A vampiric venomous marvel!
Morbius is director Daniel Espinosa’s lucky seventh try in the director’s chair and his fourth film in the past decade that has won me over, for differing reasons, on it’s first try. Neither Safe House in 2012, Child 44 in 2015 or Life two years later are without faults and nor is Morbius, but all impressed me immediately and, like his previous film Life five years ago, there remains a huge lane for a profitable sequel. To muddy the waters further with yet more associated films and their sequels, Morbius clearly links into the Marvel Universe via the Tom Hardy starring Venom, its first sequel as well as the pre-production planned second as well as the multitude of Spiderman films that have spanned the past two decades or more. Whereas the Spiderman link is hidden within the film’s post credits, “Venom” is written into a clear and often funny screenplay (by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless) as well as being a clear and obvious link between the two Marvel films and a staple of the bulging universe itself.
The link is obvious. “Michael Morbius” (Jared Leto) suffers from a rare and life threatening blood disease that will end his life cruelly early, and very soon. As a distinguished and lifelong scientist/doctor who is arguably his own patient and scientific case, his “highly experimental” and “very, very, very expensive” scientific experiments have borne fruit. Splicing his human genes with that of vampire bats has regenerated him from a frail, pale and white as a ghost shadow of impending death into an “Olympic Athlete” who feels “Superhuman” but with the synthetic blood only lasting six hours, he regularly deteriorates back to his old frail and dying self.
The one exception to this?
Human blood.
But the ingestion of human blood comes at a cost as his alter ego is uncontrollable, out of control, and constantly in need of a vampiric top up.
But that’s getting ahead of ourselves.
Based on the Marvel comics and written for the screen by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, this is somewhat of an origin story for the infamous vampire doctor as we traverse a splintered timeline from a present to a long ago past of 25 years ago and back again, gaining crucial character introductions along the way. Back to childhood we’re introduced to Lucien whom Michael immediately renames “Milo” and who becomes both his best friend, in regular need of an “oil change” and who would grow into the adult figure of yet another Doctor, this time a fictional television staple of my childhood years, Doctor Who, and in the guise of actor Matt Smith. Both Michael and Milo are looked after under the tutelage of “Emil Nicholas” (brilliant performance from Jared Harris) and the ostensible four hander is rounded off in another brilliant performance, this time from Adria Arjona as yet another Doctor, “Martine Bancroft”. The ensuing carnage is tracked by two FBI Agents in the guise of American comedian Al Madrigal (“Al Rodriguez”) and American singer and actor Tyrese Gibson (“Simon Stroud”), but the story revolves around two childhood friends, their mentor, a mutual friend and a desperation from the childhood friends to lead a “normal” life after so much seemingly incurable pain.
“The few against the many” is a mantra regularly shared between Michael and Milo and from the look of the scant reviews I’ve scanned, this could well be levelled at me as I like this latest creation from the Marvel Universe far, far more than seemingly anyone else does! Why? Jared Leto’s performance is a strong one if not as captivating as “Harry Goldfarb” in the epochal Requiem for a Dream two decades ago or his 2014 Oscar winning role in Dallas Buyers Club. Matt Smith is a brilliant foil for the film’s titular anti-hero(?) and whilst Jared Harris and Adria Arjona are superb in support, you shouldn’t overlook the cameos from the dry wisecracking partnership of Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson.
I also enjoyed this film far more than headline grabbing critics as the 104 minute running time flew by and quite often in a blur of Matrix style “bullet time”, the film had a grounded feel to me with the scattergun jokes from both the FBI Agents as well as the two childhood friends and especially so the references to “not quoting The Notebook!” and Cosmopolitan Magazine. Director Daniel Espinosa deserves great credit for keeping the runaway franchise train on the tracks (as well as ensuring the no doubt numerous sequels to come), so too director of cinematography Oliver Wood and a film regardless of the genre can always find room for the inclusion of A Town Called Malice by 1980’s British legends, The Jam.
There is much to admire here and a lot more than sniffy critics would have you believe, but this is all subjective and my recommendation being a high one, as well as being subjective too, is also, perhaps crucially, not from an avowed fan of everything that materialises from this particular cinematic universe.
Thanks for reading. Rather than link the three most recently published articles below, I’ve instead linked three older articles on the three previously directed films from Daniel Espinosa as well as the special articles written on Jared Leto’s performances in Requiem for a Dream and Dallas Buyers Club
“Safe House”, “Child 44” and “Life”
Three spoiler free appreciations of the latest films directed by Daniel Espinosamedium.com
Darren Aronofsky and 6 films for your consideration.
Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, The Wrestler, Black Swan and Noah. All lovingly appreciated and spoiler free.medium.com
“Dallas Buyers Club” by Jean-Marc Vallee
A film I adore and given the “love in” spoiler free appreciation treatment.medium.com