When Venom first hit theaters in 2018, setting up a sort-of side universe for Spider-Man's many villains, its style didn't necessarily turn many heads, but the comedic, off-kilter relationship between Eddie Brock and his symbiote companion was enough to carry an otherwise generic superhero film. Morbius, unfortunately, doesn't have the name recognition of Venom, nor does the film feature the same kind of campy, scene-chewing performance from its main character. It's all the worse for it.

This is the third entry in Sony's MCU-adjacent superhero universe, coming on the heels of the mostly-derided Venom: Let There Be Carnage. While there are no symbiotes in this movie and (almost) no mention of the webhead himself, rest assured that Morbius is still part of previously established canon. Whether that will help the character in the future remains to be seen.

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The titular Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) is a doctor afflicted with a rare blood disorder. In his quest to find a cure, one he has derived from vampire bats, Morbius essentially turns himself into a vampire, albeit more of a "science vampire" than a "horror vampire." Due to this condition, the doctor must consume human blood (or artificial blood that he created) in order to stave off his more monstrous instincts.

Jared Leto Morbius Method Acting

Leto turns in a surprisingly restrained performance given the source material he's working with. In his human form, Morbius is quiet, contemplative, and just a little bit cocky. If anything, he comes across a bit too much like a stock character, with no real defining traits besides his intelligence and his morality. Leto is a fine actor, and regardless of how anyone feels about his version of the Joker or his turn in the recent docudrama WeCrashed, it's hard to deny his talent. So why is he given so little to work with in this film? When Morbius is in his vampire form, he's mostly just a lump of CGI, denying Leto the chance to show off his chops where it matters.

This lack of characterization is a problem that plagues the entire movie. Tyrese Gibson plays Simon Stroud, a character featured regularly in the comics alongside Morbius, but anyone unfamiliar with the source material would be forgiven for not realizing this character's significance. Gibson and Al Madrigal are mostly just stuck in the role of cops investigating the string of vampiric murders. Similarly, Adria Arjona is given very little to do as Martine Bancroft, which is made even more egregious by the fact that she is just about the only female character in the movie. Jared Harris, playing Emil Nikols, feels like an afterthought, serving mostly as caretaker/father figure to Morbius and Matt Smith's Milo.

Smith is clearly having the most fun here, relishing the opportunity to play a villain. He previously brought a level of menacing charm to his character in Edgar Wright's Last Night In Soho, but here he is really cutting loose. He's fun to watch when he's going full vampire, but his transition from childhood friend to nemesis is so abrupt that it's hard to really feel any tragedy behind him and Morbius facing off against one another.

Matt Smith Morbius Loxias Crown

Those vampiric fight scenes, however, have no teeth. They are mostly a blur of dark, incomprehensible CGI, broken up by the occasional dash of Zack Snyder-esque slo-mo. In fact, most of the action in the movie is marred by some pretty lackluster direction and effects. It's clear that rather than trying to integrate any practical stuntwork, the Morbius team instead chose to go with almost all CGI. This gives the action that familiar sense of weightlessness, all motion blur and no impact. That also applies to the representation of Morbius's echolocation power, which is rendered using particle effects that look like they could have been made by any amateur VFX artist on YouTube.

The PG-13 rating also guarantees mostly bloodless violence, even with slashed throats and bodies torn apart. Obviously, this movie was never going to go for a hard-R rating, but it's odd that it would then choose to highlight the violence so clearly instead of relying more on tension and what isn't shown.

At just over 100 minutes, Morbius moves pretty quickly, and yet for all of its pacing, it never really feels like all that much is happening in the story. This is an origin movie of the highest order, and it would feel refreshing after so many superhero movies tossing their origin stories to jump right in if it wasn't so rote. It essentially hits all the familiar beats, including the discovery of new powers (which is done with a lot of telling and not quite enough showing) and never really bothers to be anything more. It also ends rather abruptly, with some minor teases for future appearances.

michael keaton as vulture in morbius Cropped

Of course, the big question on most viewers' minds has to be "is this movie connected to Tom Holland's Spider-Man?" The answer is a resounding "kind of." That's not necessarily a spoiler considering how much the advertising for Morbius prominently featured Michael Keaton's Adrian Toomes/Vulture, who is indeed in the movie, but not in the capacity that audiences might expect. As for all of the other clues from trailers, anyone watching Morbius may be disappointed at the overall lack of Easter eggs, especially ones that seemed to be promised in the film's trailers.

Morbius isn't quite the worst blockbuster to hit theaters recently, but it might just be the most forgettable. Despite a serviceable lead performance, the rest of the movie never really feels all that significant. Much like Venom before it, this feels like a movie out of time, more suited to the pre-MCU era than 10 years after The Avengers changed everything about superhero storytelling. As much as it might want people to think, especially with its post-credits scenes, Morbius is not essential viewing. By its conclusion, it feels more like Sony trying its best to revive a concept that died on the vine after The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Judging by the performance of this living vampire, that might not be the best idea.

Morbius premieres in theaters on April 1st.

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