Originally a member of Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery, Morbius (AKA Dr. Michael Morbius) gets his own origin story and It’s a fast-paced flick that doesn’t overstay its welcome. It also adds another interesting character to the ever-expanding Marvel Comics Universe.
Jared Leto plays the Michael in question and he puts his method-acting chops to good use. The inner conflict of Morbius, being a vampire but one who has a strong sense of right or wrong plays large in his characterisation. His efforts in keeping the blood lust at bay make his actions relatable.
We get to see the doc’s story from a very young age when he buddies up with Milo played as an adult by Matt Smith. They both suffer from a rare blood disease and this informs the direction in their later life. One becomes a doctor and the other an unexplained rich dude.
The actual backstory is minimal and the film jumps into action mode quite early on. This keeps things moving along at a rapid pace. It also makes it feel like this is part one of a multiple chapter work As always don’t leave the cinema early as the scenes buried in the end credits add a lot of context to what will come next.
Rob Hudson
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