Morbius opens with a promise: a horror movie about a scientist who turns himself into a vampire. By the time the credits roll, that premise has been buried under a pile of action set pieces, a convoluted plot involving ancient gods and a cure for a deadly virus, and a lead performance that asks for menace and delivers a shrug.
The film is based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, a brilliant biochemist who contracts a rare blood disease and becomes a vampire. That setup is simple and grim, and it could have worked. Instead, the movie spends most of its runtime chasing spectacle and momentum, and the result is a hollow, exhausting mess.
Trailer, via Sony Pictures Entertainment.
The Setup
The film opens with Michael Morbius, played by Jared Leto, in a lab. He has spent years researching a cure for a rare blood disorder that is slowly killing him. His condition has left him isolated, wealthy, and desperate. When he finally makes a breakthrough, the experiment goes wrong, and he wakes up in a coffin with fangs, a thirst for blood, and a mind that has gone dark.
The premise is classic horror. A man pushes science too far and pays the price. Morbius knows what he has become and wants to reverse it. The problem is that the script keeps pulling the rug out from under itself, replacing the horror with a chase sequence or a fight scene whenever the tension starts to build.
Leto plays Morbius with a weary, wounded intensity. He is a man who has lost everything, and his grief is palpable in the early scenes. But the script keeps undercutting him. Morbius is a brilliant scientist, and the movie keeps reminding us of that, even when his actions make no sense.
The Vampire Rules
The rules of Morbius’s vampirism are inconsistent. He can walk in daylight, but only with a special visor. He can heal quickly, but he also seems to age rapidly. He can fly, but he rarely does. The film never explains why these abilities exist or how they work. It simply hands them out like costume accessories.
The film also introduces a virus called ARCUS, which is spreading across the world and turning people into vampires. Morbius is the key to curing it, and the villain, Milo Monday, played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Ajami, is hunting him down to use his blood for his own purposes. This is where the plot gets absurd. Milo is a shadowy figure with a mysterious past, but his motivations are never made clear. He wants Morbius’s blood, but why? The film never answers.
The supporting cast is wasted. Matt Smith plays Dr. Martine Lane, a colleague of Morbius who helps him through the early stages of his transformation. She is smart, funny, and capable, but she is reduced to a damsel in distress by the third act. Jared Harris plays Dr. Emil Kurtz, a rival scientist who is obsessed with Morbius’s work. He is given some interesting lines about ambition and legacy, but his arc is abandoned halfway through.
The Action
The action sequences are the worst part of the film. Morbius fights police officers, mercenaries, and eventually a giant monster that is supposed to be the final boss. These scenes are loud, fast, and completely uninteresting. The choreography is generic, the camera is constantly shaking, and the sound design is a wall of noise. There is no rhythm, no tension, and no payoff.
One of the biggest problems is the pacing. The film is nearly two and a half hours long, and it feels much longer. The middle section drags as Morbius travels from New York to Venice to a hidden island, stopping to fight and run away at every location. The editing is frantic, cutting between three or four action set pieces at once, and it never lets the audience catch their breath.
The climax is a disaster. Morbius faces off against Milo on a rooftop, and the fight is a chaotic mess of CGI and quick cuts. The stakes are never established, and the resolution is a cheat. Morbius defeats Milo by activating a device that destroys the island, but it also kills Milo’s henchmen and the police officers chasing him. The film is happy to sacrifice everyone for a moment of triumph, and it does not care about the cost.
The Tone
The tone is a disaster. Morbius is a horror movie, but it is also a superhero movie, a thriller, and a romance. It cannot decide what it wants to be, and the result is a film that is tonally confused. One minute Morbius is sobbing over his dead girlfriend, and the next he is punching a henchman through a wall. The film keeps shifting gears, and the audience is left behind.
The film is also very dark. It is full of shadows, blood, and death. But it is not scary. The scares are few and far between, and they are undermined by the constant presence of action and explosions. The film is trying to be gritty, but it is just bleak. There is no terror, no dread, no sense of danger. The vampires are not frightening, and the monsters are not terrifying.
The film also fails to establish a sense of place. New York is shown as a city of glass towers and neon lights, but it feels empty. Venice is shown as a city of water and stone, but it feels flat. The hidden island is a green jungle, but it feels fake. The film is so busy with its action that it forgets to let the audience breathe.
The Score
The score is by John Paesano, and it is mostly forgettable. It tries to be ominous, but it is drowned out by the action. The music swells during the big moments, but it never adds anything. It is functional, but it is not memorable.
There are a few moments where the score works. When Morbius is first transforming, the music builds slowly, and it creates a sense of dread. When he flies for the first time, the score is triumphant, and it captures his joy. But these moments are rare, and they are quickly forgotten.
The film also includes a few songs. One is a pop ballad about love and loss, and it is played during a montage of Morbius remembering his past. Another is a rock anthem about fighting against fate, and it is played during the final action sequence. Neither song adds anything to the story. They are filler, and they break the immersion.
The Aftermath
The film ends with a cliffhanger. Morbius is presumed dead, but his blood is found in a secret facility. The final shot shows a group of scientists discussing his legacy, and the film leaves the door open for a sequel. This is a shame. The film has failed to earn a sequel. It has not told a coherent story, and it has not established a compelling character. The cliffhanger is a bait-and-switch, and it is insulting to the audience.
The film also includes a mid-credits scene. It shows Morbius’s dog, who survived the destruction of the island, running through the rubble. It is a small moment, but it is effective. It shows that Morbius had a connection to something, and it gives the film a tiny bit of heart. But it is too late. The damage has been done.
The Verdict
Morbius is a failure. It is a film that had a great idea and wasted it. The premise of a brilliant scientist who becomes a vampire is rich with horror potential, but the film is too afraid to explore it. Instead, it chases action, and it loses its soul.
The film is not entirely without merit. Leto gives a committed performance, and there are a few moments of genuine emotion. The production design is impressive, and the action sequences are technically competent. But these strengths are overwhelmed by the weaknesses. The script is a mess, the direction is chaotic, and the tone is incoherent.
Morbius is a disappointment. It is a film that should have been better, and it is a reminder of the dangers of studio interference. The film was produced by Sony Pictures, and it shows. The studio wanted a blockbuster, and it got a bloated, confusing mess. The film is not a failure of talent, but a failure of vision.
The film is not worth seeing in theaters. It is a waste of time and money. The film is not worth owning on disc. It is a waste of shelf space. The film is not worth recommending to anyone. It is a waste of goodwill.
Key Facts Box
- Title: Morbius
- Director: Daniel Espinosa
- Lead: Jared Leto
- Supporting cast: Matt Smith, Adewale Akinnuoye-Ajami, Jared Harris
- Runtime: 149 minutes
- Release date: March 18, 2022
- Studio: Sony Pictures
- Score: 3.5 of 10
What Works
- Leto’s commitment to the role
- The production design
- The mid-credits scene
What Does Not Work
- The inconsistent vampire rules
- The convoluted plot
- The chaotic action sequences
- The tonal confusion
- The wasted supporting performances
The film is a failure, but it is not a complete failure. It has moments of promise, and it has a talented cast. But it is a failure of execution. It is a film that should have been a masterpiece, and it is a film that is a disaster. It is a film that deserves to be forgotten, and it is a film that will be remembered only as a cautionary tale.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.
