After “Venom” came out in 2018, Sony commenced development of their own Marvel Cinematic Universe or MCU for short focusing on characters linked to Spider-Man’s rouge gallery and allies starting with “Morbius” with Jared Leto as The Living Vampire. Originally intended for an early 2020 release, the film was delayed several times due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In 2021, “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” replaced Morbius as the second installment of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. A slight improvement of the first movie. Anyway, Morbius finally got a proper release on April 1st, 2022. It’s not an April Fool’s joke. I’m for real.
Morbius is currently out in theaters. It received negative reactions from critics, fans and movie goers alike. Although critically panned, Sony is moving forward with future entries including Kraven the Hunter with Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Madame Web with Dakota Johnson and a third Venom movie with Tom Hardy reprising his role. One more thing, a two-part sequel to “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” titled, “Across the Spider-Verse” will be released on October 7th, 2022 and sometime around 2023.
Today’s review contains SPOILERS. If you’re somewhat interested in the third installment of Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, read at your own risk. There will be SPOILERS involving “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” Tread carefully.
Full & Empty Aspects
Full: Jared Leto did a solid job for his performance as the titular character. He also served as an executive producer. At least he toned down his Method Acting antics without going too far on his co-stars as Joker in “Suicide Squad” by giving some of the crew members used condoms. I’m not kidding. Look it up. I deeply regret giving Suicide Squad heavy praise. I was inexperienced as a critic back then. James Gunn’s 2021 follow up is 100 times better.
Other Cast Members such as Matt Smith, Tyrese Gibson & Jared Harris all did a good job for their respective performances.
Action Sequences showcase Morbius’ vampire abilities.
Although Morbius’ vampire form looks like Michael Jackson, Visual Effects are not too bad. I thought the echo location technique felt unique. Don’t forget the Bullet Time (slow motion) technique.
Empty: Daniel Espinosa (Safe House, Life) didn’t do so well directing Morbius’ big screen debut. I don’t mean to contradict myself, but I feel bad for Mr. Espinosa, because he’s a Marvel fan.
Screenwriting duo Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless failed to introduce a new generation to Morbius. I looked up their resume and believe me, they’re the same buffoons who wrote “Dracula Untold,” “The Last Witch Hunter” & “Gods of Egypt.” I don’t blame Mr. Espinosa, I blame Matt & Burk.
Cinematography often succumbs to Shaky Cam. As if Woody Woodpecker on Monster Energy filmed a couple scenes.
How the actual fudge did Morbius smuggled a large tank full of bats to his lab?
Lack of Character Development. Morbius never said he’s gonna use his powers for good or evil. What’s the point of obtaining powers if you don’t wanna use them to protect your friends and family or for personal gain?
I didn’t care about the chemistry between Morbius and his love interest, Martine. I only cared about Morbius’ conflict with Milo.
Milo has a dance scene out of nowhere. Yeesh! This gave me painful “Spider-Man 3” flashbacks!
Remember that one scene in the trailer with a mural of Spider-Man in the background? It was deleted in the final cut. What a crushing blow cutting out Spider-Man’s presence.
Let’s talk about the two mid-credits scene. For those who’ve seen Spider-Man: No Way Home, Doctor Strange brings everybody back to their respective universes and erase the world’s memory of Spider-Man’s identity. Vulture is SOMEHOW transported to Venom’s universe without any logical explanation. Here’s the problem, Vulture doesn’t belong in this universe, he belongs in Tom Holland’s universe. How the actual heck did he acquire an exact copy of his costume? In the mid-credits scene from “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” Vulture has nothing against Peter Parker, then why does he have a grudge? Seems out of character. Vulture recruits Morbius to form a supervillain team to battle Spidey. I’m gonna have to Triple Down Sony for making an incompetent decision by randomly transporting Vulture in a half-baked attempt to set up The Sinister Six. In the words of Deadpool. “Well, that’s just lazy writing.”
The Final Verdict: D-
Morbius is a misguided cluster fudge poorly cashing in on Spider-Man’s foes in an attempt to make a quick buck, rather than planning a cohesive multiverse. It’s not Jared Leto’s fault, regardless of his Method Acting antics, he’s a good actor and talented frontman for Thirty Seconds to Mars. If you want proof he’s got the acting chops, watch his Oscar winning performance in “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Panic Room” “Blade Runner 2049” and last but not least, his best work known as “Requiem for a Dream.” If I were you, watch “Moon Knight” on Disney Plus. One more thing, check out Robert Pattinson’s Batman.
My most anticipated Marvel movie of 2022 is “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” I’m also hyped for “Thor: Love and Thunder.” What’s your most anticipated Marvel movie of 2022? Please leave a comment.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 