Morbius Is A Soulless Spider-Man Spin-off That's Painfully Generic And Lacking In Depth

When looking at the current slate of superhero films, one of the more questionable decisions made is that of Sony pictures choosing to tell separate origin stories for numerous Spider-Man foes with Venom being a prime example. Whereas both Tom Hardy films were highly successful commercially, they relied heavily on the latters charismatic presence to make them watchable considering that their scripts weren't exactly strong. With Morbius, Sony continues that trend with them enlisting the talent of extreme method actor Jared Leto in the title role of vampire Spider-Man villain. Despite Leto giving his noblest effort to make it work, Morbius comes across as being a messy spin-off that's heavily generic and feels uninspired.

      Based on the Marvel comics character of the same name, Morbius has Dr. Morbius (Jared Leto) dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder whose determined to save others from the same fate. In developing a cure for himself and his best friend (Matt Smith), he pursues a risky gamble that unleashes something dark from within. Morbius plot is one that would be thrilling if it wasn't for the fact that it relies heavily on other plots of the same nature in order for it to function. There isn't anything presented in Morbius that feels like it takes genuine risks with its story with the film giving a strong impression that little effort was put into making it work. As an extension of the current Spider-Man universe, Morbius can be summed up as being a missed opportunity, as well as a depressing revelation that not all of Spider-Man's villains need or require their own separate origin story. 

      As hard as everyone tries, the casts efforts aren't enough to elevate the film to the status of being watchable. As a film designed to rely on the performance of its main star, Jared Leto demonstrates pure devotion with playing smart-minded and soft-spoken scientist Michael Morbius, who attempts to cure himself while being afflicted with a form of transgenic vampirism. Although the character is one-note, he does a strong job of showing his struggle with his disease, along with the consequences of having an overwhelming thirst for blood. Adria Arjona does well as scientist and Morbius's colleague Martine Bancroft with her  character portrayed as being smarter than others with her and Leto showcasing decent chemistry. Matt Smith chews up the scenery as Morbius's surrogate brother Milo, who suffers from the same rare blood disease as Michael yet wholeheartedly embraces his new vampire persona. The rest of the supporting cast try their best to make the most of what they're given including Jared Harris as both Morbius and Milo's mentor and father figure Dr. Emil Nicholas, Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson as FBI agents Alberto and Simon who pursue Morbius. Whereas mostly everything about the film feels ill-conceived, the cast stands as being one of the films few points of watchability despite them often feeling underdeveloped along with being cardboard cutouts from other films.

      When it comes to Morbius' directing, Daniel Espinosa's work appears lifeless with no real risks being taken here with the special effects feeling underwhelming and covered up by vaper trails following the characters as they leap or are thrown across buildings, alleys, and subways. While such a decision is meant to showcase the characters supernatural abilities, it also gives off the impression that it's being utilized to fill in for a lack of creativity directed towards the films visual appearance. The action scenes are presented with moments which deliver Matrix style slow-motion shots, that help to reveal some of whats being hidden by the vaper trails. The films score ranges as being utterly forgettable with the pacing moving the story too rapidly for its 104 minute length. As for Morbius's character design, the look and make up effects are impressively spot-on to his animated comic book appearance. Despite nailing the look of the character along with providing some intense monster fights which consist of the traditional biting and slashing with claws, Espinosa's efforts feel lazy as Morbius' world doesn't feel much like one that links up with the current Spider-Man universe.

      With its writing, Morbius often feels as if it relies heavily on generic elements to tell its story with its plot and characters feeling undercooked. Besides Leto and Smith, the rest of the cast have very little to work with to the point where their characters are instantly forgettable immediately after the film finishes. The motivations also make little to no sense with Morbius and Milo's characters being shown to be good friends yet later find themselves trying to kill each other with no valid reason shown for their switch up. The screenplay does very little when it comes to developing its side characters with both FBI agents feeling like copy and paste characters from other Marvel stories with them serving little to no purpose in the story. Not to mention that the romance between Morbius and Martine feels up forced and unconvincing. The script aims to deliver a message that says scientific advancements in the wrong hands can lead to improper application, but there's little effort put into delivering that message with themes revolving around life and death, good and evil, power and weakness being tossed around without much depth to them. With a character such as Morbius or someone like Milo, the audience never truly feels the moral implication of their actions. The film also lacks the traditional Marvel style of witty humor with it being humorless and dry along with possessing a dank feel to it.

