Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

Morbius 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 15, 2022

Someone has to occupy the bottom spot. With Superhero films the de facto state of the cinema landscape going on now for a couple of decades, it is only natural to expect that with the flood will come some stinkers. Morbius is one of those stinkers. Here is a completely uninspired mess of a movie that puts a capably built film on the screen but offers nothing beyond a string of generic, predictable, and hopelessly haggard story points and character dynamics. Absent the energy of the best Superhero films, the characterization and world building that define the finest, and focused instead on rote formula and fatigued repetition, the film, from Director Daniel Espinosa (Safe House, Life) results in a piddling Marvel movie ranking at the bottom (along with the likes of The Eternals) of the otherwise rather grand world of Superhero cinema.

Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) has lived with a debilitating blood disease his entire life. As a child (Charlie Shotwell), Michael befriended another boy with the same disorder, Milo (Joseph Esson). When Michael ingeniously saves Milo's life by hacking a critical piece of hospital machinery with an ink pen, he is transferred away from the hospital to a special school for gifted students in New York where he receives the best care and the best education. It turns out, however, that Michael is own best advocate. He earns his doctorate by the age of 19 and has become a world-renowned specialist in the blood disorder field. Now, he is prepared to push his understanding of science to the limit by blending vampire bat blood with his own. He does so to remarkable, but also deadly, effect. He transforms into a superhuman vampire, gifted with remarkable speed, super senses, and great physical power, all of which he uses to kill several mercenaries. When he reverts to his human form, he discovers he no longer inhabits a frail body but rather one in peak physical condition. He becomes a wanted man for his role in the murders, pursued by a pair of cops -- Simon Stroud (Tyrese Gibson) and Al Rodriguez (Al Madrigal) -- while also discovering that Milo (Al Madrigal) may be thirsty for the same "healing" powers that have been both a blessing and a curse for Michael.

To call the film capable would be respect it at its highest point for forgiving criticism. It's certainly no joke of a film insofar as the basics are concerned: it's competently put together, the acting in general is OK, the visual effects are passable, score and editing are fine...but efficiency and competencies are not particularly valid points for praise in a cinema landscape in which polish and shine are commonplace amongst the big studio entries. However, the key word here is "basics." The film does not, and seemingly cannot, move beyond a very simplistic structure and style, seemingly made by rote with textbook definitions for characterization, special effects, dramatic arcs, and so on and so forth. There is not an original second of storytelling to be found in this picture. From the top down it is an assembly line kind of movie of the worst kind that simply pushes forward with crude fundamentals that offer no distinctive personality. Moviegoers are going to be left watching a film that is flat and devoid of any purpose other than to bank some bucks on the back of the Superhero freight train.

As the movie slogs about its business, it does earn a decent little boost from Leto and Smith who play the main characters with a sufficient level of depth and believability. There's a certain sincerity to their relationship and even as it takes a familiar and predictable turn, they each infuse a unique personality that allows the characters to play off of one another, in various ways, to good core basic dramatic satisfaction. However, this is material audiences have seen countless times before. There's literally nothing new here, and no matter how solid the performances there is no escaping the trite, rehashed, and recycled content around the actors. Morbius simply loses steam with its onslaught of familiar components, a fatal and irrecoverable flaw which is revealed early and never patched to satisfaction.

Morbius 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

Sony brings Morbius to the UHD format with a 2160p/Dolby Vision UHD presentation that offers a satisfying, if not fairly standard, suite of upgrades to the viewing experience over the companion 1080p Blu-ray. The Dolby Vision color grading offers a full spectrum improvement, yielding, perhaps most obviously, superior blacks and whites. Look at the scene when Morbius is "receiving" his reward at the 9:49 mark; the black tuxedo jacket is strikingly more efficient in depth and black accuracy while the white shirt underneath leaps off the screen with a newfound sense of punch and vitality. Though the picture is somewhat dark with typical cold vampire tones of blue and gray dominating the proceedings, there is no question that the Dolby Vision presentation enhances the content with added color depth and accuracy unavailable within the SDR color spectrum range.

The resolution upgrade also bears some desirable fruit as well. The gains to sharpness and clarity are unmistakable, particularly in character close-ups where skin intricacies are visible beyond the Blu-ray's reach, which is impressive because such content looks terrific on the Blu-ray as it is. But the gains serve to amplify the picture's excellence and bring to it a very qualified cinematic look and feel. Even the visual effects enjoy superior clarity and visibility, even as fast as they often move around the screen. The 2160p resolution still holds some source noise, but it never feels intrusive. There are no obvious encode issues to report, either.

Morbius 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

On the UHD format, Morbius earns a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. There is certainly a fullness and precision here that is unmistakable from the outset. The sense of immersive musical space and terrific clarity are in evidence from the very first note. The presentation is not quite as aggressive as one might expect at reference volume, but everything else is in good working order, and the grandeur of the Costa Rican environment to follow is simply majestic. He cacophony of natural sounds is quickly complimented by fluid score and deep bass heard from a waterfall and a helicopter powering through the stage. The swarm of vampire bats to follow sings through the speakers with incredible precision and full stage complimentary excellence, including plenty of well-defined overhead content. Such full-stage engagement excellence holds for the duration. Gunfire pops with definite, aggressive authority and various vampire action scenes present with unmistakably full-bodied excellence as well as all the ear candy type Atmos goodness that one would expect of a big budget, action-oriented, comic book film. Dialogue is clear and center positioned for the duration. This is a terrific soundtrack from Sony and Dolby.

Morbius 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release of Morbius contains no extras on the UHD disc beyond a suite of previews. However, the bundled Blu-ray houses everything listed below. A Movies Anywhere digital copy code is included with purchase. This release ships with a non-embossed slipcover.

• Outtakes & Bloopers (1080p, 2:35): Humorous moments from the shoot.
• Lights, Camera, Action (1080p, 5:26): This generically titled supplement explores Director Daniel Espinosa's direction.
• Defining the Anti-Hero (1080p, 4:43): Exploring the Morbius character in detail.
• Doing the Stunt Work (1080p, 4:39): As the title suggests, this piece explores (quickly) the rigors and making of several of the key stunts in the film, as well as how they play into the film.
• The Good, Bad & Ugly -- Supporting Cast (1080p, 3:30): A lightning-quick guide to the characters in the film not named Morbius and the actors who portrayed them (even though it looks at Morbius and Leto for the first minute).
• Nocturnal Easter Eggs (1080p, 2:23): Even though Daniel Espinosa believes these should be discovered by fans for themselves, this piece proceeds to break some of them open, anyway.
• From Human to Vampire: Visual Effects (1080p, 5:13): Cast, characters, and the purpose behind and making of some of the special effects.
• Theatrical Marketing (1080p, 5:17 total runtime): Some fun, nontraditional, and informational pitches for the film. Included are Press Tour, Lore, Universe, and Stain.
• Previews (1080p): Additional Sony titles.

Morbius 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Morbius is not a "bad" film in that it's poorly made, but it is a "bad" film in that there's not a single shred of originality within it. From character details to plot mechanics to special effects, nothing stands out as unique or worth the time investment. Sony's UHD is at least solid. Video and audio are fine -- the latter in particular is a real treat -- and the included Blu-ray disc comes with a handful of extras. Skip it.