Morbius
SONYThe output of the superhero genre from SONY in the last two decades has been nothing short of abysmal. A surprise and shocking hit once in a blue moon – such as 2019’s Into the Spiderverse – has only lifted the stress and financial ruin from the studio momentarily. The stroke of genius to align themselves with MARVEL studios on the Tom Holland Spider-Man venture series has saved them from relative embarrassment. However, projects close to home, such as the Venom franchise, still do not instill confidence that SONY can conquer the market independently. Now, the first of reported attempts at creating individual franchises with SONY exclusive Marcel characters arrive in the form of award-winning academy actor Jared Leto in the titular role of vampire/scientist Michael Morbius in Morbius. A feature so effortlessly blithering and poor, it shocks that a studio that has partnered and seen its contemporaries conquer the market fails to follow the fundamental ideals, identity, and formula of an origins story.
Where to even start with this catastrophe? SONY should be slightly commended for tackling a relatively unknown character of sorts. On paper, there is a real risk of adopting a "new" character to the conventional line-up that has dominated cinema screens since 2008. This does create more significant problems later on, but for a character that had a deleted cameo in Blade and for niche fans of the comic book, it is relatively appealing to see the conventional origins told of a unique character. Nevertheless, this is where the issue arises. Taking a surface such as Morbius – who is essentially a vampire – demands a secondary notion of genre convention than the simple comic book operandi. Granted, it is relatively difficult to make a vampire after Twilight necessarily scary or create horror in a frigid and tight 12a-rated venture. However, the end product of the Michael Morbius’ character is, quite frankly, a disgrace. There is zero tension, atmosphere, horror, and therefore, immersion in the dynamics of this central lead character. These reasons are multifaceted and will be explored below. Still, just on the surface, the gall to project this character on screen as a distinctive and unique character into this zeitgeist and put forward the end product is nothing short of a disgrace.
As aforementioned, the reasons are multifaceted, but everything put forward on screen is an indication that the filmmakers either do not care or have had no interest in actually evolving this genre. The most substantial issue this feature puts forward is its iconography. It is garbage. In actual honesty, any expletive would perfectly describe how abysmal and dumbfounded such an integral and vital aspect needed for any character type of superhero is here. Blatantly bland is an understatement. The production design, costume, hair, and make-up? All scandalously cheap and ineffective. The CGI and special effects for Morbius’ inevitable turn are outrageously stupid and silly. Projecting an almost laughable context to the more severe and scary theme presumably wanted. The effect not only dumbs down proceedings, but the nature of the character feels lethargic and condescending to those who created it, not necessarily new in the world of comic book films having little respect for the writers and artists of the original text. Alas, this further iconography stalls momentum and immersion when the going starts getting tough for Morbius and his brethren. The atmosphere and tension are again soiled with woefully underwhelming character design that projects an absurd amount of camp silliness, but this is just a secondary indictment of what the intent is to deliver. Fair enough if this feature wants to gravitate towards this specific tone, but by no means does Morbius remotely set out with this goal and ultimately flatlines on such an approach, not even daring to make that enjoyable.
Speaking of production design and set design: it is all woefully inadequate. New York has never felt so lifeless and without a spark – namely for shooting in Manchester, United Kingdom – but the world has no life, no intrigue, and no flair. This is a story about the underworld of pain, the powers of science gone wrong, and the audience is stuck in a nightclub watching Matt Smith give an awful impression of someone who has everything and nothing to lose. Despite his momentary fame as Doctor Who, Smith has somewhat failed to grasp the enormous limelight the fan base had installed upon his back. His resulting performance here is ever so dull and whimsical in the sense of almost not understanding the level that he is meant to provide in terms of internal-external investment. Granted, this is more confused in terms of tone with whatever lead actor Leto is projecting, which begins life as a quite on-the-nose depiction of disability and struggle, feelings projected on-screen with sharpness and emotional weight. There is just so little emotional connection written to find immersive before and after his transition. Nothing is interesting to see unravel, be explored, or even worse, crumble to the ground. The feature after the transition takes the most significant nosedive as Leto throws himself on screen like the bachelor he is on the news. All glitz and little merit going on under the skin. The irony here is that the feature is at its best when the two characters have not been transformed, not in any way of being magnificent, albeit inviting and immersive. Just as simple as seeing two non-able-bodied people try to conquer the world. Only when the film actually takes on its mantras and characters does it fall by the wayside, and to that degree, Captain America was terrible during and after he or she became Captain America; what is the point in watching if they cannot achieve the bare minimum of exploration. Leto at least has a love interest here, which is about as stiff as Smith's character development. It leads nowhere aside from a vessel of emotional investment for the lead character, but nothing for the audience. Jared Harris turns up for a swing of the boot to add a presumable layer of gravitas but is serious only about being thrown around like a rag doll with little consequence aside from audience moral value, because they would not have any without him? It is dumbfounding, especially when Michael Keaton turns up, but that will come back a little later.
It is becoming repetitive and annoying even to write this now. Still, the feature goes when further in its ludicrous and bonkers nature with the inclusion of MCU Vulture Michael Keaton, whom they ruined in multiple trailers in a cameo. Nevertheless, interesting enough, the filmmakers of Morbius cannot even conquer a ruined cameo and, with clear reshoots, include the character in a double whammy of post-credit sequences that allude to a Spider-Man existing but not Tom Holland. It is not even the ludicrous nature and general stupidity of how this might work or what direction this series might take. Still, hand on heart, it is all the more ignorant and condescending that this feature has to rely on existing franchise fatigue to get people to stay for more. It cannot do the job of being compelling alone of this story, and in a last-ditch attempt at reminding people this still has legs or even interest, it throws in a mystical Spider-Man. Enough is enough. If an origin story cannot find the compelling material to make an origin story, why on earth attempt to make it in the first place? It ends up being just baffling.
Morbius was a chance to adopt a different type of comic book film that has had little time of day in the recent decade. Alas, what is crafted is a lifeless atmosphere with evaporated tension in dire and flat action sequences. Aside from a lukewarm buddy-cop investigation going on that feels more so a result of reshoots to add in easter eggs than a developing plot, there is little to be found here than an unfunny patronising cash grab which will destroy the hopes fans had for this character and hails as yet another reminder that SONY has no idea of what it has at its fingertips and has no interest even to attempt a satisfactory venture.
