Marvel has had a marvelous time with the release of the third installment of the Spiderman series. But things haven't been good for the latest movie, 'Morbius.'Following its release last week, the movie's performance is of historical significance but not in the sense it was expected, instead of the exact opposite! It broke records by being ranked the second-lowest for a movie based on Marvel Comics.Centered around the character of the same name, with creators Roy Thomas and Gil Kane, the movie takes us through the journey of a scientist Michael Morbius, played by Academy Award Winner Jared Leto.
The 'Morbius' Story Was Off To A Good Start
Beware: spoilers ahead!
In Morbius, ââââââthe character is struggling with a rare blood disease. In an unconventional attempt to cure himself and save others suffering his exact fate, he injects a formula into his body, making matters a lot more complicated, transforming him into a vampire-like creature.
We see Morbius balancing his human nature and temptations as a vampire.
And the movie does not reveal how much of that balance Leto's character attains. Morbius initially appears as a villain in the Spider-Man stories but is an anti-hero of sorts on his own. He is described as Marvel's most compelling and conflicted character.
Where Did 'Morbius' Go Wrong?
With scientist Morbius' genius mixed with the desire to cure himself and his friend Milo, both handicapped for their whole lives, experiments with bats lead to disastrous results. But this exactly is the recipe for an enthralling visual experience.
It's not easy to pinpoint exactly what went wrong in the movie's making, but several critics have remarks regarding Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless's weak screenplay.
The movie is filled with ordinary moments ubiquitous in the sci-fi genre, yet the cinematography fails to fascinate because it's 2022, and movies in this genre have set the mark very high.
Dialogues are nothing special. And especially with a familiar storyline, the execution takes crucial importance, and Daniel Espinosa's direction does not manage to save the day.
Some go as far as to say that the connection with the Spider-Man universe feels forced, and maybe Morbius would have been better off without it for this first film.
However, in an interview with Uproxx, Espinosa implied that this wasn't quite the movie he turned in, and the post-production cut may have changed things.
He said- "These movies are big ideas… I think that I work at my best if I get a lot of decision power. But, in these movies, they're big movies that have a lot of people's interest. It's a different process every time".
Fans And Critics Gave 'Morbius' Low Marks
Sometimes, there is a divide between critics and fans. Most movies don't go high on the box office but get stellar reviews from critics, and some appeal highly to the masses but are dragged by the critics. Bad critical reviews don't matter when enjoyed and appreciated by the fans.
But with Morbius, from fan reaction to critic reviews, all responses have been overwhelmingly negative.
The movie sits with a 17% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And has the second-lowest Cinema Score for a film based on Marvel Comics, the lowest being Fantastic four back in 2015.
Originally, Marvel fans weren't exactly happy with Sony acquiring rights for movies based on Marvel books. And the common verdict was that had MCU been in charge, the whole thing could have been much better. But as it is, it's nothing short of a mess.
Initially meant to release in 2020, the movie was put off for two years due to the pandemic, and as some might say, and rightfully so, the wait was simply not worth it. To no one's surprise, Twitter had a field day with the movie not delivering the way it was expected to.
It is the third movie for Sony's Spider-Man Universe and was set to have a pivotal role in the franchise as creators talked of potential crossover with Venom and The Sinister Six in the future before the film opened but now that fans would understand it if they decided against it.
It certainly isn't a 'flop,' crossing the 100 million mark at the worldwide box office a week after its release but watching it wasn't easy on the hearts of hardcore Marvel nerds.
The Trailers Spoiled The Film For Fans
The post-credits scenes have always been a Marvel Movie thing to keep the fans on edge, alluding to further possibilities, but with Morbius, the post-credit scenes were hard to make the head and toe-off. They barely made sense.
Two scenes are waiting to shock the fans if they make it to the movie's end. They suggest an expansive future in the Spider-Man Universe for our vampire doctor, but they are not as logical to comprehend.
They were spoiled in the marketing, and much like the movie, the anticipation and build-up around this were high. That could be the reason why fans were left so disappointed with the movie, as it didn't serve like the hype around it when it was in the making.
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