Directed By Daniel Espinosa

Starring – Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Jared Harris

The Plot – Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder, and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius (Leto) attempts a desperate gamble. What at first appears to be a radical success soon reveals itself to be a remedy potentially worse than the disease.

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, some frightening images, and brief strong adult language

morbius trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

“Morbius” is certainly a tale of two halves, with the first being ten times more compelling than the inferior second, where it alienates everything previously attained in originality for a checklist of various outdated superhero tropes and cliches. I certainly contribute this accessibility to the air of mystery surrounding the character that many audiences like me are learning about for the first time, but for my money it’s the internal character struggle from within Doctor Morbius that is most alluring at the forefront of the narrative, removing the necessity for an opposing antagonist which I wish the film took ample opportunity to relish in. Considering Michael is a man who invests every minute of the day to saving lives, the transformation as this vampire who uses his time to drain them of such creates an intriguing dynamic that morally and physically tears him apart from the inside, all the while fleshing out a contemporary spin on the ‘Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde’ lore that plays wonderfully towards the fantastical approaches of a comic book rendering. I truly wish the film spent more time developing this narrative without letting conveniences take over, but if it didn’t, we never would’ve had the whimsical delight that is Smith continuously stealing the show with a tastefully tantalizing performance. As to where I had a problem with the majority of the usage and turns from this stacked ensemble, it’s Smith who properly channels an unrestrained infectiousness to his portrayal that feels like the only honest depiction in the bunch. Smith has the absolute time of his life as the movie’s primary antagonist, juggling evil with an effortless energy that serves as a beacon of light into the film that this could’ve and should’ve been in more competent hands, and one that Smith uses accordingly to provide proof for his range and commitment to any project that will inevitably his way. Matching Smith’s excellence is an absorbing sound design that not only conveys heft in the many devastating blows that Morbius enacts on his opposition, but also articulate the supernatural emphasis with such gifts that are unmistakable. In particular, the speed and velocity of his movements feel palpably defined with wind decorating the audible capacities, prescribing an immersive value in technique that maximizes the intensity of the sequences they accommodate.

NEGATIVES

This film isn’t just bad, it’s downright terrible, feeling like a lost copy of a superhero movie from the early 2000’s, before anyone knew how to make one of these effective for the hardcore fanbase that passionately subscribe to them. This notion is cemented immediately in the movie’s dreadful presentation, with a dreary, lifeless color pallet draining the textures of any substantial style or creative ambition to even its momentary appeal. This is followed up with the cinematography from Oliver Wood, which not only gave me motion sickness during fight sequences that were the single most difficult to properly register in the history of superhero cinema, but also felt difficult to believe with claustrophobic framing that never allows us the freedom of depiction at anything below the shoulders. The fight sequences and various set pieces are so poorly constructed and frivolously directed that I felt the constant tingle of motion sickness upon watching them, creating an underlining Vietnam flashback when I knew another one was only seconds from materializing, and fearing that this would be the one that ultimately sent me to the toilet for remorseful regret. The disjointed screenplay is equally problematic, creating a rare juxtaposition in experience that is somehow emphatically rushed in its storytelling, yet boring for the law of averages and what they continuously elicit. This is realized more than anywhere in the opening moments of the film, where a flash-forward is followed by a flashback, which is then followed by a flash-forward to the present, which somehow simultaneously includes a flashback in its context. If you’re confused reading that, then you can understand how I felt being asked to interpret and invest in such a sloppily structured plight that never relents throughout 100 minutes of screen time. From there, various unfulfilled story threads, a forced romance, flat characterization, and a complete imbalance of screen time cement one of the more haphazard and alienating experiences that I’ve had in a theater in quite sometime, and one that is all the more problematic considering this first chapter is also used as a springboard to sequel-bait for a film that I hope it never receives. This aspect brings forth two mid credit sequences that are among the most pointless and confusing of any they could possibly conjure, crafting unforeseen friction and a complete lack of continuity from even the Venom sequel from last summer in a way that will frustrate more than anticipate for audiences that Sony has already put through the ringer. Speaking of ringer, why is “Morbius” or either of the Venom films a PG-13? This is the third time in a review that I’ve asked that question, but it resonates louder than ever here, with depictions that go dramatically out of their way to hide blood to the point that it becomes obvious in the context of a scene and grows all the more frustrating when articulated in scenes of massive, vitriolic violence that don’t bring even a drop of blood to a surrounding canvas. This is also a problem in the movie’s dialogue, which is subjected to some of the worst audio deposits that I have seen in quite some time, especially from Smith’s character, and edits out obvious curse words in a method that feels gift-wrapped for TV executives who will be looking to show this movie late-night to insomniacs seeking immediate resolve. Finally, the part of this experience that pains me the most is the performance of Leto, whose flat emotionality never prescribes believability or humanity in the balance of his character’s transformation. When Leto is Michael Morbius, the doctor, he’s fine enough in the role, eliciting a blossoming intelligence that defines the most distinguishable features of his characteristics. However, when close ones to him die, he exudes the same tone of delivery that he does when describing a scientific formula, creating a grave disconnect with the character that completely ignores vulnerability and underscores the stakes in a way that are entirely consequential to the climax of the narrative.

OVERALL

“Morbius” is unsatisfying in ways that completely waste away the potential of what could be a hypnotic hybrid of sinister horror and superhero thrills, for superfluous decisions of creativity that immediately condemn it on impact. With Leto’s flat emotionality in the titular role, as well as the confinement of the ratings designation continuously watering down the material, Sony’s latest comic book feature doesn’t just bite, it downright sucks.

My Grade: 3/10 or F