--- title: "Morbius" year: 2022 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/morbius" fi1m_score: 38 critics_score: 36 critics_reviews: 23 published: "2026-09-16T15:30:09.911435+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T15:30:30.312729+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Morbius (2022) Directed by Daniel Espinosa · 1h 45m · MPA PG-13 · Action, Science Fiction, Fantasy **Fi1m score: 38** · Critics 36 from 23 reviews *In a sentence:* A vampire film so solemn that Matt Smith having fun feels like a breach of contract > Daniel Espinosa’s vampire thriller wastes a promising friendship on thin writing and muddled action. Jared Leto takes it seriously, Matt Smith finds some fun, and neither can make it worth the evening. ## Synopsis Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) looks to science for an answer to the suffering he shares with his friend Milo (Matt Smith). His work draws him into vampirism, making the consequences of his experiments personal for both men. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona) and Dr. Emil Nicholas (Jared Harris) are part of the circle around him. As he tries to understand his changed condition, the scientific problem becomes a threat he cannot simply reason away. His friendship with Milo remains bound up with the predicament he is trying to escape. ## Review Daniel Espinosa’s *Morbius* starts with a workable idea: two friends whose shared suffering might make a vampire story matter. That gives this particular scientist a reason to interest us before any transformation, and gives the horror somewhere personal to begin. The film is poor because it spends so little time developing that friendship and so much on action that becomes difficult to follow. The 105 minutes feel longer once the fights begin to repeat themselves. Jared Leto plays Dr. Michael Morbius with a seriousness that initially helps: a mad scientist is more interesting when he believes there is a sound reason for what he is doing. The friendship with Milo, played by Matt Smith, offers a way of understanding that determination without another explanation from the screenplay. Both actors give the shared suffering some weight. What is missing is enough writing to make us interested in these men beyond the problem that connects them. The screenplay by Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama favours exposition, then hurries through the backstory that might have made the exposition unnecessary. We learn enough to follow the premise, but the supporting characters are too thin to make each new difficulty count. Adria Arjona gives Martine Bancroft a welcome presence, though the part has too little scope to change the film’s direction. It is frustrating to see capable actors supplying concern that the script has not taken the trouble to build. Oliver Wood’s cinematography is more persuasive in the gloom, where the nocturnal setting briefly gives the film the unease it needs. When light breaks through, we can look at the image without spending so much effort trying to distinguish what is in it. Stefania Cella’s production design contributes to that atmosphere, although the surroundings make less impression than the performers. There is enough visual care here to suggest a modest horror film could have worked if the story had stayed with its people. Pietro Scalia’s editing is least helpful when the action takes over, cutting so choppily that movement stops being something we can follow. The digital transformations do Jared Leto no favours either, obscuring a committed performance with effects that struggle to convince. We were bored by the fights because the cutting kept making it harder to care who was doing what. Jon Ekstrand’s score cannot restore the suspense lost in those passages. More of the performers and a clearer view of their movements would have done more to help. Matt Smith is the useful exception to the prevailing solemnity. He supplies some of the pleasure in excess that a vampire film can reasonably promise, and the change in energy is welcome. We do not need this kind of horror to be respectable, but we do need it to take some pleasure in frightening or surprising us. Here the familiar vampire material is treated with such dutiful seriousness that even its silliness seldom becomes fun. Unless following this particular scientist matters to you, we would spend the evening elsewhere. *Fi1m score 38, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics find Morbius a dull, derivative vampire origin story, with thin characters and action that offers little excitement. The limited praise clusters around the performances: several reviews credit Jared Leto’s commitment, while Matt Smith supplies energy that they find lacking elsewhere. Some also see promise in the mad-scientist premise and find moments of atmosphere or visual interest, though few consider these enough to compensate for the script. The reservations centre on predictable plotting, confusing effects and poorly staged or repetitive combat. Performances divide opinion too, with Leto judged committed by some and lifeless by others. The spread is wide despite the strongly negative consensus: Vulture finds a brisk, atmospheric thriller with effective scares and heartfelt acting, while Screen Daily enjoys the spirited cast and assured direction. These favourable reviews find modest genre pleasures where most critics see an underdeveloped franchise exercise. ### Reviews we read (23) - **Vulture**, Bilge Ebiri (75/100, inferred): Despite seeming unnecessary, the film works as a tight, brisk mad-scientist thriller with strong atmosphere, effective scares, and heartfelt performances from Leto and Matt Smith. Espinosa brings an engaging dreamy style to its nocturnal world. