Warning: This list includes plot spoilers for Morbius.
The newly released Morbius has been completely dragged through the mud by critics. They have called it overly serious and accused it of having cringe-worthy dialogue and terrible CGI action sequences, and for the most part, audiences tend to agree.
But while those accusations certainly hold weight, there are a lot of merits to the film that have gone overlooked too. Between a couple of impressive acting performances, some truly terrifying sequences, and the potential crossovers the movie sets up, there are reasons why Morbius is a must-watch amongst fans of the superhero genre.
The Music Is Incredible
The original score for Morbius was composed by Jon Ekstrand, and it sounds just as ambitious as any Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. It may borrow a lot from The Dark Knight to the point where it sometimes seems like composer Hans Zimmer should be getting royalty payments, but that just means the score is that epic.
The score is extremely overused, as there are tons of sequences where operatic music is playing when characters are simply conversing, or even worse, when Dr. Morbius is speaking into his tape recorder. The music feels a little out of place during sequences like this. However, when something eventful is happening, such as the battle between Morbius and Milo or the genuinely beautiful-looking opening helicopter shots of Costa Rica, the score is perfectly fitting.
The Post-Credits Scene Is Great If Audiences Haven’t Seen The Trailer
One of the many criticisms of the new superhero movie and the one that has offended critics the most is the two mid-credits scenes. The first mid-credits scene is of Adrian Toomes being pulled into the Venom/Morbius universe through the tear caused by Doctor Strange in Spider-Man No Way Home, and the second scene is of Toomes and Morbius teaming up. The two scenes are being criticized for three reasons.
Firstly, it makes absolutely no sense. Secondly, the dialogue is cringe-worthy, and it’s made even worse by the phoned-in performances. And thirdly, because Toomes was seen in the very first trailer only for it to be the mid-credits scene, meaning that Sony totally bait and switched its audience. However, the meeting Toomes has with Morbius is exciting due to his new Vulture suit, which actually looks like a vulture and is way more imposing. And while he’s only in it for a couple of short minutes, Keaton is the only actor who many feel plays their character with any charisma in the movie. If the character wasn’t in the trailer, it would have been a lot more hard-hitting.
The Neon Opening And Closing Credits
There are some great, creative movie opening credits, and it often feels like a lost art, as few movies put as much effort into it these days. However, while it isn’t up there with the likes of Catch Me If You Can or Dr. Strangelove, Morbius features some alluring opening and closing credits, as light colors move up and down and mold into each other as names scroll by.
However, it doesn’t exactly make any sense why the opening and closing credits are different shades of pink and purple given the dark tone of the film. And while purple is a reoccurring color in the movie, it’s a totally different shade from the neon-like colors of the credits. Nevertheless, its color scheme is so appealing as it gives off a synthwave, Drive-like aesthetic.
There Are Genuine Moments Of Horror
Morbius could have been better in a lot of different ways. Sony could have delved all the way into horror by hiring a horror-centric director and being an R-rated bloodfest. While it doesn’t exactly do that, there are still some terrifying moments. There are tons of scary scenes in the MCU, but none of them compare to the white-knuckle ride that is the scene on the boat when Morbius first turns into a vampire. The doctor is found crawling on the ceiling, and the sequence is heart-racing until it turns into a CGI action scene.
Then there’s the scene in the hospital when a doctor is being preyed on by the vampire, which is another suspenseful scene that ends with one of the scariest jump scares in a PG-13 movie. Though these two sequences make viewers crave an all-out horror, fans are lucky to have something as scary as those in the superhero flick.
Jared Harris Is The Movie’s Best Jared
There aren’t all that many characters in the 104-minute movie, as the few key players carry the whole movie. One of those key players is Dr. Emil Nicholas (Jared Harris), who is a father figure to both Michael and Milo and a mentor to both of them too. Though he isn’t the most intelligent character in Morbius, he is the most relatable character and the beating heart of the movie.
Harris gives a phenomenal performance that’s grounded and emotional. And while there’s no attempt to build a connection between the audience and Martine Bancroft, making her death relatively ineffective, Emil’s death is surprisingly impactful, and that’s primarily thanks to Harris.
Matt Smith Is Great In The Movie
For a blockbuster movie, Morbius lacks excitement, but it comes the closest to what audiences expect of a thrilling blockbuster whenever Milo (Matt Smith) is on screen. Though none of the characters’ motivations are very clear in the movie, Milo makes the most sense. Simply put, he wants the cure so he doesn’t die, even if that means becoming a murderous bloodsucker.
Smith is so convincing when it comes to defending Milo’s point of view, and he’s the most entertaining when he does become a living vampire. Between his ridiculous dancing, his antagonizing behavior in clubs, and his general demeanor, Milo is so much fun to watch, and many feel he’s the best villain in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) thus far. Along with Harris, Smith gives a phenomenal performance in the movie too.
It Lays The Foundation For Exciting And Potentially Great Crossovers
It’s fascinating that Sony is still vehemently trying to get the Sinister Six, the infamous villain team, off the ground. The studio first tried with Amazing Spider-Man 2, and when that failed, they teased a new variation of it in Spider-Man: Homecoming. And once again, it seems like that’s what the studio is leaning towards based on Morbius and Adrian’s meeting.
However, there are so many more avenues the SSU could go down. A crossover could see Venom and Morbius locking horns, and Jared Leto has spoken about wanting to face off against the three Spider-Men. And according to Comicbook.com, the actor even wants to see the vampire crossover with the MCU’s version of Blade. While there are loads of dream movie crossovers, Morbius laid the foundation for dozens of them.
It Pushes The PG-13 Movie To Its Limits
Being about a vampire who needs to drink human blood every six hours or else he goes into a critical condition, audiences would expect that Morbius would be nothing less than R-rated. Alas, as it’s a comic book movie that’s part of a huge cinematic universe, an R rating would keep a lot of its target audience from seeing it.
However, on top of the two terrifying horror-influenced sequences, the movie pushes the PG-13 rating as far as it can. The film is full of gory and violent sequences, and even the smaller violent moments are surprisingly graphic. It is even rated 15 in the UK, which is the equivalent of an R rating in the United States.
