Morbius Review: The Specter that Couldn't Haunt

Wikimedia Morbius

The first announcement that Jared Leto would be taking on the character of Michael Morbius in Sony's Spider-Man spinoff world caused quite a stir, but maybe not in the best manner. Taking on a niche Marvel antihero in the post-Venom era as an Oscar-winning actor, it was difficult to know if this would be the next great comic book reinvention or a repeating mistake overdone with CGI cartoonishness.

The truth is somewhere quite messy in between, especially now that Morbius has made his menacing, violent appearance in cinemas. There are, in fact, brief bursts of intensely dramatic tragic antihero drama that are engulfed in a sea of dismal, tumultuous action and confused mythology.

A fundamental idea that has really intriguing shades of moral complexity is at the center of Morbius: a scientist who is driven to extreme lengths for the greater good but is unprepared for the horrific results. In his depiction of the title physician who has transformed into a terrifying supernatural specter, Jared Leto channels remarkable physicality and emotional depth into this pivotal conflict between nobility and evil with compelling authenticity.

At initially, the movie progresses quite slowly as it focuses on creating the background and connections that are necessary to give significance to Morbius' situation. The foundation is set for a very sympathetic fall, from his crippling childhood sickness to his continuing friendship with surrogate brother Lucien (Matt Smith, putting his teeth into a character that allows for both charm and danger).

When the forces of action and effects, who sell tickets, take control of the situation, things start to go incredibly wrong. The movie breaks apart when Dr. Michael Morbius fully turns into a vampiric wraith due to tainted science. It alternates startlingly between lengthy scenes that are monotonous and repetitively focused on CGI-powered combat scenes.

Bullets start flying and swooping green screens reignite, smothering the smolder, every time Leto and Smith lock into a scene that is crackling with emotional electricity, excavating the loneliness, resentment, and codependent love binding their characters together. Talks that are quiet frequently give way to noisy spectacle, creating a see-saw rhythm that deters participation.

By the time the third repetitive action crescendo peaks in the film’s final minutes, Morbius has devolved into a the embodiment of wasted potential. For glimpses of the elegant gothic thriller this could have been - somber, unnerving, philosophically freighted - are sprinkled frustratingly throughout the noisy onslaught of bombast. Moments of gravity land powerfully, then topple over, unable to stand on unsteady structuring.

The elements for success hover palpably - Leto’s hypnotic lead showing new sides to his intensity, Smith’s scene-stealing swagger - yet can’t crystalize fully before dissolving into flashes of familiar CGI wizardry. Is Morbius bad? With shaky worldbuilding logic and exhausting tonal whiplash, impressions veer toward the disappointing. Yet echoes of intrigue in Leto’s performance linger, making one ache for what might have been with steady directorial guidance and a sharper script.

In the hands of visionaries, the seeds planted here could potentially bloom in fascinating directions. As a stand-alone origin etching, however, Sony’s stab at an edgy Marvel antihero carves out a niche that is more nibble than bite. For true believers in the magnetic but underserved casting potential though, Morbius tempts with enough untapped vein matter to hope the good doctor rises to suck blood another day.