It may have been named as one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year before it was ironically pushed back to January 2022 shortly afterwards, but based on some of the more incredulous reactions to the news, it would be fair to say that not everyone is buzzing at the prospect of Jared Leto’s Morbius.
The trailer made the pic look as though it was cut very firmly from the same cloth as Venom, giving an acclaimed talent known for their dedication and immersion into any role the opportunity to headline a comic book blockbuster with ropey visual effects, terrible dialogue and a visual aesthetic straight out of the 1990s.
Leto might be an Academy Award winner, famed Method actor and alleged stalking target of Denzel Washington, but he’s never led a major studio blockbuster before. The 30 Seconds to Mars frontman has always been somewhat of a divisive figure among general audiences, too, but in a new interview, he claimed that Morbius is the movie we all need right now.
“I’m so excited for people to see Morbius. I’m so excited. It’s the kind of film I feel like we all need right now. Just a big, fun, popcorn get-in-the-theater, turn the lights down, let’s have some fun movie. I’m excited about it. It’s a brand-new character who’s never been on screen before.”
People are clearly dying for escapism, and while Hollywood has been churning out films and TV shows based in and around the pandemic we’ve been living with for close to a year and are truly sick and tired of by now in a classic example of completely misreading the room, a lot of folks just want action-packed spectacle where your brain doesn’t need to be engaged.
That’s one of the reasons why the Godzilla vs. Kong trailer has been smashing records on YouTube, because it’s an epic big budget fantasy with two giant monsters beating the crap out of each other. And as long as Morbius doesn’t take itself too seriously, there’s definitely a gap in the market for the vampiric superhero film.