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Dr. Michael Morbius ( Jared Leto ), the title character of Columbia Pictures’ MCU-adjacent semi-horror movie “Morbius,” is a “living vampire.” What, you might be thinking, does that mean? Did the good doctor become a vampire without having to die first? Why, yes—he fused his DNA with vampire bat DNA in an attempt to cure the rare, fatal blood disease that’s been plaguing him since childhood. (What disease, you ask? You sweet, innocent child.) The fusion gave him super speed, super strength, echolocation abilities, and an appetite for blood that’s only partially sated by the artificial substitute for which Morbius rejects a Nobel Prize at the beginning of the film. (Why? Again, you’re asking too many questions.) In short, he’s a science vampire . (So, like if Batman was a doctor, then? Wrong universe, but close.)

So that means the usual rules of vampirism don’t apply, right? Yes and no. Loxias Crown ( Matt Smith ) Morbius’ best friend turned greatest adversary, does turn himself into a vampire using Morbius’ formula. But we don’t know if he died in the process. That sequence is left off screen, for reasons presumably tied to the many reshoots and delays that hampered “Morbius” on its journey to the big screen. And other characters die and come back to life after tasting Morbius’ blood, a supernatural transformation that doesn’t involve—as Morbius himself puts it at one point—"science stuff" at all. In short, the nature of Morbius’ affliction is messy and contradictory and not worth thinking about for more than a few seconds, a quality that extends throughout Daniel Espinosa ’s misbegotten superhero/horror hybrid.

All the greatest metaphorical hits are present in Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless ’ script, as well as in Leto’s performance: Vampirism as illness? Check. Vampirism as addiction? Yup. Don’t ask for much in terms of actually developing these themes, however, as the film’s approach is to point and yell, “look over there!” whenever things get complicated. A superhero whose murders are the direct result of his attempts to help people presents a complex moral dilemma. But you wouldn’t know it from this film, which takes any intriguing elements of its title character’s story and flattens them into clichéd grandstanding about the obligation of the privileged few to protect the unsuspecting many.

The basic thrust of the plot is that Morbius—a celebrity scientist whose lab is funded by Crown’s family fortune—is conducting experiments ethically questionable enough that all involved think it best to pursue them on international waters. That’s no problem, given Crown’s vast wealth. But the aftermath of the experiment’s first human trial leaves eight sailors dead, and soon their bodies are discovered on a ghost ship much like the one that harbors Count Dracula at the beginning of Bram Stoker ’s novel. (That’s not “Morbius’” only reference to other, more coherent vampire narratives: The ship is named the Murnau, after the director of “ Nosferatu .”) 

From there, Morbius—who, as you may have already guessed, was turned into a “living vampire” during the experiment—is ostensibly under investigation by the FBI. But Agents Rodriguez ( Al Madrigal ) and Stroud ( Tyrese Gibson ) do a terrible job tracking him, given that he returns to his lab with his colleague and love interest Dr. Martine Bancroft ( Adria Arjona ) within hours of the crime. This is a front-page story with an escalating body count, and the prime suspect is wandering around unnoticed by doing little more than putting up the hood on his sweatshirt. But no matter. On to a more important question: Is the vampire stuff cool? 

Sadly, not really. Like most superhero movies, “Morbius'' is rated PG-13, which limits the blood to the sanguine juice boxes Morbius chugs throughout and the occasional rusty stain across a character’s throat. And although prosthetic artists are listed in the film's credits, their contributions are difficult to make out amid the heavy-handed CGI. “Morbius” is not an MCU film: It belongs to the so-called “Spider-Verse,” coming from the same studio as “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” But it shares an Achilles’ heel with the MCU, in the sense that you can’t tell what’s going on in any of the film’s action sequences. 

If it’s not the wavy, sketchy CGI trails that follow in Morbius’ wake—picture a combination of psychedelic tracers and the soot creatures from “My Neighbor Totoro”—cluttering up the screen, it’s those damn bats. Earlier action sequences aren’t much better, to be clear. But it’s almost impossible to follow the film’s climactic battle, thanks to a colony of vampire bats that swoop in at the last minute to help Morbius clean up the bloodthirsty mess he’s made. Espinosa seems to know that it’s difficult to make out what’s happening, pausing for a midair slow-motion shot in nearly every action sequence. The problem there is, lingering on these moments reveals how obviously phony they are. 

But the film’s over-reliance on digital effects isn’t terribly surprising in a modern superhero movie. Neither is Smith’s sympathetic-to-a-point villain. Nor, for that matter, is Leto’s bland hero, whose most distinctive aspect is the demanding physical transformation the actor underwent for the role. No, the only really surprising—and, therefore, the most disappointing—thing about “Morbius” is the fact that it’s an honest-to-goodness horror film. But only for a few seconds.

Midway through the film, a nurse walks alone down the creepy, abandoned hallway of a hospital late at night, triggering a series of motion-activated sensors as she goes. Suddenly, a light flashes further down the hall, drawing the eye to the point where it disappears into the horizon. A shape! The nurse spots the intruder and runs, bulbs flashing as she goes. She stops to catch her breath, and a monstrous hand pops up from the bottom of the screen. She screams. The camera pulls back, lingering as each isolated puddle of illumination blinks out until only the woman’s prone body—and the shadowy form hunched over her—can be seen. Finally, that light goes out as well, bathing the screen in darkness. 

Enjoy the gasp as it escapes from your throat, dear viewer. Because you’re not going to get another one, at least not from this movie. Better luck next time with the actual undead, we suppose.

"Morbius" is available only in theaters on April 1.

Katie Rife is a freelance writer and critic based in Chicago with a speciality in genre cinema. She worked as the News Editor of  The A.V. Club  from 2014-2019, and as Senior Editor of that site from 2019-2022. She currently writes about film for outlets like  Vulture, Rolling Stone, Indiewire, Polygon , and  RogerEbert.com.

