Many people really enjoy Sony Pictures’ two highly profitable “Venom” movies and all their so-called “humor.”
And then there’s the rest of us.
Those of us who failed to achieve a symbiotic relationship with the box office hits that were 2018’s “Venom” and last year’s “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” can’t help but proceed with a bit of caution into “Morbius.”
The big-screen debut for the Marvel Comics antihero is the newest entry into what the movie’s production notes refer to as the “Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters.” (More commonly referred to as “Sony’s Spider-Man Universe,” it sits outside the hugely popular Marvel Cinematic Universe controlled by Disney-owned Marvel Studios.)
For now, at least, it matters little that the cinematic version of Morbius probably never will cross paths with, say, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor. What does matter is that “Morbius” is a surprisingly solid building block for Sony as it looks to expand its universe of heroes and villains.
Starring Jared Leto as the vampiric Dr. Michael Morbius, the movie offers nothing remotely innovative in the inescapable superhero genre, but it also doesn’t frustrate. Thanks to Leto’s strong work as its incredibly powerful but also increasingly desperate titular character and competent direction from Daniel Espinosa, “Morbius” is a reasonably entertaining serving of pop culture that, at under two hours, doesn’t overstay its welcome.
We meet Michael — whose longtime suffering from a rare and fatal blood disorder has spurred him to become the world’s top expert in bloodborne diseases and a pioneer in the development of artificial blood — in the jungles of Costa Rica. He is hunting for vampire bats.
He brings many of the nightmarish mammals back to New York City to conduct research so controversial that it may cost him his medical license, which is why he tells his colleague Dr. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona of “6 Underground”) that the less she knows about it, the better it will be for her professionally.
Mixing bat and human DNA, he develops an artificial-blood formula that not only eliminates his need for crutches and makes him feel fantastic but also gives him superhuman strength and quickness, as well as the echolocation powers of the bat, aka “bat radar.” The downsides: The treatment works for only a few hours; the window between needed treatments is shrinking; and he now has a thirst for real human blood, along with the fake stuff.
In fact, he is believed to be behind a deadly attack on a nurse with whom he’d worked. Although he doesn’t remember killing her, Michael recognizes he may not be fully in control of his urges when the treatments change his physical appearance, including providing him neck-ready fangs.
While she does help him every step of the way, Martine worries he’s wading too far into dangerous waters. On the other side of the spectrum is his best friend, Milo (Matt Smith), who suffers from the same disease and whom Michael has known since they were children in the care of the kind Dr. Nicholas (Jared Harris), who continues to be invested in both of their lives.
Nichols certainly has reason to worry about Milo, who sees no negative in the work Michael has done and becomes furious with him when he refuses to share the treatment out of fear it will do Milo more harm than good.
By now, you can see where “Morbius” will get its obligatory villain, and, rest assured, we get the requisite fights between super vampires. As with the movie as a whole, they are fine but nothing you haven’t seen done before — and done better.
Nonetheless, you can’t help but be impressed by the work of Espinosa, who was born in Chile, raised in Africa and educated in Sweden. His previous work, the “Gravity”-meets-”Alien” 2018 sci-fi film “Life,” also was a bit above average, so he’s proving to be a filmmaker worth following.
Here, he’s working from a decent screenplay by the writing tandem of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (“The Last Witch Hunter,” “Gods of Egypt”), whose vampire bona fides include 2014’s “Dracula Untold.” If their script falls short in any way, it’s that it makes little use of the comedic gifts of “Fast and Furious” franchise standout Tyrese Gibson and comic Al Madrigal (“the Daily Show With Jon Stewart”), who were tapped to play FBI agents investigating Michael.
Disappointingly, the film also largely wastes the talents of Harris (“Foundation,” “Mad Men”), who deserved a beefier role.
And while Smith (“The Crown,” “Last Night in Soho”) is capably creepy as Milo once he gains his ability, “Morbius” belongs to Leto, an Academy Award winner for 2013’s “Dallas Buyers Club” who also can be seen starring in the enjoyable new Apple TV+ series “WeCrashed.” His steady, even nuanced performance in “Morbius” goes a long way toward us taking the whole affair relatively seriously.
Before it’s done, “Morbius” gives us a vague reference to Venom and a fun nod to the old TV series “The Incredible Hulk.” And, of course, if you care about where Sony may be heading with this still-Spider-Man-lacking Spider-Verse, stick around for the closing credits to sink your fangs in for a hint or two.
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‘MORBIUS’
2.5 stars (out of 4)
MPAA rating: PG-13 (for intense sequences of violence, some frightening images and brief strong language)
Running time: 1:44
Where to watch: In theaters Friday
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