      Overall, Morbius is a superhero vampire flick that feels painfully by-the-numbers along with its main character lacking a sympathetic character arc. With the effort that Leto puts in, the filmmakers do a disservice to the cast as well as the fans with presenting storytelling which feels sloppy. Hopefully Sony throws more effort towards any future spin-off stories compared to what's been given here. Morbius ranks as being the worst Marvel film thus far.

Final Verdict: For both Spider-Man and Marvel fans, Morbius is not worth the time and money to watch. 

Images Courtesy Of Sony Pictures

Turning Red Offers a Fresh, Cleverly Fun, and Heartfelt Perspective On Growing Up

      One of the more intriguing aspects of animated films is not only their ability to entertain and enchant audiences, but also in delivering empowering messages to young children. Recently, Disney and Pixar has taken an admirable approach to exploring different cultures along with expanding the diversity of their films with recent efforts including Coco, Soul, Luca and now Turning Red continuing that trend as a story that offers a fresh, fun perspective on growing up. 

      Turning Red's plot focuses on 13-year-old Mei whose torn between being her mother's obedient daughter and being a typical teenage girl. To make matters worse, she experiences a family curse that transforms her into a large red panda if become too excited. As expected, Turning Red carries both the heart the charm that accompanies a traditional Pixar release with themes which feel universal in reaching a broad audience. The film is one that doesn't shy away from exploring a young woman's journey to becoming her true self while contending with family expectations. While it's main storyline feels reliant on previously established formulaic structures of past Disney films, Turning Red uses those familiar beats to its advantage and crafts a family-friendly experience that encourages young children to not just honor their parents but also themselves.

      When it comes to voice acting, Turning Red's cast deliver phenomenal work with everyone bringing something personal to the story. Rosalie Chiang is terrific as young Mei, who beautifully conveys her characters dilemma of trying to make her parents proud while experiencing a sudden transformation that's been handed down from generation to generation. Chiang's performance is the heart of the story with her crafting a character, who feels relatable to millions of young women. Sandra Oh does a fantastic job as Mei's strict and overprotecting mother, Ming who demands much from her daughter while becoming obsessive in protecting her from the family curse. Both Chiang and Oh deliver strong chemistry with audiences buying into their testy mother and daughter relationship. The rest of the voice cast deliver noteworthy work including Orion Lee as Mei's quiet yet supportive father Jin who provides a stunning contrast to her mother, Ava Morse as Mei's best friend and singing tomboy Miriam, Maitreyi Ramakrishna as Mei's deadpan friend, Hyein Park as aggressive and energetic Abby, Wai Ching Ho as Mei's grandmother Wu, and legendary actor James Hong as local elder and trained shaman Mr. Gao. As a whole, Turning Red's cast does a fine job of injecting charm and humor into the film along with bringing characters to life whom the audience can connect with.

      Directed by Domee Shi in her feature directorial debut, Shi does an admirable job of supplying the film with animation that's beautiful, crisp, and bright for audiences, even if the background designs and characters possess a more cartoonist feel to them than some of Pixar's newer films. Mei's Red Panda comes across as looking like a giant fluffy stuffed animal that's too adorable for audiences not to fall in love with. As with any other Pixar animated film, Turning Red's story remains fast-paced with a brilliantly assembled soundtrack including the likes of Billie Eilish, Finneas O' Connell for the films songs, and Ludwig Goranssin for the scores composed pieces which enhance the stories emotional core. Although nothing shown in Turning Red appears to be groundbreaking in a technological sense, Shi does an impressive job of crafting what feels like an old school Pixar story that would've fit right at home in the 1990's, and making it visually appealing while feeling personal. 