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Morbius (2022)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence, some frightening images, and brief strong language.

104 minutes

Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius

Matt Smith as Milo / Lucien

Adria Arjona as Martine Bancroft

Jared Harris as Dr. Nicholas

Al Madrigal as Agent Alberto Rodriguez

Tyrese Gibson as Agent Simon Stroud

Charlie Shotwell as Young Michael

• Daniel Espinosa

Writer (Marvel comics)

Writer (screen story).

• Matt Sazama
• Burk Sharpless

Cinematographer

• Oliver Wood
• Pietro Scalia
• Jon Ekstrand

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead. Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead. Biochemist Michael Morbius tries to cure himself of a rare blood disease, but he inadvertently infects himself with a form of vampirism instead.

• Daniel Espinosa
• Matt Sazama
• Burk Sharpless
• Adria Arjona
• 2.2K User reviews
• 264 Critic reviews
• 35 Metascore
• 3 wins & 4 nominations

• Dr. Michael Morbius

• Martine Bancroft

• Dr. Emil Nicholas

• Agent Simon Stroud

• Agent Rodriguez

• Adrian Toomes

• (as Joe Ferrera)

• Young Michael

• Ringleader Bully
• Gang Member

• Finance Bro (Pub)

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia Jared Leto committed to capturing Michael Morbius' limping state and used crutches even off-camera. This proved to be troublesome for the crew, at times, when the actor reportedly took 45-minute treks to the bathroom. Pushing him in a wheelchair was a loophole solution around these delays.
• Goofs A doctor (but probably not a Hollywood screenwriter) would know that the palm of one's hand is a very stupid area to cut one's skin for blood; many tendons and muscles run there and are obviously very important for daily activities of life.

[speaking to a thug he's threatening]

Dr. Michael Morbius : I... am... Venom!

[hisses at thug; then visibly brightens and smiles]

Dr. Michael Morbius : I'm just kidding! Dr. Michael Morbius, at your service.

• Crazy credits A first post credit scene introduces a Vulture from another Universe.
• Connections Featured in Geeks + Gamers: Jared Leto Much Better Fit For Morbius Than Joker Morbius Trailer Review (2020)
• Soundtracks Festive Overture, Op. 96 Written by Dmitri Shostakovich (as Dmitrij Shostakovich) Performed by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Courtesy of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Ltd.

User reviews 2.2K

• DeadMansTrousers
• Mar 31, 2022
• How long is Morbius? Powered by Alexa
• Is this movie part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
• Will the movie be available as 4DX?
• With Morbius having connection to Spiderman, will this movie also have connections to Blade?
• April 1, 2022 (United States)
• United States
• Northern Quarter, Manchester, England, UK
• Columbia Pictures
• Marvel Entertainment
• Avi Arad Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $75,000,000 (estimated)
• $73,865,530
• $39,005,895
• Apr 3, 2022
• $167,460,961

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 44 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• Dolby Digital

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‘Morbius’ Review: The Other Bat, Man

Jared Leto bares his teeth as a neo-vampire who walks by day and tries to keep his monstrous thirst at bay in the latest Marvel adaptation.

• Share full article

By Manohla Dargis

My, what sharp teeth he has — and what lovely skin, too. One of the revelations of “Morbius” — the latest movie to take a marginal Marvel character out of mothballs for his blockbuster close-up — is that regular blood smoothies do wonders for the skin. To judge by the chiseled planes of Morbius’s arms and torso, pounding shots of the slurpy stuff also builds muscles much faster than mainlining anabolic steroids can.

Still, the bigger surprise about “Morbius” is that it doesn’t suck, at least as a movie. Against the odds and despite the insufferable persona that its star Jared Leto has cultivated, it provides all you want from a diversion about a brilliant scientist with bottomless financial resources (as well as a hot but smart assistant) who, after refusing his Nobel for his genius scientific invention, secretly develops a serum that turn him into a batlike creature with razor nails, great powers and a hunger for human blood. It also runs under two hours, i.e., a full hour less than that recent slugfest “ The Batman .” I mean, what’s not to like?

As usual, it opens with some temporal scrambling in the present-day Costa Rica, where the adult Morbius (Leto) swoops in on a helicopter, a darkly romantic vision with a curtain of jet-black hair, billowing clothes and hired guns. There, he embarks on a close encounter with vampire bats, as one does when swimming with dolphins has become too pedestrian. Slicing open his palm, he draws first blood and is inundated by a cloud of bats. After a leisurely flashback to his sad childhood, Morbius is back in his New York lab, experimenting and knitting brows alongside a colleague, Monica (Adria Arjona).

Like “The Batman,” “Morbius” is a classic American tale of personal trauma, existential agony, regenerative violence … and bats. Once again, the trauma reaches to childhood, though in this case it involves the young Michael Morbius being treated in a Greek children’s hospital for a rare blood disease. (Why Greece? I have no idea.) There he had a sympathetic doctor (Jared Harris) and befriends a boy he calls Milo, who has the same disease. Milo grows up to become a louche moneybags played by Matt Smith, who’s best known for playing Prince Philip in “The Crown,” a bit of casting history that gives his role here amusing tang.

The movie’s first half is better shaped than its second, and there are narrative lacunae here and there that suggest some late-breaking editing busywork. Even so, as a neo-vampiric tale of dread and desire, the entire thing more or less makes sense on its own improbable terms. The characters are similarly coherent, not just sketches that are designated to be filled out in successive franchise chapters. This modulation also extends to the visuals, despite the overall Goth gloom; here, lights are actually turned on and sometimes the sun even shines, if only to explain that Morbius isn’t your granny’s Dracula.

