Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Morbius review says that there were high hopes for the stellar cast and Marvel/Spiderman pedigree, but this modified vampire villain flick quickly bleeds out.

In the opening scene of Morbius, we see Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) and a crew landing a helicopter in a lush jungle. They seem very eager for Morbius to do whatever business he has quickly, so they can get out of their before sunset.

Morris walks up to a cave entrance and slashes his palm, presumably to use his own blood as bait for the vampire bats within. It works like a charm. Everything including the helicopter is suddenly overwhelmed by thousands of the dark winged creatures. We assume this opening scene will somehow be tied in with the rest of the film.

We assume wrong. It’s never quite explained what exactly happened or how or when it fits in with the rest of  the story. There are a lot of instances like that in Morbius. It’s a bit like an inexpertly assembled jigsaw puzzle. While the overall picture is obvious, the individual pieces don’t fit into place, and after awhile, you stop caring.

What we have is the anemic story of a brilliant doctor trying to find a cure for a mysterious blood disease that plagues him and his bestie. Vampire bats seem to have the answer, the only problem is, the batty treatment keeps them alive, but only as vicious creatures who feed off other people’s blood.

The film’s failure is not for lack of trying by the talented leads. Gifted actors Leto, Matt Smith and Jared Harris shine, as always, and Adria Arjona is serviceable. They lend substance to an otherwise flimsy film.

The special effects are also surprisingly lightweight for a Marvel flick. The endless morphing of human countenances into scary bat faces and guys running through the air trailing red and gray ribbons representing air currents that allow them to fly without wings—we were nonplused.

Blame it on the editors, blame it on director Daniel Espinosa (Life, Easy Money) blame it on too much dependence on the Marvel Universe to carry it through, it ends up as a drained and lifeless attempt to start a new branch franchise. That cameo at the end with Michael Keaton returning as Spiderman foe Adrian Toomes, teasing a sequel? Don’t hold your breath.

Rated PG-13

1 Hour, 45 Minutes

If this Morbius review encourages you to fly out to see it, get times and tickets at Fandango.com.

Lisa Johnson Mandell’s Morbius review says that there were high hopes for the stellar cast and Marvel/Spiderman pedigree, but this modified vampire villain flick quickly bleeds out.