      Some of the themes explored with Turning Red's screenplay include ancestry, family, being oneself, learning to control emotions, and growing up with the story being one that revolves around a mother- and-daughter relationship that's put to the test when a family curse takes effect. Within Red's script also lies an unusual coming-of-age tale about a young girl desiring the independence to be the person she wants to be rather than what her parents want. The whole subplot involving Mei's character transforming into red panda when becoming too excited serves as a metaphor for puberty with adolescence being the heart of the action. The script also contains references including the mentioning of periods, and Mei's friends discussing the attractiveness of popular singers. While the story doesn't encourage the disobeying of parents wishes, it pushes curiosity, compassion, and the maintaining of self-control while promoting the importance of having honest conversations with children regarding bodily changes. Along with those, Red's script also stresses the need for close friends and adults whom children can trust while emphasizing the consequences of withholding secrets and lying. What makes the writing  effective is how well-layered its script appears to be with the covering of all major issues regarding teenage youth, while painting a respectful image of Chinese family culture despite Mei's mother portrayed as  being the tiger mom, who ultimately accepts her daughters change due to her own transformational experiences. Though the stories culture is Chinese/Canadian based, its themes and metaphors are universal enough for audiences of different backgrounds to find relatability with Mei's transformational experience.

      Of all the films Pixar's made thus far, Turning Red stands as being the most teen friendly while being completely unapologetic in its exploring of teen adolescence and bodily changes. Although some parents may take issue with some of the films topics, it handles them in a way that's both funny  and empowering for young audiences. Despite its plot-structure feeling similar to other Pixar films like having the main character opening and closing the story with a narration explaining what they learned from their experience or them losing the support of both family and friends only to win them back later on with the parents realizing that they were too hard on their kids (Encanto for example), Turning Red makes effective use of its familiar beats while providing a new kind of children's story that's fresh, well-intentioned, and ultimately memorable with its heartfelt message about accepting change and being oneself.

Final Verdict: For Pixar fans, Turning Red is a must see. 

Images Courtesy Of Disney And Pixar

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Is A Fun-filled Sequel That Gives Fans More Of What They Want

       When looking at different cinematic genres, video game-based films is perhaps the hardest one to execute. Aside from a few honorable mentions including 1995's Mortal Kombat, 2018's Tomb Raider, and Detective Pikachu, most video game movies have ended up largely disappointing audiences. Sonic The Hedgehog however, proved to be a rare exception with it delivering a faithful adaptation of the classic game for fans while providing a solid family-friendly experience with Jim Carrey tapping into his classic 90's manic energy that made him one of Hollywoods megastars at the time. With Sonic The Hedgehog 2, fans are treated to a follow-up that not only maintains the heart and charm of the first, but continues to expand the games universe with few missteps.

      Picking up from where Sonic left off, Hedgehog 2 features Sonic (Voiced by Ben Schwartz) returning for a new adventure which has him once again facing off against Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and a new ally named Knuckles (Voiced by Idris Elba). While facing both, Sonic forms an alliance with Tails (Colleen Ann O'Shaughnessey). Whereas the first Sonic captured the spirit of the games, Sonic 2 takes things a step further with incorporating beloved fan favorites including Knuckles and Tails while doing so in a fun-spirited fashion. Although most game-based films fail to properly represent their source material, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 defies expectations while building on the previous films storyline, ultimately making it a consistent sequel that outdoes it's predecessor. 

      When it comes to acting and voice performances, Sonic 2's cast deliver fantastic work with Ben Schwartz proving to be a charming and charismatic Sonic with him adding a tremendous amount of heart to the story. Like Schwartz, Colleen Ann O'Shaughnessey impresses as Sonic's two-tailed pal Tails. Previously the voice of the character from the games, O'Shaughnessy returns and shares strong voice chemistry with Schwartz. The films scene-stealing voice acting goes to Idris Elba as Knuckles, an anthropomorphic red echidna warrior with superhuman strength. He portrays Knuckles as being a powerful and noble warrior, whose misguided in his pursuit of Sonic. As far as human performances go, Jim Carrey is fantastic as a more vengeful Dr. Robotnik with him bringing the same kind of manic energy to the part that was seen previously.  James Marsden once again delivers a likable performance as Sonic's adoptive father and Sheriff of Green Hills Tom with him showing his characters love and concern for Sonic adapting to his new home. The rest of the cast do well with what they're given including Tika Sumpter as Tom's wife Maddie, Natasha Rothwell as Maddie's older sister Rachel, Adam Pally as Tom's friend Wade Whipple, Shemar Moore as Rachel's fiance Randall, Lee Majdoub as Robitnik's obsessively loyal assistant Stone, Tom Butler as Commander Walters, and Melody Nosipho as Rachel's daughter Jojo. Overall, Sonic 2's cast plays a significant factor in the sequel being so energetic and charming. 