The filmmakers — Daniel Espinosa directed, from a story and script by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless — reference earlier bloodsuckers, tucking in nods both to Bram Stoker’s novel and to F.W. Murnau’s silent film “Nosferatu.” But Morbius is a hybrid creation, one that recasts Dracula as a kind of contemporary Dr. Frankenstein figure, if one who, like Peter Parker, is transformed by his encounter with another species. Once Morbius goes batty, everything becomes increasingly more complicated and violent, and while bodies fall en masse and one character revels in carnage, the movie doesn’t get off too gleefully on its mayhem.

Like Leto’s performance, Espinosa’s directing settles into a moody middle ground that’s neither too jokey nor overly self-serious, one reason that the movie may appeal more to civilians than to comic-book fundamentalists. It isn’t shrouded in reverence and, in contrast to some other industrial productions of its ilk, you don’t need a Talmudic scholar’s familiarity with the source material to go with the flow. Perhaps as a consequence, it plays more like a movie than an introductory installment. It may well remain a stand-alone given both the negative early word and the uncharacteristically muted reaction of the audience I saw it with.

Leto’s history of needless showboating (as in that wreck “ House of Gucci ”) may not have boded well, but he fits the role and delivers an actual performance, not just shtick and brooding poses. His dramatic physicality — his body fluctuates between the skeletal and the pumping-iron robust — read as more vainglorious than strictly necessary. But the rest of the performance dovetails with the movie, tonally and otherwise. Greasy or glammed, Leto fills in Morbius with restraint, sensitivity and gestural expressivity, creating a solid-enough emotional foundation that deepens the character’s struggles with his own monstrosity.

That isn’t to oversell “Morbius.” Its virtues are minor, even if they are a relief. The movie doesn’t have the visual wit and playfulness of the first “ Doctor Strange ,” and it’s nowhere as fun as the original “ Guardians of the Galaxy ,” which had a lightness of touch that’s almost entirely missing from the contemporary comic-book movie. “Morbius” is a ghoulish, suitably downbeat tale of madness, hubris, suffering and weird science set in a world that offers little solace. And while most of it is as predictably familiar as expected, it does something unusual for a movie like this: It entertains you, rather than bludgeons you into submission.

Morbius Rated PG-13 for standard comic-book movie violence, including gun deaths. Running time: 1 hour 44 minutes. In theaters.

Manohla Dargis has been the co-chief film critic since 2004. She started writing about movies professionally in 1987 while earning her M.A. in cinema studies at New York University, and her work has been anthologized in several books. More about Manohla Dargis

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What the Morbius Trailer Tells Us About A Potential Sinister Six Film

What other villains could make it into the mix, what would it mean for spidey in the mcu, and what allies might join him.

Sony’s trailer for the upcoming Morbius   featured a few unexpected moments, with both indirect and seemingly direct ties to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or, at the very least, continuations of narrative hooks that both studios agreed to before their tumultuous short-term break-up last summer. Either way, it’s clear the closing moments of Spider-Man: Far From Home   matter in the world of Morbius and, at least to our eyes, that probably direct tie to the MCU late in the trailer means Sony will finally make good on its plan to do a film about the Sinister Six, an idea the studio postponed when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 underperformed.

So let’s take a look at this latest wrinkle in the Sony Spider-Verse and what these call-outs in the Morbius trailer mean for the studio’s emerging superhero world.

The Benefits of A Spider-Verse

(Photo by Sony Pictures)

If taken at face value, the post-credits stinger at the end of 2018’s  Venom  that introduced a preview scene from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse  (“Meanwhile, in another universe…”) implied that the two films took place in the same multiverse. The latter film then introduced audiences to the notion of multiple realities where a panoply of Spider-people (many of them alternative versions of Peter Parker) take center stage to defend their world — or corner of Queens — from threats small and large.

As a science-fiction concept, multiverses are a wonderful device. They allow you to keep all your work as “true” in a canonical sense while also allowing you ways to change up those ideas or revise key components. And considering the Spider-Man seen in Far From Home and the other Marvel Studios films (played by Tom Holland ) is Sony’s third attempt at Peter Parker, a multiverse is the best way to tell continuity-conscious viewers that all of the films are valid, even if they don’t tell the same story.

Of course, you could always do what the Bond films did for decades and ignore such concerns entirely. But that’s beside the point.

In terms of Sony’s most recent attempt to launch its own cinematic universe and continue their relationship with Marvel Studios, the Spider-Verse allows them almost absolute freedom. Venom can exist as a standalone movie, or it can easily fit into a world where Peter and Eddie Brock ( Tom Hardy ) crossed paths at one time — there are those oblique references to Eddie’s problems in New York, after all. Morbius , meanwhile, is equally free to name-check Eddie or ignore him in favor of clear ties to the MCU Spider-Man and his current troubles. At this point, what is “true” between the three films is open to conjecture. Morbius could be a secret MCU film or it could be the first look at a Sony’s plans for Peter after he leaves the MCU in a couple of years.

Granted, this all presumes Micheal Keaton is indeed playing Adrian Toomes (a.k.a. the Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming ) in Morbius .

Venom’ s Success and the Old Sinister Six Plan

(Photo by Sony Pictures Entertainment)

Thanks in part to its success, many have forgotten just how risky Venom was when it released. Launching a film centered on a prominent superhero antagonist had never been pulled off before. And let’s face it, Venom ‘s cheesy tone — while highly entertaining at times — still left some people feeling like the experiment didn’t work. But for Sony, Venom’s worldwide box-office take was all the proof it needed to say it could make Spider-Man movies as strong and as successful as Marvel.

And, as it happens, the film’s success also proved the studio’s plan for films featuring the foes of Spider-Man — a plan born in the wake of 2012’s  The  Amazing Spider-Man  — was also viable.