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/movie-review-marvels-morbius-starring-jared-leto.html) - **Screen Daily** (70/100, inferred): The critic finds it a consistently enjoyable franchise start-up elevated by spirited performances and the director’s sure hand, offering modest genre pleasures and a spooky vibe. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/morbius-review/5168975.article) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (65/100, inferred): The critic finds that Morbius does not suck as a movie and provides a diverting neo-vampiric tale despite the odds. The first half is better shaped, with coherent characters and visuals that sometimes allow light to shine through the gloom. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/movies/morbius-review.html) - **The AV Club**, Todd Gilchrist (C-): A run-of-the-mill, capably acted origin story that is professionally mounted but mostly lifeless and disappointing after years of anticipation. It leans on familiar vampire clichés and horror visuals without delivering excitement or depth. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/morbius-review-jared-leto-matt-smith-adria-arjona-spide-1848729603) - **Empire**, Sophie Butcher (2/5): The core concept of two friends bonded by suffering has promise but is undermined by messy action, wafer-thin characters and a slight plot. Solid performances and flashes of visual interest cannot save the flat, forgettable result. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/morbius/) - **Radio Times**, Sabastian Astley (2/5): The critic finds the film disappointing overall, with a dated plot, visually confusing CGI and predictable storytelling that reaches new depths. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/morbius-review-jared-leto/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney (40/100, inferred): The film starts promisingly but fails to sustain intensity, becoming thin on story and repetitive in its action. Leto's committed performance stands out amid a script that makes the movie feel like another boilerplate Venom-like entry without the humor. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/morbius-jared-leto-1235122778/) - **Financial Times**, Leslie Felperin (★☆☆☆☆): The vampiric Marvel movie is a bloody mess and diabolical shambles suggesting carnage in the edit suite. It singles out the inexplicable stumps of discarded subplots and hollowness of performances for complaint. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/f73de176-f3a6-44c3-84fe-28904ab31e67) - **Sight and Sound**, Kim Newman (30/100, inferred): The critic calls it a sketchy mess with thin, disposable secondary characters and a lack of laughs or oddness that partially redeems the Venom films. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/morbius-has-all-signs-troubled-film-production) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (30/100, inferred): The film is an amazingly pointless and dumb vampire superhero yarn with a muddled good/bad setup and silly demonic transformations. It singles out the bafflingly dull story and post-credit stings for complaint. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/31/morbius-review-ludicrously-pointless-jekyll-and-hyde-vampire-monster-yarn) - **The Telegraph** (30/100, inferred): The film is a hopeless, thuddingly generic Marvel venture where CGI effects undermine the lead performance. It singles out the lengthy, unengaging runtime and generic plot for complaint. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/morbius-review-jared-letos-living-vampire-cant-save-dead-silly/) - **Total Film** (30/100, inferred): This dull, derivative origin story is dead on arrival and a shameless exercise in comic-book universe expansion. Slick direction and committed performances are let down by sub-par effects, underpowered action and a character never adequately sketched. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/moribus-review-marvel/) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman (25/100, inferred): The critic finds Morbius generic and jarringly so, a flimsy time-killer and early-April placeholder that is neither original nor a good story. The lead character lacks flavor, the FX are creaky, and the script shows no signs of meaningful revision or added spice. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/morbius-review-jared-leto-1235217960/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Robert Daniels (20/100, inferred): The critic calls Morbius a misbegotten, artistically bankrupt bid that is the nadir of comic book cinema and a colossal snore. The film suffers from dreadful special effects, a lack of heart in the lead performance, and an over-reliance on generic VFX instead of sturdy storytelling or effective scares. