Morbius

By: Jamie Steinberg

Fascinating. That’s how I’d describe the film Morbius. Jared Leto plays the titular character who is dangerously ill as he suffers from a very rare blood disorder. His determination to save himself and others pushes him to try an out-of-the-box treatment…fusing his own DNA with that of a vampire bat. Unfortunately, the genetic crossover creates a darkness in Morbius that forever changes him. Think Edward Cullen from Twilight but with a mind for science. Sadly, the downside to this film is the COVID related delays seem to have hampered the storytelling and fluidity. Hence why I’ve not seen many recommend the film…so, enter at your own risk.

Continuity seems to be one of the biggest areas afflicting the film. Along for the journey is Loxias Crown (Matt Smith), Morbius’ bestie turned adversary. Crown attempts to take the cure as well, but his transformation is left off screen – something that leaves viewers a bit confused. Additionally, others die as well and revive after tasting Morbius’ blood; however, it doesn’t include any “science stuff,” but wasn’t that the whole point of his cure creation?

Additionally, when it comes to the idea of vampirism the tried-and-true themes don’t seem to hold much weight in Morbius. Sure, they note that vampirism is an illness and also an addiction, but there is more of a focus on how Morbius’ form of superhero ends up murdering as a result of his attempts to help. The main takeaway of the plot is that a well-known scientist (whose work is funded by Crown’s family fortune) hoping to create a cure ends up conducting ethically questionable experiments that lead him to testing his discovery on himself. Here things go from bad to worse as the FBI agents tasked with locating this “living vampire” do a terrible job at tracking him down. With so many people dropping like flies, you would think that our hero/villain would do more to stay lowkey other than simply covering himself with the hood of his sweatshirt.

Much to the viewers’ dismay, Jared Leto can’t help this film stay afloat. Director Daniel Espinosa’s vision is blurry and Morbius suffers from a lackluster plotline. If you’re looking for an anti-hero or a superhero story, be sure to pick another Marvel movie.