease, and eventually the two become rich and successful. Morbius wins a Nobel Prize for creating synthetic blood, and Milo…also grows up to do something remarkable. We don’t know exactly what, but we know it’s good because the older Milo is played by Matt Smith and he lives in a nice apartment.
As these relationships and characters are introduced, director Daniel Espinosa (Life) seems keen to explore all of the different dynamics. What it’s like to be someone fighting for your life and what it would be like to win that fight, even if it comes at a high cost. And finally, the idea of fighting between hero and villain seems poised to push the movie forward. However, at a certain point, shortly after Morbius has become a vampire, the film loses its focus. One bad story choice leads to the next. The rules and limits of these powers are never defined and eventually the story of Morbius trying to find his balance is pushed aside. Instead, he becomes a fugitive on the loose, and once Morbius ends up behind bars so does the film, as all character development is derailed in the service of narrative excess.
Matt Smith is the best thing about Morbius, period. Image: SonyPictures
The tide turns for a while as Matt Smith’s Milo rises to prominence. The film’s marketing has largely kept Smith out, but suffice it to say he’s far, far more pivotal to the film than the trailers would suggest. We’re not going to say exactly what happens, but if you had a lifelong best friend who you shared the same terminal illness with, and then one of you found a cure, cursed as it might be, well, you can start connecting them Points. Smith makes the most of his newfound importance to the film, enjoying every second he’s on screen with a comical hilarity that borders on parody.
It’s in these moments, though, especially when combined with the film’s deadly serious tone around it, that Morbius’ cracks really shine through. Smith’s Doctor Who-esque bravado versus Leto’s stoic intensity just leaves you wanting more of the former. More humor. More energy. More wow. This is a comic book movie, after all, isn’t it? And a “Wow” is definitely there. The visual effects driven action sequences in Morbius have a dynamic, unique way of attempting to quantify the vampire’s powers. They’re fluid and driving, almost like Venom’s spreadable cheese symbiote mixed with the dense battiness of Batman Begins. These scenes are rare, however, and certainly rank among the best beats in the movie, especially when it’s Leto’s Morbius battling the film’s surprising main villain.
Morbius’ colleague became Dr. Bancroft played by Adria Arjona. Image: SonyPictures
Once Smith comes to the fore, it’s easy to see that Morbius’ new story about two friends struggling with their powers is even more compelling than the film initially seemed. But that’s the problem. That there is even a question as to what story Morbius is trying to tell is heartbreaking. Halfway through the movie, it’s almost as if everything that came before has completely derailed or been subverted. Detectives who were looking for Morbius, played by the wildly miscast Tyrese Gibson and Al Madrigal, are just afterthoughts. Morbius’ friendship with a colleague, played by Adria Arjona, blossoms into romance almost out of nowhere, and this whole idea of ”How do I balance being a killer vampire and being a good hero?” makes the movie began, disappears, never heard from again. Finally, the ending of Morbius is so shockingly abrupt that it feels less like the end of a story and more like missing 20 minutes.
Morbius has some good ideas and the action scenes are decent, but even the good stuff just makes the other stuff look worse in comparison. Jared Leto dallys on his movie star status, Smith blows everyone else off screen, and Arjona is grossly underutilized. Aside from those action scenes, there’s very little about Morbius that sets him apart in any way, even in terms of his connection to other Spider-Man films. All in all, it’s a chaotic void that’s not terrible to watch but leaves a bad taste in the mouth by the end.
Morbius with Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius hits theaters April 1st only.
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