Back to the 90s: “Morbius” is not from this time

There are actors and directors who are always the target of ridicule and criticism on social networks. Zack Snyder, director of Man of Steel and other DC comics films is one of them. Also Michael Bay, director of the recent Ambulance and little loved for his time in the Transformers saga and its adaptations to live-action. Among the actors, Jared Leto fights the highest places and the breaking point was his interpretation of the Joker in the forgettable The Suicide Squad. This week his new film, Morbius, arrives in theaters, which adapts one of the villains of Spider-Man with enormous potential, and that is why he is presented with his own film. The result is not good, but neither is it a catastrophe.

If this film had been released in the 90s, between Blade and the Underworld saga, plus the first X-Men, it could have worked. An unexplored field, with CGI technology finding its best form. But we are in 2022, where the highest grossing of each year are superhero films or great sagas and/or film franchises that adapt science fiction books. Morbius seems to have learned nothing from the last 10 years of comic adaptations. Nor is it a horrendous movie, because until the first 50 minutes it keeps the viewer interested, but then it shows that it is a simple battle between the bad and the not so bad with a bad use of special effects (example: Michael Bay in Transformers).

Morbius is a brilliant scientist with questionable ethics. He carries a problem in his blood that makes him weaker than the rest of humans. His friend Milo, played by Matt Smith, is his financier and almost brother (they grew up together), since both have the same status. The search for the cure by the former makes him experiment with bats. And something goes wrong. And here he misses the origin of his character: he is part of the second line of Spider-Man villains, something that is remotely mentioned and arguably ignored.

The main cast is completed by Adria Arjona as Martine, who is the partner and assistant in the research to find the cure for her illness, but also the love interest of Morbius. Together they will reach the point where Michael Morbius injects the DNA of the vampire bat and things happen with a linearity, again, typical of the 90s when it comes to presenting a character from the comics.

The trailer presented certain interesting aspects related to vampires: a lot of darkness, playing with sound and off-field, some horror and blood, key to a half-vampire character. But again they missed an opportunity since they don't exploit all vampire mythology as they should or history as a villain of Spider-Man. The result: a film that could have been a success in the late 90s, early 2000s, but in this context it doesn't even manage to properly present the character.

It should be added, for those who are still interested in the presentation of this Morbius as a villain and part of the Spiderverse, that the film uses the two post-credits scenes to link this to the near future and to the construction of Sony's universe of films centred on the extensive catalogue of Spider-Man villains. There are plenty of material and actors (Michael Keaton, Tom Hardy), the pieces need to fit better.

Morbius hits theaters on March 31 and after a few months, it will be shown on HBO Max.

KEEP READING: