After gracing the covers of 30+ Marvel comics, Morbius finally receives the stand-alone film he deserves. Yet, despite the endless catalog of character development and background, it appears Sony misfired on it’s recent flick. Even most critics agreed that Morbius–directed by Daniel Espinosa–was very disappointing. It’s only earned a measly 16% score on rotten tomatoes. So, is there any saving grace to Morbius?

Dr. Micheal Morbius is a fictional character antihero and villain found in Marvel comics. He’s starred in his own series, not to mention making appearances in other comics, such as spiderman, his first appearance. 

What writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless did with the character was brilliant. They took a character who was never taken seriously in the Marvel world and turned him into a man suffering from an illness that has affected him since birth. He decides to do something about it and find a cure, not only to save himself but to save his best friend. Using vampire bats, he planned an illegal experiment in the hope that the gene of the bats would cure his illness. But while the cure works, Micheal soon goes through a transformation of becoming a vampire. 

While trying to overcome and control Michael’s newfound abilities, he must face other challenges that stand in his way. Though the script and storyline don’t follow along with the original Morbius comics, the film was entertaining and interesting to watch.

Throughout the entire film, there were great quality aspects in every way you can possibly see and hear. The action shots were incredible, as you can see the impact of every act that occurred. Even the smallest details made an outstanding difference during the film. Not to exclude the setting, as it looked realistic and was incredibly displayed. 

The makeup was outstanding and super convincing of what each character brought to the table. Witnessing the changes of Jared Leto (Micheal Morbius), the tone of his skin, the way you can see his bones in his body soon transition into a healthy body, the darkened eye circles, and even the veins in his skin was interesting. It took a huge role in the film and helped make Morbius’s transition more noticeable.

The acting was breathtaking. Jared Leto’s acting definitely stood out in this film. Not only is he convincing as the living vampire, he opens doors for this character and possesses audiences with his captivating performance. Leto did a great job performing on screen, and his efforts and time put into the film were well spent. His performance was highlighted by the littlest things, whether it was the way he walked, talked with aggression, or even how he dealt with the transformation of becoming Morbius. The dedication and purpose that was put into each moment on-screen was outstanding, putting viewers at the edge of their seats and leaving them with a chill on their backs. Each actor applied themselves to a goosebump performance.

In 1971 Michael Morbius first debuted in Amazing Spider-Man #101. Now Morbius is known as a Marvel Legend and is in a fair amount of Marvel Comics. (Courtesy of Marvel Studios.)

Despite what critics may say, Morbius was a very well-put-together movie. That’s not to say the film was perfect, however. The movie lacked some major details as opposed to the original comic storyline, and some scenes seemed rushed and lacked the needed attention to add valuable content from the original storyline.

However, this highly underrated film is overall super recommendable to all viewers. The storyline is phenomenal, all the fantastic shots, acting, makeup, and overall performance made the movie super entertaining. Not to mention the nail-biting post-credit scene. Moribus is the next big hit.