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-03-31/review-morbius-jared-leto-marvel) - **The Times** (10/100, inferred): The film is an appalling vampire snooze-fest without jeopardy, originality, coherence or compelling characters. It singles out Jared Leto's dead-eyed performance and poor writing/direction for complaint. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/morbius-review-appalling-vampire-snooze-fest-deserves-a-stake-through-its-heart-hxhdzk8zv) - **Time Out**, Cathy Brennan (10/100, inferred): The critic finds it a super-sized disaster and a chore to sit through, with bland action, thin characterisation and a leaden performance from Leto. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/morbius-2022) - **Deadline**, Anna Smith (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the film isn’t terrible, with good work from Leto and slick VFX providing modest entertainment, but notes it’s unlikely to please crowds like recent Spider-Man films and criticizes the script for favoring exposition. [Read](https://deadline.com/2022/03/morbius-review-jared-leto-marvel-movie-1234990314/) - **Collider**, Emma Kiely (D+): The film is stale, unoriginal, and forgettable due to a lazy script that rushes through backstory and lacks character depth or arcs. Leto brings some comfort to the role despite the weak material. [Read](https://collider.com/morbius-review-jared-leto-sony-marvel/) - **Den of Geek**, David Crow (2/5): The critic finds the film a lifeless, mechanical mash-up of better movies that fails to deliver on its vampire premise or as a Spider-Man spin-off. They single out its rote storytelling and lack of visual flair or engaging performances for complaint. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/morbius-review-marvel-vampire-movie/) - **Polygon**, Joshua Rivera (30/100, inferred): The film makes Jared Leto boring and lacks imagination or energy, feeling algorithmically calibrated with unimaginative action. It only briefly comes to life through Matt Smith's more dynamic villain performance. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/23004796/morbius-review-jared-leto-matt-smith-venom) - **The Wrap** (30/100, inferred): The review calls it an underwhelming Marvel horror where the mad-scientist setup is fun but drags into a usual big battle with little character investment; praises Adria Arjona’s performance as the standout. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/morbius-film-review-jared-leto-matt-smith-marvel-spider-man/) - **The Playlist**, Jason Bailey (20/100, inferred): The film is a dull, depressing comic-book/horror hybrid that fails to deliver any thrills or surprises. The critic singles out the poorly staged and choppily edited action scenes for particular complaint. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/morbius-review-dull-depressing-comic-book-horror-hybrid-20220330/) - **The Ringer**, Miles Surrey (10/100, inferred): The film is breathtakingly terrible and excruciating to watch, with a rote script and lack of personality or tone. Leto is surprisingly muted and devoid of charisma in the lead role. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2022/04/01/marvel/morbius-movie-review-sony-superhero) ## Details - **Director:** Daniel Espinosa - **Director:** Daniel Espinosa - **Screenplay:** Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless - **Cinematography:** Oliver Wood - **Editor:** Pietro Scalia - **Music:** Jon Ekstrand - **Production design:** Stefania Cella - **Costume design:** Cindy Evans - **Producer:** Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Lucas Foster - **Cast:** Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius; Matt Smith as Milo; Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft; Jared Harris as Dr. Emil Nicholas; Tyrese Gibson as Agent Simon Stroud; Al Madrigal as Agent Rodriguez; Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes; Zaris-Angel Hator as Anna - **Runtime:** 1h 45m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG-13 - **Release (the US):** 1 April 2022 - **Genres:** Action, Science Fiction, Fantasy - **Budget:** $75 million - **Box office:** $168 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG2TjtueeSU ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: streaming, uhd - Disney+: streaming, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *The Fly* (1986), Fi1m 88: Another scientist’s experiment goes wrong, with far more care for the person changing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-fly.md) - *Cronos* (1993): Vampirism treated as a bodily burden, with tenderness towards the man enduring it. - *Thirst* (2009): An appetite for blood creates moral trouble, and the characters remain worth following. - *Byzantium* (2012): Two female vampires get the history and complicated loyalties missing from this story. - *Frankenstein* (1931): A scientist’s ambition produces horror through actors and atmosphere rather than confused action. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/morbius