As the story goes, from 2012 onward, Sony began toying with films based around the Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, the Vulture, Kraven the Hunter, Sandman, and Mysterio. And just like Marvel’s Avengers , the leads of the six films would join forces in Sinister Six — a film based on the villains’ coalition in the Spider-Man comics. The group first joined forces in 1964’s The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 and would eventually see characters like Hobgoblin, Shocker, Lizard, Venom, Electro, and others subbing in for one or more of the original group. The Sinister Six also, on occasion, expanded to seven, 12, and even 66 members — which is when Morbius finally became part of the team.

Sometime in 2014, The Cabin the Woods ‘ Drew Goddard submitted a Sinister Six script draft to Sony, with then-president Amy Pascal telling reporters she was waiting for Goddard — who would later be attached to 20th Century Fox’s planned X-Force film — to direct the picture. Much of the characters’ iconic gear made its debut in a brief scene in  The Amazing Spider-Man 2 , although it was said Goddard’s Sinister Six was meant to feature the classic line-up with Doc Ock as their leader. The script was also said to feature the characters redeeming themselves, but for some of them, fighting Spider-Man is part of their nature. By this point, the plan changed from making six individual films to spinning off Sinister Six ‘s well-received characters into their own films.

Then The Amazing Spider-Man 2 failed to meet expectations, unfortunately, and garnered a reputation as a dud. Sony’s plan was put on hold, but one film in its “foes of Spider-Man” concept went forward: Venom . And even though Sony reached a point where it felt better off working with Marvel Studios, it never completely abandoned Sinister Six or its own series of films.

Silver & Black  and Other Tales of the Spider-Verse

Even as Spider-Man made his way to Captain America: Civil War   and Spider-Man: Homecoming , Sony let some of their Spider-Man film concepts simmer. One of these was Silver & Black . Intended to feature sometimes friends of Spider-Man, namely Black Cat (a cat burglar) and Silver Sable (an amoral mercenary), the crew included Cloak & Dagger   pilot director Gina Prince-Bythewood and writers like  Westworld ‘s Lisa Joy , Marvel Comics’ Christopher Yost, and  Captain Marvel ‘s Geneva Robertson-Dworet (alongside writer Lindsey Beer ). Reportedly, the film would have taken some cues from Homecoming , but a creative impasse led to it being cancelled in 2018, and the lead characters split into their own projects. Presumably, the individual  Black Cat and Silver Sable films are still in development and may flesh out the emerging Spider-Verse with more allies for Peter to call upon when he inevitably faces the Sinister Six.

But here’s where things get interesting. As recently as 2018, Goddard said it was likely Sony would eventually use his script as a basis for Sinister Six , which means the studio has a sense of direction even as it substitutes Morbius ( Jared Leto ) for, say, Mysterio (who is presumably dead in both the MCU and the Spider-Verse). And from the Morbius trailer, it definitely feels like there is momentum toward an Avengers- style film focusing on the villains — an idea strong enough that it’s surprising Marvel or Warner Bros. didn’t think of it first.

Besides Sinister Six and the Black Cat and Silver Sable films, Sony is also developing a movie based on Madame Web. Created by Denny O’Neil and artist John Romita Jr., the character was introduced in The Amazing Spider-Man #210 as a blind and paralyzed precognitive mutant who used a sophisticated web-themed mobility device to get around and offer Spider-Man a heads-up on various crimes and misdeeds. Writers Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless took on the task of writing the script in September of 2019, but little has been heard from the project since. The same is true for Silk , based on the Spider-Man character created by Dan Slott and Umberto Ramos. Featuring a Korean-American protagonist with Spider-powers and a love of gadgets, the project seemingly has not moved forward since 2018.

As early as 2017, Sony was toying with the idea of a film centering on Kraven the Hunter. Born Sergei Kravinoff to Russian aristocrats, the big game hunter came to New York in The Amazing Spider-Man #15 to assist his half brother, the Chameleon, in taking down the webhead. It went poorly, but Kraven walked away from the encounter believing Spider-Man to be the most dangerous game. He would return time and again to hunt Peter. As of August 2018, the film was in some active development with writer Richard Wenk reportedly on board to write the script, but as with the other projects, it’s unclear if it will be ready for production anytime soon.

That said, intrepid internet sleuths noticed “Kraven” stamped onto signage on the Morbius set — both on a delivery truck and as the name of a ballet company .

And not to be forgotten, Sony is working on a sequel to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse . Presumably, the film will take place on the same Earth where Peter Parker is dead and Miles Morales ( Shameik Moore ) has taken his place. But it’s also possible the series’ established fun with different realities may allow a member of the live-action Sony world to meet Miles. That film is currently scheduled for release on April 8th 2022.

The Shape Of The Spider-Verse

(Photo by ©Columbia Pictures/©Marvel Studios)

With all of this information, we begin to see a picture of a Spider-Verse with the MCU Peter Parker at the center of it. It all begins with Morbius , which establishes a live-action Spider-Verse world in which Peter is wanted for Mysterio’s murder, as indicated by some graffiti art in the trailer. The title character goes on his journey of self-discovery and, at some point, gets recruited by Adrian Toomes — who serves as an antagonist to Nick Fury. If the film is successful commercially and critically, it’s easy to imagine Toomes returning at the end of Venom 2 to recruit Eddie or Carnage ( Woody Harrelson ).

In this set-up, Sony acknowledges the events of the two MCU Spider-Man films while also establishing their own continuity. It creates a situation in which characters can talk about Peter without him being on camera, which, as seen in films like The Third Man , can build effective anticipation.

