Morbius: the Superhero film Masquerading as a Vampire Saga

Introduction and plot

The cinematic fictional wonder, morbius, directed by Sony, and released in 2022, came with a thrilling hype that kept its audience thirsting to see what Sony had in store for them.

The movie starred actor, Jared Leto, who played the role of Micheal Morbius, the protagonist. Morbuis grew up with a childhood illness that left him paralyzed till adulthood. Over time, he developed interest in scientific medicine and research, devoting his life to finding a cure for his illness, which he eventually does but every cure does have a side effect, doesn't it?

In Morbius's case, it was a life-changing side effect, one that left him lusting over blood. His transformation into the new bloodthirsty being with newfound superpowers had a toll on his life as he struggled not to harm anyone while quenching his dark innate desires that seemed to coerce him into doing horrific things.

But the world doesn't just revolve around him as Lucien Crown (played by Matt Smith), a childhood friend, who suffered the same debilitating childhood illness comes up to Morbius seeking for the cure that changed his Morbuis's life but things take a different twist as Morbuis declines. He doesn't wish the same monstrous fate that he's found himself upon Lucien.

Well, his friend someway somehow, transforms into a much darker version of Morbuis, one who submits to his thirst and desires. And this is when the story spirals into a chaotic, dramatic series of events.

Will Morbuis sit and watch his friend commit such atrocities? Or will their once unbreakable bond prevail?

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Is morbius really an ideal vampire movie?

Well, critics would definitely say no, as usual, but if you delve deeply into the movie's plot, there is a shift in the typical vampire stereotype. Did we really see colored eyes with long fangs pierce into the skin of humans? I doubt. And even if there was, it was highly inconspicuous. Marvel and Sony fans expressed their outrage on social media platforms saying it was not worthy of the hype it projected prior to its release. I mean, take a look at movies like Dracula, Originals, vampire diaries, or even Blade—all of which fit into this typical vampire blood-lusting narrative.

It felt like the regular superhero movie where the ending is usually predictable—I kind of knew how things were going to end.

Perhaps the whole vampire narrative which was incorporated into the movie shouldn't have been there in the first place; maybe things would have been entirely different, just maybe.

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Morbius Vs Sony's Underworld.

Now, this is a classic example to fully demonstrate whether Morbius was an upgrade or downgrade of Sony's vampire franchise.

In the Sony directed vampire movie, Underworld, we see Micheal corvin and his girlfriend, selen—Who both happen to be the centre of focus—actively feasting on human blood for survival. Michael's body literally rejected food especially at the early stages of his transformation. We also see how he hid from the world pushing himself away from the world he once knew as he didn't fit into the normal human world anymore. But do we see a concept as this in Morbius? Probably not!

Rather, the plot focuses on Morbius's role as a superhero, skipping his transformation and growth, and in-depth struggles as a vampire. In the beginning, he drank blood from blood bags, yes. But this wasn't enough to demonstrate Morbius's personal struggles as a vampire. It only demonstrated to suit the movie's scientific touch and nothing more.

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*The vampire theme *

In Underworld, vampirism dated back to historic times. It was like a gene passed on from generation to generation, just like every other vampire movies; not a scientifically created one like we see in Morbius. This could be a concept by Sony anyways, a deviation from the stereotypic vampire life into a modernized one, who knows. I only thought it would have been great if more light was shed on his newfound persona as a vampire, not as a superhero protagonist—It's what separates batman and Spiderman from vampires, right? Otherwise, there's no difference between Morbius and the regular superhero movies we see on a daily basis.

An insight into its portrayed Characters

The character development wasn't rich enough. I didn't really connect with the main character, Morbius. Rather, I leaned more towards the peripheral action-filled events that the film revolved around.

We were only shown a glimpse of Morbius's life as a child a few minutes into the clip where he suffered from an illness. But hey, what was his childhood like? What traumatic events did he go through that made him much different from the antagonist? Did he undergo any major experience that transformed him into the self composed, kind-hearted character we see? His character development was quite vital in the role he played. His childhood history would have made us connect a little bit deeper with the movie. I feel the movie was kind of rushed... It had the potential to meet the expectation of millions out there.

Then we see the antagonist, lucien, We see not just a villain with superpowers but the man hidden underneath his portrayed character as a villain, one we connected with in an emotional level; leaving us certain expectations and hence, increasing the suspense. His display of humour was also quite evident. He left us with a reason as to why he turned out to be the bad guy, you know. I connected more with his character than with Morbuis.

To understand character development, go watch Underworld and observe the character development of Micheal, the main character, comparing it with that of Morbuis.

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My personal thoughts on Morbuis

Morbuis is indeed, a thrilling movie with a lot of packed action. It gives off this superhero vibes, the type that keeps your eyes glued to the television—I did enjoy this aspect. It was the best part.

Personally,I felt it was too short. Maybe it's the reason why they gave little or no attention to the vampire aspect, sparking outrage and dissatisfaction from fans across the globe.

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Conclusion

If you're searching for a sci-fi, action movie, or a superhero movie, then you're in the right box as Morbuis offered us Just that. But if you're searching for a vampire movie, you'll probably have to look elsewhere.

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