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Morbius Early Reviews Reveal That This Vampire Film Is a Flop

Sony's Morbius is finally released on April 1 after years of delays. However, with a new blockbuster film comes the responses of fans who were able to watch an early showing. And, for the most part, the responses have been negative. Dodgy CGI, weak storyline, and an inconsistent tone are among the most common critiques. The post-credit scenes, in particular, have been dubbed "some of the WORST you've ever seen" by one Twitter user. Although there hasn't been much appreciation for Jared Leto's performance, the reception to Matt Smith's over-the-top villain has been excellent.
nullMorbius, directed by Daniel Espinosa, is the newest installment in Sony's Spiderverse (which, aside from the post-credits sequence in Venom: Let There Be Carnage, does not involve Spider-Man Tom Holland). Dr. Michael Morbius, played by Leto, is a bright scientist with a rare blood illness. Morbius becomes a real vampire after performing a transfusion on himself, afflicted with a desire for blood but with heightened senses and power. Morbius is pitted against Smith's Milo, a wealthy man who is subjected to the same torture as Morbius and utilizes his abilities for evil.
nullMorbius is one of Spider-Man's most noteworthy enemies, while not being as well-known as the Green Goblin or Venom. Morbius initially appears in 1971's Amazing Spider-Man #101, written by Roy Thomas and penciled by Gil Kane, under the moniker "the Living Vampire" to evade the Comics Code Authority's wrath. Over the years, Morbius has posed a threat to Spider-Man, even sinking his fangs into him on a few occasions (or, in the case of the 1990s animated series, attaching his suction cups to Spidey). During the "Rise of the Midnight Sons" crossover with Ghost Rider and Blade, however, Morbius became more of an anti-hero, even starring in his own 32-issue solo series.
nullIs it enough to support a feature movie? While Sony's attempt to build a cinematic universe centered on Spider-Man villains has been met with skepticism, the venture has been remarkably successful thus far. Despite receiving mixed to negative reviews from critics, Venom made $856.1 million at the box office in 2018, while the sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage made 502.1 million in 2021, despite being released amid the epidemic. The results have been so positive for Sony that they've decided to make a Kraven the Hunter feature starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Of course, Tom Hardy's portrayal in the Venom Movies was totally insane. Is it possible for Morbius to achieve the same level of success? No, according to early statements.
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