Where Sony goes from there all depends on Morbius . If it’s a smash hit, one could easily see Kraven the Hunter rushing into production. Perhaps Madame Web or Silk follows it while Spider-Man finishes his commitments in the MCU — namely a third solo film and an appearance in an Avengers -style team-up movie. Presumably, the latter would act as a send-off to Peter and Tom Holland in the MCU, who would immediately resurface in the next convenient Spider-Verse film and then in Sinister Six , where he is, oddly enough, the antagonist. But one imagines Black Cat, Silver Sable, Madame Web, and Silk will help him establish a team of his own.

And, amazingly, the whole thing would be viable. So far, only Disney has pulled off sustained cinematic universes with Star Wars and Marvel — arguably, Warner Bros. may have done it as well, though the DC film universe keeps getting rebooted. By embracing all of its messy development, Sony may be in the best position to plan and execute a six-film meta-arc. The results could be quite exciting.

Well, assuming Morbius works, of course.

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In Morbius , Jared Leto leads a coldblooded supervillain origin story

Director daniel espinoza stacks vampire clichés with horror classic visuals in a lackluster, but hardly disastrous, spider-man spinoff.

No one wants to watch a lousy movie, but an unmitigated disaster can often be more interesting than something that’s just mediocre. Morbius falls into the latter category, a run-of-the-mill origin story that’s capably acted and professionally mounted, but mostly lifeless up on screen—and feels more disappointing after two years of anticipation for its release. Jared Leto delivers an adequately creepy and conflicted take on the eponymous scientist opposite a scenery-chewing Matt Smith as his surrogate brother and sometime adversary, while director Daniel Espinoza ( Life ) stages the action like his latest project is cosplaying as a series of classic horror movies. The result is a bland, competent, and safe superhero adventure that seems destined to be forgotten before its end credits finish rolling.

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Leto ( House Of Gucci ) plays Dr. Michael Morbius, a scientist who devoted his life and career to curing rare blood diseases after contracting one as a child. Bankrolled by his surrogate brother Lucien (Smith), a rich orphan who was alternately raised and monitored by their shared physician Nicholas (Jared Harris), Morbius takes increasingly risky and ethically questionable chances to alleviate the fatigue and physical disability from which they both suffer. After harvesting the organs of vampire bats in the search for a crucial anti-coagulant, Morbius administers an experimental treatment to himself that restores his health and strength—but not before he succumbs to an inexplicable bloodlust and murders the team of mercenaries shepherding his laboratory through international waters.

When his lab partner Dr. Martine Bancroft (Adria Arjona) is injured during the excursion, Morbius summons the authorities on her behalf and flees the scene before being apprehended. But while he tries to figure out what to do about his newfound condition, Lucien contacts Morbius and demands his own dosage of the treatment. As two detectives close in on Morbius, seeking answers about his role in a gruesome string of deaths, he races to create a cure for this insatiable appetite. Before long, Morbius finds himself at odds not only with the cops, but with Lucien after his former friend embraces becoming a bloodthirsty, superhuman monster. That makes Morbius more determined than ever to find a cure for the violent and all-consuming affliction from which both he and Lucien suffer, while recognizing that doing so may cost both of them their lives.

Working from a script by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, whose first credit was on Luke Evans’ 2014 vampire film Dracula Untold , Espinoza shuffles through a familiar series of bloodsucker clichés that are frequently joked about but are otherwise reduced to the symptoms of a superhero’s curse, à la the Hulk. It’s hard to remember the last film that treated these fictional creatures with any real dignity. This one is all too happy to exploit their violent and dangerous impulses for set pieces, then undercut the more interesting elements of addiction or biological need to let Morbius, Lucien, and his costars prattle on in increasingly tedious, expository exchanges. Essentially, when it isn’t standing on the shoulders of genre giants to elicit scary moments, Morbius wants to be the Batman Begins of Sony’s supervillain franchise, and it’s unafraid to borrow liberally from its predecessors to evoke the same atmosphere or tone.

Morbius’ first attack on the mercenaries, for example, unfolds like he’s the xenomorph in a better-lit, earthbound version of the Nostromo and/or LV-426, decimating space truckers and automatic-weapon-wielding Marines with swift brutality. A later fight between Morbius and Lucien, meanwhile, conjures the tube chase from An American Werewolf In London , but with less style and more computer-generated imagery. One supposes there are only so many locations that filmmakers can use for action scenes that haven’t already been shot in some iconic fashion, but it takes little imagination to make those cinematic connections while they’re happening. Moreover, Jon Ekstrand’s score functions in precisely the kind of same-y, nondescript way that so much film and TV music seems to these days. The few moments that stand out do so because they sound so similar to Hans Zimmer’s wall-of-sound work on Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, especially when they’re accompanying a scene where, say, a man is looking skyward as a swarm of bats flutter around him in obedience.

While close-ups of Jared Leto’s vibrating ears feel unnecessary, the effect of Morbius’ “radar” as he scans his environment—from his elegantly appointed laboratory to the entirety of Manhattan—actually offers a neat visual, as the buildings dissolve beneath expanding waves of mist. But endlessly transforming faces and colored trails that trace these monsters’ progression across a cityscape quickly grow repetitive, and by the time Morbius and Lucien are hammering each other from one rubble pile to the next, the action becomes an empty placeholder for the hero’s resolution that Espinoza telegraphs. His instincts to try for something semi-tragic, even operatic are admirable, and occasionally work when he slows things down to create a single, tableau-like moment, but the rest of the time the movie ebbs and flows without excitement between dopey character motivations and reams of technical jargon about blood.

If he’s not quite winging it like Tom Hardy is in the Venom franchise, Leto thankfully doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously to prevent a little bit of fun from creeping into the film. But his character’s journey is too obvious, predictable, and oddly impatient to get to its resolution for audiences to care much about whether or not he becomes a superhero or succumbs to his disease. Especially since there’s no particular inclination for Morbius to help ordinary people without the enormous financial resources of Lucien, it’s hard to imagine him doing much of anything for anybody after acquiring his powers and apparently learning how to control them. Smith, on the other hand, seems to relish his chance to turn heel opposite Leto, but he also seems to be well aware that however viewers receive his performance as the film’s bloodsucking super-baddie, his face will be covered more often than not with wildly uneven computer-generated effects.

