Morbius: 5 Reasons We’re Excited For It (& 5 Reasons We’re Weary)

When word first broke that Sony was expanding on their Spider-Man universe with a film based on Morbius The Living Vampire, folks were a little confused. Though the character is an interesting one, Morbius is kind of a B or C level villain. He’s certainly not as popular or known as the likes of Venom or Doc Ock.

While 2018’s Venom was met with mixed reviews, it was a commercial hit by taking in $856.1 million at the box office. They can’t expect that kind of success from Morbius. However, casting Jared Leto was a good start. The trailer has officially arrived and it has given us reasons to be excited and some to be cautious.

10 Weary: Origin Tales Are Tired

This is mostly a case of superhero (and supervillain) stories happening so often in film these days. It feels like we have seen every type of origin story that there is to tell. The trailer indicates that Morbius is a sick man who tries to heal himself only to have the experiment go awry.

That’s not exactly new ground. One thing that made films like Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming work so well was the lack of an origin story. Even Captain Marvel found a clever way around it. This just isn’t something that most fans want to see anymore.

9 Excited: It’s Different

While the origin story might not be all that unique, the trailer seems to show off a different kind of superhero/villain movie. For one thing, it has a darker tone to it than anything we’ve seen from a Spider-Man universe. Venom had that potential but went a wackier route.

Morbius seems like it is going more down a horror route. Maybe it will act as a precursor to what is expected of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, meant to be the first horror MCU film. There will always be some intrigue behind something different.

8 Weary: Sony’s History

We aren’t saying that Sony makes bad Spider-Man movies. Spider-Man 2 is still considered one of the best superhero films of all-time, while Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse won an Academy Award for a reason. That being said, there are some surefire missteps.

Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 both killed their respective franchises by trying to do too much, especially in terms of working as part of a universe. This is something that the MCU has mastered but Sony doesn’t have a good track record with it.

7 Excited: The Special Effects Look Good

If you’re going to do a movie based on supernatural elements like a vampire, you need to make sure it looks good. While there is no current word on the budget for Morbius, the trailer signals that good money was put towards the special effects of the whole thing.

There’s a scene where Morbius is seemingly teleporting down a hallway like Nightcrawler of X-Men fame. It looks really good. The same goes for almost every shot of the trailer. You also can’t help but get a little excited at the short clip of Morbius looking like an actual vampire.

6 Weary: Forced Universe Building

This kind of ties back in with Sony’s history. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone did good work in The Amazing Spider-Man series but those movies were put to rest after The Amazing Spider-Man 2. A major reason was the forced world-building. They crammed so much into that movie, including potential new villains, and that was all with them cutting out a second love interest in Mary Jane.

There’s an unfortunate chance that Morbius falls victim to this problem. Sony has already officially announced it as the second entry in their Marvel universe. Venom was first but that was mostly a standalone film. When building a universe like this, you can’t beat audiences over the head with the idea.

5 Excited: His Powers Are Cool

For a film to succeed, it usually needs substance and some great character work. That’s why the MCU is so successful since we’ve grown to love the characters beyond their abilities. Still, there’s something to appreciate about watching a character who can flat out do cool things.

Morbius seems to be able to do a handful of dope things. There is the aforementioned possible teleportation, his use of echolocation, and the enhanced strength, speed, and agility that comes with his change. There’s also the struggle that usually comes with the urge to consume human blood.

4 Weary: Not A Popular Character

Ultimately, it can all come back to this. Regardless of what positives we can tell from the trailer or the casting information, it’s just not easy to get pumped up about a movie based on Morbius The Living Vampire. He’s not a character that people were clamoring to see get his own movie.

Now, there is a chance that this could work in its favor. It could become a stunning hit the way that Guardians of the Galaxy did. There’s also not much room to miss on staying true to the character since he doesn’t have a deep lore. Still, Morbius isn’t all that exciting on paper.

3 Excited: Jared Leto Is Great

2016’s Suicide Squad seemed to leave a bad taste in people’s mouths when it comes to Jared Leto. His portrayal of the Joker wasn’t well-received and looks even worse compared to Joaquin Phoenix and Heath Ledger’s award-winning work as the character. However, Leto is a fantastic actor.

He is notably a method actor who is willing to go the extra mile for a role. You just know he lost all of the weight in real life that Morbius needed to look sick. Leto is also an Academy Award winner for 2013’s Dallas Buyers Club. This may not be an Oscar-bait role but Leto will give it his all.

2 Weary: It Might Take Itself Too Seriously

While we noted that Morbius seems intent on taking a darker approach to the genre, that could be a bad thing. It’s good to be different but a trap that movies can fall into is taking itself too seriously. Say what you will about Venom but that film poked fun at itself.

It understood that it was giving us a campy tale and they went with it. Movies, especially ones about vampires and superheroes, need to be self-aware. Play to your strengths. The trailer makes it look like Morbius is playing it straight and that might not be the best route.

1 Excited: MCU Connections

The controversial Sony/Disney split earlier this year meant interesting things for Spider-Man. The sides ultimately reconciled and it looks like we’re already seeing the effects. Along with Spidey remaining with the MCU, there seem to be a few things that connect this Sony universe with the MCU.

For starters, there’s a shot of Spider-Man with the word “MURDERER” written across it. That could be a reference to the post-credits scene of Spider-Man: Far From Home. There’s also the appearance of Michael Keaton, who played the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. He is wearing the same prison jumpsuit from that movie. We’re excited to see where this whole thing goes.

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