There’s nothing like seeing the Marvel logo come up on the screen when the lights dim in a cinema. But don’t expect Morbius to be an MCU movie. Starring Jared Leto in the titular role as a dedicated genetics doctor who is hellbent on finding a cure for his rare blood disease, it’s a tense and eerie look at vampire origins through a sci-fi lens.
It sways towards horror and its darker tone turns the spotlight on an underrated comic book anti-hero. But it’s less refined than what we’re used to in the superhero genre and the script comes across as disjointed. The disconnect between the trailer and the final cut is questionable and virtually an extreme form of clickbait; the ‘easter eggs’ are ultimately empty promises. There’s even an argument to be made that the rating constricts its potential. With a morally ambiguous protagonist, boundaries have to be pushed and it doesn’t help that technically Morbius looks like it was made in the early 2000s.
Despite this though, Leto and Matt Smith – who plays Morbius’ childhood friend Milo – keep you engaged alongside Adria Arjona and Jared Harris. Leto is haunting as Morbius and it’s a portrayal unlikely to have been matched by another actor. Milo is a new kind of role for Smith, and one which he embodies well. The scenes between him and Harris are particularly intense.
Arjona’s character Dr Martine Bancroft is also a great asset; she’s well-rounded and it’s clear great care was taken when characterising her. It’s satisfying to see her hold her own and challenge Morbius, while also maintaining their thrilling chemistry. The cast performances are therefore on the positive side, which bodes well as the film is largely a character study.
Overall, this is an entertaining movie. It sucks you in with the action and standout scenes between some of the characters. But, while Morbius has the makings of a great anti-hero revival, it wavers with the execution.
Morbius is launching exclusively at cinemas on 1 April 2022. Read our interview with Daniel Espinosa, Matt Smith and Adria Arjona here. Check out the Morbius trailer below and find more trailers at the SciFiNow YouTube channel.