Without spoiling anything, a couple of post-credits sequences set up a future for Leto’s character in a larger world that you understand why Sony would try and telegraph, but given the failures of past Spider-Man spin-offs (particularly those from the Amazing films) it’s hard to believe they have really thought any of those next steps through. But until then, Morbius feels like exactly the kind of second-tier superhero adventure audiences will accept in between ones that they actively want. Admittedly, it’s odd to want a movie like this to have been worse, but that would mean it failed as bigly as the swings it took; by comparison, Morbius is a walk, or at best a bunt. That may qualify it as a hit for Leto, Espinoza, and Sony, but that doesn’t mean it’s much fun to watch from the stands.

Morbius Reviews Are Finally Here, See What Critics Are Saying About The Jared Leto Comic Book Movie

The Jared Leto-led blockbuster hits theaters April 1.

After years of development, and, of course, COVID-driven delays , Morbius is finally set to make its theatrical debut. Starring Jared Leto as the titular living vampire, the new coming book movie has connections to Sony’s Spider-Man Universe , playing out in the same canon as Venom and Venom: Let There Be Carnage . Critics have had the chance to screen Morbius, and their reviews are here to give us an idea of what to expect. 

Daniel Espinosa is directing, and alongside Jared Leto's eponymous doctor/vampire, the film also stars Matt Smith , Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson . Will we see Spider-Man? If so, which version? Fans are about to find out, as the Marvel blockbuster hits theaters on Friday, April 1. 

Let’s take a (SPOILER-FREE) look at what the reviews are saying about Morbius , starting with CinemaBlend ’s own Eric Eisenberg. It's a pretty rough start, with Eisenberg rating it just 1 star out of 5, saying he didn’t think they made comic book movies this bad anymore. He says not a single scene in the movie gives insight into the characters’ personalities, noting that the script “coldly” navigates between plot points:

There is no fun to be had here; there isn’t any ironic or 'so bad it’s good' enjoyment. It’s soulless. It’s oozing, tar-like gunk that has been spit out of the Hollywood machine, and you should avoid stepping in it.

It isn't quite so bad in the opinion of critic Anna Smith of Deadline . She says Jared Leto tries to bring humanity to the character but doesn't get any help from the script:

This movie isn’t terrible. Leto is good, the VFX work is slick, and there’s modest entertainment to be had here and there. But it seems unlikely to please crowds like Spider-Man: No Way Home — and the mid-credit scenes are more baffling than exciting.

Chris Evangelista of SlashFilm rates Morbius a 4 out of 10, calling it an absolutely dreadful piece of "pre-packaged junk" that can't even be saved by its special effects:

This is an ugly film, staged in non-descript rooms and sterile labs. Everything is awash in a Windex-like blue tint. There's no sense of scale — or place. If it weren't for several establishing shots of the New York skyline, we'd have absolutely no idea where Morbius is set. As for how, or why, this film connects to the larger Sony Spider-Man Universe, well, I'll leave that for you to discover, reader. Just know the results are about as dumb and disappointing as everything else that goes on in this puddle of garbage juice disguised as a movie. 

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter says he doesn't think Morbius is bad, but it's kind of forgettable.  He says it seems to serve the purpose of laying the groundwork for other (and better) stories to come:

It’s just a shame this opening salvo takes itself too seriously to have much fun with the mayhem, despite the potential in [Matt] Smith’s devilish turn for amusing interplay between the antagonists. [Adria Arjona] carries herself with confidence but her character also gets a little lost in the carnage; perhaps the late-breaking romance between Martine and Michael will acquire more of a heartbeat in the next round. Leto certainly broods up a storm behind his veil of rock-star hair, but the movie has too little to distinguish it from the second-tier Marvel pack, ending up as more of the same.

Kate Erbland of IndieWire grades Morbius a C-, saying this vampire movie sucked more than blood. She also calls the movie "forgettable," writing that its basis is incomprehensible, its action sequences are scattered, and its hazy timeline makes it feel chopped up:

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Morbius mostly surprises because of how very dull it is. (How do you make a Jared Leto vampire superhero movie dull? In this economy?) Case in point: After Michael’s bad deeds become publicized, local news teams term him 'the Vampire Murderer,' an uninspired nickname that serves as a microcosm of everything Morbius is: mostly unnecessary, oddly unoriginal, and soon quite forgettable indeed.

Another critic who thinks the movie takes itself too seriously is Matt Donato of IGN . He rates it a "Mediocre" 5 out of 10, saying this vampire film lacks bite and is marred by shoddy digital effects-driven fights:

Morbius is unspectacular in ways that waste the potential of what could be an intriguing hybrid of sinister horror and superhero thrills. One single scene recalls David F. Sandberg’s Lights Out for a suitable fright, but otherwise horror accents are limited to cheesy jokes about Dracula. That’s the approach the whole film takes, in fact. Everything feels superfluous and uninterested in thoughtful storytelling because the mission at hand is to get to the end credits where the meat exists. Morbius is so focused on building Sony’s Spider-Man Universe and hopeful sequels — which could very well be better now that the foundation exists — that it forgets about enthusiastically engaging its audience from the start.

Well, the critics don't seem all that pleased about the latest comic book blockbuster, but if Jared Leto's living vampire sounds like your cup of blood-spiked tea, you can check Morbius out for yourself in theaters on Friday. Also be sure to look over what other  upcoming superhero movies  may dominate the box office next, as well as our 2022 Movie Release Schedule so you can start planning your next movie night! 