      Returning to the directors chair is Jeff Fowler, who gives the sequel the same vibrant energy and feel that he gave the first film. The story is handled in a way that makes it feel emotional and heartfelt without feeling overdone. When it comes to showing Sonic, Tails or Knuckles, the films visuals are stunning with Sonic's animation looking sharper this time around with the others having striking looks. Like the original, the sequel remains fast-paced with the first half setting up the newer characters and the second delivering on the series traditional game style action. The action sequences in particular are stunning and draw heavy inspiration from those in the video games. As for directing, Fowler keeps everything family-friendly with him presenting the film with a high-amount of energy, as well as delivering numerous Easter eggs for fans of the game to spot. 

      The screenplay does a fine job of taking the character of Sonic and making him relatable to audiences as a wisecracking pre-teen, who desires to be a superhero with his jokes landing for the most part. Robotnik's character is presented as being even more unhinged this time with his obsession of destroying Sonic. Both Tails and Knuckles are fleshed out enough to where audiences can understand their motivations, particularly Knuckles with his characters reasoning for his hostility towards Sonic. The developing friendship between Sonic and Tails feels natural with them feeling like the iconic duo that dominated the games. Despite the non-human characters being well-developed, the script often finds itself struggling with the over-reliance of the human ones. With the exception of James Marsden and Tika Sumpter's characters receiving a reasonable amount of screentime due to being Sonic's family, the script introduced unnecessary subplots that distract from the stories overall narrative including one involving Maddie's sisters wedding and her fiance Randall. Their subplot, along with others, has no real purpose in the story and ultimately takes time away from Sonic and Knuckles arc. While Sonic 2's writing is decent for the most part, it struggles when it comes to balancing out the two sides of its cast.

      As far as video game films go, both Sonic films tank among the stronger ones within the genre with both movies managing to recapture some of the nostalgia of their video game counterparts, though no film could manage to be as equally exciting as playing the classic SEGA games. Like the first, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 isn't without its share of faults with its main issue being that it places unnecessary focus on characters that aren't associated with the games. Neither Sonic film reinvents the wheel in terms of filmmaking, but both live up to their promise of delivering fun-filled popcorn entertainment for the whole family while doing its original source material justice. If there's any improvement needed for the series, it's to focus less on the human counterparts and more on the key figures that audiences came to see along with a hopeful return for Jim Carrey's Robotnik to round out what's thus far a solid video game movie franchise. 

Final Verdict: For fans of the classic video games, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 Provides a fun experience which the whole family can enjoy. 

Images Courtesy Of Paramount Pictures

The Lost City Thrives Off The Charismatic Presence And Star Power Of Its Main Cast

      When looking at the current cinematic landscape of films, it feels like romantic comedies have become more of a rare commodity at the box office compared to when they were a norm in Hollywood. Looking at the strength of romantic comedies, the key elements that often made them successful are the appeal of its main leads, as well as its concept. With The Lost City, the film provides a clever catch for audiences with Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum as its main leads, along with a comedy adventure plot which pays homage to 1980's treasure hunting gems such as Romancing The Stone. While not quite as memorable as the films it draws inspiration from, The Lost City is made a fun and lighthearted adventure by it's stars chemistry as well as its heart. 

   

      The Lost City's plot centers around a popular romance writer (Sandra Bullock) being kidnapped and taken to a remote island, where a wealthy businessman (Daniel Radcliffe) forces her to help him find the treasure she wrote about in her previous book. Upon learning of the kidnapping, the books cover model (Channing Tatum) rushes to save her. The Lost City's story works as being a clever throwback to the classic treasure caper films that inspired it, while serving as a strong vehicle for Bullock and Tatum to deliver some decent screwball comedy. Despite the story not being the most original and coming across as appearing a bit formulaic, The Lost City provides enough laughs and a refreshing throwback to old school rom-coms that make it a pleasantly surprising lighthearted adventure.

