After years of development, and, of course, COVID-driven delays, Morbius is finally set to make its theatrical debut. Starring Jared Leto as the titular living vampire, the new coming book movie has connections to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe, playing out in the same canon as Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage. Critics have had the chance to screen Morbius, and their reviews are here to give us an idea of what to expect.
Daniel Espinosa is directing, and alongside Jared Leto's eponymous doctor/vampire, the film also stars Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson. Will we see Spider-Man? If so, which version? Fans are about to find out, as the Marvel blockbuster hits theaters on Friday, April 1.
Let’s take a (SPOILER-FREE) look at what the reviews are saying about Morbius, starting with CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg. It's a pretty rough start, with Eisenberg rating it just 1 star out of 5, saying he didn’t think they made comic book movies this bad anymore. He says not a single scene in the movie gives insight into the characters’ personalities, noting that the script “coldly” navigates between plot points:
There is no fun to be had here; there isn’t any ironic or 'so bad it’s good' enjoyment. It’s soulless. It’s oozing, tar-like gunk that has been spit out of the Hollywood machine, and you should avoid stepping in it.
It isn't quite so bad in the opinion of critic Anna Smith of Deadline. She says Jared Leto tries to bring humanity to the character but doesn't get any help from the script:
This movie isn’t terrible. Leto is good, the VFX work is slick, and there’s modest entertainment to be had here and there. But it seems unlikely to please crowds like Spider-Man: No Way Home — and the mid-credit scenes are more baffling than exciting.
Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm rates Morbius a 4 out of 10, calling it an absolutely dreadful piece of "pre-packaged junk" that can't even be saved by its special effects:
This is an ugly film, staged in non-descript rooms and sterile labs. Everything is awash in a Windex-like blue tint. There's no sense of scale — or place. If it weren't for several establishing shots of the New York skyline, we'd have absolutely no idea where Morbius is set. As for how, or why, this film connects to the larger Sony Spider-Man Universe, well, I'll leave that for you to discover, reader. Just know the results are about as dumb and disappointing as everything else that goes on in this puddle of garbage juice disguised as a movie.
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter says he doesn't think Morbius is bad, but it's kind of forgettable. He says it seems to serve the purpose of laying the groundwork for other (and better) stories to come:
It’s just a shame this opening salvo takes itself too seriously to have much fun with the mayhem, despite the potential in [Matt] Smith’s devilish turn for amusing interplay between the antagonists. [Adria Arjona] carries herself with confidence but her character also gets a little lost in the carnage; perhaps the late-breaking romance between Martine and Michael will acquire more of a heartbeat in the next round. Leto certainly broods up a storm behind his veil of rock-star hair, but the movie has too little to distinguish it from the second-tier Marvel pack, ending up as more of the same.
Kate Erbland of IndieWire grades Morbius a C-, saying this vampire movie sucked more than blood. She also calls the movie "forgettable," writing that its basis is incomprehensible, its action sequences are scattered, and its hazy timeline makes it feel chopped up:
Morbius mostly surprises because of how very dull it is. (How do you make a Jared Leto vampire superhero movie dull? In this economy?) Case in point: After Michael’s bad deeds become publicized, local news teams term him 'the Vampire Murderer,' an uninspired nickname that serves as a microcosm of everything Morbius is: mostly unnecessary, oddly unoriginal, and soon quite forgettable indeed.
Another critic who thinks the movie takes itself too seriously is Matt Donato of IGN. He rates it a "Mediocre" 5 out of 10, saying this vampire film lacks bite and is marred by shoddy digital effects-driven fights:
Morbius is unspectacular in ways that waste the potential of what could be an intriguing hybrid of sinister horror and superhero thrills. One single scene recalls David F. Sandberg’s Lights Out for a suitable fright, but otherwise horror accents are limited to cheesy jokes about Dracula. That’s the approach the whole film takes, in fact. Everything feels superfluous and uninterested in thoughtful storytelling because the mission at hand is to get to the end credits where the meat exists. Morbius is so focused on building Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and hopeful sequels — which could very well be better now that the foundation exists — that it forgets about enthusiastically engaging its audience from the start.
Well, the critics don't seem all that pleased about the latest comic book blockbuster, but if Jared Leto's living vampire sounds like your cup of blood-spiked tea, you can check Morbius out for yourself in theaters on Friday. Also be sure to look over what other upcoming superhero movies may dominate the box office next, as well as our 2022 Movie Release Schedule so you can start planning your next movie night!