Heidi Venable is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend, a mom of two and a hard-core '90s kid. She started freelancing for CinemaBlend in 2020 and officially came on board in 2021. Her job entails writing news stories and TV reactions from some of her favorite prime-time shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Bachelor. She graduated from Louisiana Tech University with a degree in Journalism and worked in the newspaper industry for almost two decades in multiple roles including Sports Editor, Page Designer and Online Editor. Unprovoked, will quote Friends in any situation. Thrives on New Orleans Saints football, The West Wing and taco trucks.

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Morbius Review

31 Mar 2022

Superheroes are getting moodier. The idea of ‘dark’ comic-book adaptations isn’t exactly new, but lately they’ve stepped up a gear, with Matt Reeves ’ extraordinarily emo The Batman , and Marvel’s venture into the murky morals of Moon Knight . Sony’s latest MCU-adjacent Spidey-villain spin-off attempts to jump on this tone-shifting bandwagon, focusing on their most bloodthirsty of anti-heroes: a living vampire.

Unlike the hapless Eddie Brock, the other anti-hero of a franchise once unfortunately named the Sony Pictures Universe Of Marvel Characters (or ‘SPUMC’), Dr Michael Morbius is actively looking for his superpower. A medical savant, Nobel Prize rejector, artificial blood creator and terminal blood-disorder patient, he uses the super-important anticoagulants in the blood of vampire bats (don’t think too deeply about the science stuff; Morbius ’ script certainly doesn’t) to develop a cure, which transforms his emaciated, fragile body into a powerful, muscular one. Just one problem — he now needs human blood to survive.

Morbius’ core concept is strong – unfortunately, it’s not properly supported by any other element of the film.

It’s saying something when your most grounded performance in years is as a superhuman vampire, but that is strangely true of Jared Leto , here finding a quiet sincerity that’s far less showy than the distracting accents ( House Of Gucci ) and messianic tendencies ( WeCrashed ) of more recent roles. The main trio of him, Matt Smith (Morbius’ pal Milo) and Adria Arjona (playing fellow doctor Martine Bancroft) are woefully under-developed; outside of their relationship to Morbius, Milo and Martine’s character-development is non-existent. He is forced into the mould of cartoonish villain (the kind of which Smith can do in his sleep, but still proves unsatisfying); she ends up nothing more than a disposable love-interest.

Visually, Morbius does some interesting things with its titular hero’s powers. His superspeed is signified by a trailing haze around him, which doesn’t entirely work, but the use of slow-mo to pick moments out of the hectic set-pieces is effective — an extended fight and flight through a subway station being a particular standout. Seeing his echo-location powers ricochet off walls, ripple across New York City and pump through the air as he tracks a heartbeat is also cool. It’s just a shame we didn’t see him get to grips with it all — instead, his abilities are explained through an exposition dump, and seemingly mastered instantly. All of this falters in a nosedive of a final act, during which any sense of climactic action is masked completely by incessant swarms of bats, poorly rendered breaking glass and blurry, crumbling buildings.

Morbius ’ core concept is strong — two friends close enough to be brothers, bonded by their shared suffering, who’ll do anything to spend one day feeling truly alive rather than at death’s door. Unfortunately, it’s not properly supported by any other element of the film, with messy action, wafer-thin characters and an even slighter plot letting down what could have been a lean, dark, interesting instalment in the SPUMC. And don’t even get us started on those unforgivable post-credit stings.

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Morbius review: Sony's high-gloss vampire superhero film isn't really a full movie, but it's fun

Jared Leto is a new kind of bat, man.

Branding aside, Batman has never really done bat things . He may have the swag and the color scheme, but there's no real communion, if you will, with the small winged mammals that gave him his name. Not so Marvel's Morbius, the dark hero who finally gets his due in the titular film hitting theaters this Friday. The fact that it's really only half a movie — much like Dune , its entire plot is essentially the preamble to a larger story — only partly diminishes the lizard-brain fun of watching Jared Leto zip around for 100-plus minutes like a you-know-what out of hell, sucking the blood from hired thugs and finance bros and then feeling really bad about it.

He's a killer with a conscience, you see: Dr. Stephen Morbius, a world-renowned scientist so gifted and so principled that he can casually turn down a Nobel Prize. His sole aim in life is to cure the disease he was born with, some kind of rare disorder that leaves him in a permanently weakened state. He's not alone in his misfortune; there's a childhood friend who shares his illness, Milo ( Matt Smith ), and the kindly man who cares for them, Nicholas (Jared Harris), both established in early flashbacks. In the present day, there's also Martine (Adria Arjona), the fellow researcher who is, by the laws of Hollywood, both improbably hot and remarkably amenable to sudden startling alterations in Stephen's DNA.

It turns out that a scouting trip to a well-stocked cave in the wilds of Costa Rica has borne fruit for the good doctor; after a little tinkering in the lab, a syringe of precious bat-liquid gives him the life he's never had. With each infusion his withered legs grow strong, and his concave chest turns to Men's Health marble. He can run, leap, fly! He also can't stop draining humans like they're Capri Suns, feeding on the pints of hemoglobin that instinct tells him he needs to survive.

Naturally, this behavior attracts the attention of law enforcement, largely in the form of two nonplussed FBI agents ( Tyrese Gibson and Al Madrigal) who try their mortal best to keep him contained. But handcuffs and stern lectures are hardly a match for Morbius; it's only Milo — the friend who burns for a cure as badly as he does, only without a moral compass — who presents any real threat. Smith, a former Dr. Who, excels at the poor-little-rich-boy villainy of his character, a tragic aristocrat whose eyes gleam with mania. His Milo has been waiting for this moment for a long time. (Leto too, fresh off a Razzie for his molto Italiano turn in House of Gucci , hits the right notes of fear and longing in a surprisingly restrained performance, though his aggressively ageless beauty at 50 suggests its own kind of blood bargain.)

