In ‘Morbius,’ Jared Leto Bites Into a Marvel Character That’s Dead on Arrival

Alci Rengifo

After many delays, we can finally watch “Morbius,” a blood-sucking example of why not everything ever published by Marvel Comics deserves a movie. This is an odd production for multiple reasons. The main one being is it makes absolutely no sense. It features a quite efficient cast led by Jared Leto, with a look that suggests he’s traded his alt-rock outfit Thirty Seconds to Mars for the gloomier corners of death metal. The cinematography has some moments of genuine style. Yet all of it gets lost in a haze of incoherent storytelling and a droning music score. Officially this is not an MCU movie, but a Columbia Pictures release that forms part of Sony’s “Spider-Verse,” made in collaboration with Marvel. Alas, it feels more like a throwaway movie made as an excuse to profit off a character who works best on the sidelines.

Dr. Michael Morbius (Leto) is the latest character accursed by the comic gods. He walks with two canes due to a blood disorder that has plagued him since childhood. Now he obsesses over finding a cure. His research has led to the creation of an artificial blood that gains him fame. He even wins the Nobel Prize! But the good doctor turns it down, of course. It’s just as well, since his more reckless research is being secretly funded by childhood friend turned crooked billionaire Milo (Matt Smith), who also suffers from the same disease. Morbius decides to take his research to the next level and experiment with vampire-bat blood. He will be the first test subject but when he ingests his concoction, it transforms him into a vampire creature with snarling teeth, upturned nose, killer abs and big claws. He also suddenly hungers for blood. Luckily, all his packets of artificial blood keep the cravings at bay. As you have surely guessed, Milo doesn’t want to be left out of the fun. When he gets his hands on Morbius’s discovery, he too becomes a “living vampire” and the two must now clash.

Even before the pandemic, “Morbius” was a troubled production that underwent multiple re-shoots. This may account for its oddly fractured feel. What proves truly fatal to the movie is the lack of effort in the story itself. Morbius as a character is taken from the Spider-Man universe. Those who grew up watching the ‘90s “Spider-Man” animated series will remember Morbius as a tragic, even romantic, character who dooms himself while trying to steal the formula that mutated Peter Parker. He also tends to come out at night, like an actual vampire. Director Daniel Espinosa is tasked with finding some excuse to make a whole action romp around the persona which ironically enough, feels like a retread to bad ‘90s comic book adaptations. Visually cinematographer Oliver Wood captures some of the style of the early “Blade” films, before hilariously designed CGI sequences take over. 

“Morbius” doesn’t know if it wants to be horror, action or a loud hybrid of both. The stakes are never raised higher than Morbius lashing around his laboratory, feeling the need for blood which he satiates with his artificial invention. Once Milo becomes a “living vampire,” which is a fancy term used to explain why these guys can still run around in the daytime, the narrative actually doesn’t change much at all. Milo’s aims as a villain are reduced to him willing to eat a common citizen or two. Later he might hang out at local nightclubs to hit on women with his vampire prowess. Oddly enough, Smith doesn’t get to show off any new pecks like Leto, who of course transforms from scrawny to buff thanks to his bat DNA. The two must eventually battle by rushing at each other in slow motion, fangs and claws drawn, at the local subway station. No explanation is given as to why time slows down and smoky CGI mist spirals around them each time they brawl. Morbius also has an odd habit of dangling from his legs like an acrobat without any payoffs.

The supporting roles in “Morbius” feel tossed in simply because we’re supposed to have two FBI agents present for comic relief, played by Tyrese Gibson and Al Madrigal, and a love interest, Dr. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona). None of these characters feel as if they are given adequate screen time to justify their inclusion. The agents pop in at Morbius’s workplace, interrogate him, he escapes, and they become inconsequential. Bancroft is horrified by what’s happening to her boyfriend then disappears for a long while before coming back in the third act for the required, tragic rooftop scene where Morbius must decide if he should turn her into a vampire. The great Jared Harris meets the same fate of being wasted in this film as the doctor who cared for Morbius as a child, and still watches over Milo as an adult. All the bats featured in this movie, whether in an elegant encasement in Morbius’s lab, or swirling around in shots aping “Batman Begins,” have meatier roles. 

“Morbius” has such a puzzling structure that even the opening moments feel like a deleted scene. We see Morbius exit a helicopter in a distant jungle. He approaches some bats in a cave and opens his hand with a slice on the palm. Never is this moment explained or given reason for being throughout the rest of the movie. Other aesthetic aspects feel just as confused. The beginning and end title credits are a dizzying parade of triangles with a retro ‘80s vibe that will be maddening for anyone sitting in a front row. Jon Ekstrand’s music score has no idea what it wants to be, switching from horror orchestral sounds to an endlessly loud, droning roar that sounds like a cross between a fire alarm and construction equipment. The cherry on top is the expected bonus end credits scene meant to connect “Morbius” to the rest of the Spider-Verse. It’s quite ridiculous in how a surprise villain appears and announces that we’re in for yet another “team” of misfits to be formed for a new franchise. Then again, maybe Morbius will work better as part of a larger crop facing off with our favorite web slinger. As a solo title, this vampire lacks bite.

“Morbius” releases April 1 in theaters nationwide.