Morbius
One of the things that I think most works about “Morbius” is that it doesn’t really deal in a lot of exposition. It sets up its premise, its key relationships, and goes from there. If you’re looking for depth or deeper meanings, you will not find that here. This isn’t to say it’s a particularly good movie, though; it just doesn’t try and be anything more then it is, and that’s fine.
Jared Leto is a polarizing figure, and certainly, much can be said about him off-screen that is less than flattering. I think a lot of people use his off-screen issues and controversies to shit on his acting work. This isn’t to say his work as Joker in “Suicide Squad,” or in “Blade Runner 2049,” or “House of Gucci” is great, but- while there’s a lot to be said about casting a cis actor as a transgender individual in his Oscar-winning work in “Dallas Buyers Club,” he does a good job in the film, and in many films. As Michael Morbius, he has the brooding down for the disabled doctor searching for a cure, only to turn himself into a vampire, but this isn’t “perfect fit” casting that would make me interested in seeing more films with him in the role. One movie is fine. Now Matt Smith, on the other hand…
We begin with Milo (Smith’s character) coming to a long-term facility for children with disabilities. He has the same blood illness as Michael, and they are both looked after by a doctor (Jared Harris) at the facility. Because of his brilliance, the doctor sends Michael to a school for gifted children in New York, but the two stay in touch, and as adults, Milo is funding Michael’s research into a cure for them. That research has led him to Costa Rica, and trying to mutate human DNA with vampire bat DNA. What could go wrong?
The screenplay by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless is not looking to explore great depths of character and morality- this is about setup and execution. At the helm for the latter in director Daniel Espinosa (“Life,” “Safe House”), whose work is efficient in keeping the story movie- especially when the cops (Tyrese Gibson and Al Madrigal) get on the case. I wish he had done better allowing cinematographer Oliver Wood to light the film, because so much of the action is in darkness that, when coupled with the CGI, it’s barely coherent. That’s especially difficult when it comes to the climactic fight. There is an earlier scene in a subway station, and a standard jump scare scene in a barely-lit corridor, that are quite effective in their tension and release. The best think Espinosa does as director, however, is let Matt Smith go to town playing the powered Milo; as drab and dour as Michael Morbius is, especially after his transformation, Milo is an over-the-top blast, and as a result, the dynamic between the two works very well. The gratuitous end credit scenes, not so much. Yes, there is a natural setup for a sequel to this. As I said earlier, though, once is plenty.
