Nauseating action filmmaking and severe lack of identity in its world building makes Morbius a vampire movie that lacks both bite and taste.
The shared universe concept brings with it many possibilities, yet as evident in Morbius there are limitations as well. In look, tone, and sound, Morbius is nothing more than a stock Sony Pictures superhero movie, a product at the end of a conveyer belt gone through the same by-committee checks and balances as Venom before it.
Morbius tries to serve two masters in its attempt to be a thrilling monster movie yet one that sticks to the confines of PG-13 accessibility so not to scare away the kids. Morbius not only lacks style and personality, but it also lacks that most vital of ingredients: stakes (not the vampire kind) worth investing in. To call Morbius a corporate corpse of a movie is too kind.
Morbius stars Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius, a genius biogeneticist who suffers from a rare blood disorder. When Morbius takes an experimental remedy of human and vampire bat DNA, he becomes a “living vampire” embodied with supernatural powers of strength and flight, but also an insatiable bloodlust.
Perhaps the most bland and bloodless vampire movie since the Twilight films, Morbius is especially toothless in its lack of personality in character and world building. Director Daniel Espinosa (Life), no doubt at the behest of Sony’s corporate lords, does little to establish that we are watching a vampire movie and the implications – the tragedy, the romance, the terror – that comes with it.
Cinematography from the usually solid Oliver Wood (The Bourne Ultimatum) is cookie cutter digital sheen tosh complete with generic grey-scale tint. Visual effects and creature designs are not much better, an unimaginable riff on vampire monster effects seen beforehand.
Worst yet are the action scenes. Espinosa throws us into a blender of digital pixels as he shaky cam’s his way through unbearable and unwatchable fight sequences that only succeeds in provoking the upchuck reflex.
As Morbius, Jared Leto delivers a much quieter superhero performance than we are used to, letting those rock star looks carry the weight that a razor thin script by Matt Sazama and Burt Sharpless do not provide.
Fairing much better is Matt Smith in the villainous role of Milo, a surrogate brother to Morbius who shares the same disease and partakes in the same vampiric remedy, embracing the monster he has become. Smith brings a swagger and ferociousness to the movie that, sadly, isn’t enough to save Morbius from its fate as one of the worst, lifeless superhero movies seen in some time.