      Much of the reason the film works so well is due to the effort that the main cast put into making it work as being an effectively charming romantic comedy. Bullock brings humor and heart to her role as frustrated and depressed best-selling novelist Loretta Sage, with her delivering slapstick comedy. Tatum proves to be an ideal fit for playing Loretta's dimwitted cover model Dash McMahon. Both work exceptionally well together with them possessing enough palpable chemistry to make the story fun while remaining consistent. Daniel Radcliffe surprises as the films slimy villain Abigail Fairfax, an eccentric billionaire and international criminal who kidnaps Loretta in order to find the lost city. Other scene-stealing performances include Da'Vine Joy Randolph as Loretta's publicist and loyal friend Beth Hatten, Brad Pitt in a glorified cameo as human tracker and action hero Jack Trainer, Patti Harrison as Loretta's social media manager Allison, and Oscar Nunez as eccentric cargo plane pilot, Oscar. Overall, The Lost City's cast not only appears to be having a blast with playing their roles, but help give the story a feel good atmosphere, along with a fine level of energy that makes it genuinely entertaining to watch.

      Although The Lost City's directing is standard for the genre, brothers Adam and Aaron Nee give the film a crisp look with the cinematography capturing all the films exotic locations shown throughout the story. The editing keeps things moving at a fast pace which carries a rhythm of the main characters delivering a humorous scene that's followed by another one involving action. With the amount of humor the film boasts, there isn't a shortage of action scenes with them being filmed in a style that makes them appear over-the-top and goofy in tone. The costume design for Bullock's character is striking with her being dressed in a sparkly pink jumpsuit along with wearing high-heels throughout the films action sequences that includes her character rock climbing, climbing through leech-infested rivers and wading through vegetation. As far as tone goes, the Nee brothers give the story a jokey feel which gives audiences the impression that things will always remain light-hearted regardless of the actions intensity.

 

      When it comes to writing, The Lost City bears numerous vibes to Romancing The Stone with the script carefully spacing out the amusing banter between the main leads. Right off the bat, the film opens with a humorous bit which includes both leads acting out a scene from Bullock's characters novel involving snakes. Whereas the moment is presented as being silly, it sets up the films tone as being extremely goofy. The screenplay combines elements including treasure hunting, adventure, comedy, and romance despite its plot often leaning on formulaic structures from other rom-coms. Bullock's character is written as being a self-loathing romance author, whose hesitant to find love again after her husbands death with Tatum's character being her hunky yet clueless cover model whose devoted to rescuing her. Their relationship is one that develops naturally without it feeling forced or overly cliched. Some of the scripts more clever elements include both Tatum and Pitt playing into their sex-symbol images with their characters being meant to represent the "ideal man," with their insecurities shining through in hilarious fashion. Other noteworthy aspects of the script include strong side characters like Loretta's publisher Beth, who rather than end up being the traditional best friend of the main character, ends up possessing more depth with her character willing to go to extreme lengths to rescue her friends. Abigail's character however, comes across as being a petulant baddie whose commonly found in any typical treasure hunting adventure story. Despite the screenplay lacking a bit of originality, it carries enough positive elements to make it more than serviceable.

      With romantic comedies becoming more of a rare occurrence theatrically, The Lost City being surprisingly decent is significant with its success being largely attributed to the main stars winning chemistry along with the films catchy premise. Not all of the jokes land however and certain subplots are established with little to no payoff at the end (The eccentric cargo pilot falling for Beth feels awkwardly thrown in). Despite those minor faults, there's enough fun twists given (Brad Pitt's character for example) with a heartfelt message saying that life can be better after difficult times, which ultimately makes the overall experience of watching The Lost City a rewarding one.

Final Verdict: For those looking for a solid rom-com, The Lost City is worth the wait.

Images Courtesy Of Paramount Pictures