Swedish-Chilean director Daniel Espinosa ( Life ) gives it all a dark sheen, and shoots the pair's inevitable confrontations less like traditional comic-book clashes than something from The Matrix . The air around them moves like liquid ribbons, and even in peak CGI, their fights looks like something between jet propulsion and underwater ballet. Logic and plot flow are generally treated like civilian casualties, but the movie, with its canny mix of whiz-bang violence, goth atmosphere, and high camp, feels pleasingly pulpy and urgent up until its last minutes, when the narrative doesn't so much wind down as run smack into the final title card.

This being adjacent to the MCU, of course, it's not really over; there's one telling post-credits scene, and then another, featuring a famed alumnus some will undoubtedly have already predicted, and others will soon have spoiled for them by the internet. Whatever elaborate offshoots and cross-pollinations those last moments promise, though, this particular bat man's future is most likely in fans' hands. Because there's still one superpower Morbius doesn't have: the license to green-light a sequel. Grade: B

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Morbius Reviews On Rotten Tomatoes Are A Stake Through The Heart

Sony's new " Morbius " movie just hit theaters, and reviewers have already started sinking their teeth into it. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the internet's leading film review site, people have been ripping the Marvel Comics-inspired superhero flick to shreds — with most saying "Morbius" is boring and inconsistent pretty much across the board. The negative sentiment echoes the early impressions about the Jared Leto-led project, which also stars former "Doctor Who" actor Matt Smith, as well as Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal and Tyrese Gibson. 

"Well, Morbius is about as bad as you were expecting," Collider's Sab Astley had previously said (via Twitter ). "A 2005 plot collides with visually confusing CGI to create a bit of a snooze fest...Sony are off their rocker."

With other early reviews calling "Morbius" a number of different things, including "disjointed" and "messy," it was pretty clear that the Rotten Tomatoes critiques to come out after it's official release would be about the same. Here's what reviewers are saying...

Critics sink their teeth in Morbius, but they don't like the taste

There's really no way around it: The vast majority of critics on  Rotten Tomatoes dislike "Morbius." In fact, it would be an understatement to say they merely "dislike" it. From the looks of it, reviewers seem to consider "Morbius" one of those rare movies that are such abject failures, they can only be reviewed with particularly colorful expressions and scathing terms. 

For example, Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail states that the movie is so very bad that it might actually end up tanking the superhero movie trend. "If there is any justice in Hollywood, Morbius will be retconned to the margins of superhero cinema history. If the film doesn't bury the genre alive first, that is," he wrote. 

Robbie Collin of The Telegraph  didn't hide his thoughts about the movie's pointlessness. "The studio may have accidentally created the first Shepard film: it goes on for about an hour and 45 minutes, and right up until the second it ends, you keep feeling as if it's just about to start." 

Other critics turned their blaming finger toward Sony, and expressed the belief that "Morbius" is a prime example of a movie that's intended to be a money-making machine, with very little inherent quality to speak of. "A cash-grab so sloppy it makes you wonder if the top brass at Sony are nihilistic members of the undead," Charlotte O'Sullivan of London Evening Standard  wrote.

Meanwhile, others chose to take yet another approach by adorning their review with the exact same amount of creativity that they feel the movie features. "'Morbius' really does... *sigh* suck. Yes, we couldn't even come up with something more inventive, folks," Brian Lloyd of Entertainment.ie wrote.

Critics have little love for Jared Leto as Morbius

It's not just the movie's general quality that draws the reviewers' ire. Several critics have also pointed out that  Jared Leto — who, as an Academy Award winner, clearly has a history of knowing how to act — doesn't quite manage to impress as the titular character, for various reasons. 

According to Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting , Leto simply fails to captivate in the same way as Tom Hardy does in his symbiote-filled corner of Sony's Spider-Man universe. "Without, say, someone like Tom Hardy embracing the weirdness of the character in 'Venom', it's tough to find rooting interest or muster any excitement for the vampiric bat man," the critic wrote.  

Meanwhile, Stephanie Zacharek of Time felt that while Leto does bring an element of emotion in the movie, he "perhaps isn't so much a serious actor as one who takes himself very seriously." Oof.

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune  stepped back to look at the bigger picture, and found that when you combine "Morbius" with Leto's recent turn as Paolo Gucci in " House of Gucci ," it can be very difficult to comprehend the actor's ways. "I don't relish pinning blame, or a tail, or horns, or anything on a particular star/executive producer, in this case Leto, since so much in corporate franchise commerce has a chance to go wrong before a single performer gets in front of a camera," the reviewer wrote. "But my bafflement regarding Leto is becoming chronic, and I'm still recovering from his opera buffa turn and Chico Marx dialect in 'House of Gucci.'" 

All in all, whether the audiences find the movie or not, it's already pretty clear that "Morbius" won't go down in history as the most critically praised superhero movie of all time.

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Hit man cast & character guide: who else stars alongside glen powell.

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Hit Man Review: Breezy Comedy Is Richard Linklater’s Cure For What Ails Movies

10 best parks & recreation episodes, ranked, hit man's true story & movie accuracy explained by director richard linklater.

• Hit Man boasts a strong cast led by Glen Powell, offering a fresh take on undercover operations with hilarious aliases.
• Hit Man's other main cast members include Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, and Retta.
• Supporting cast members in Hit Man range from Sanjay Rao to Molly Bernard.

Richard Linklater's Hit Man sports a strong cast, led perfectly by Glen Powell. In comparison to many of Linklater's other movies, Hit Man 's cast is relatively small-scale. This could be because of the film's premise, which sees Glen Powell's titular Hit Man take on different aliases . Powell's eccentric personalities throughout the film mark a star turn for the actor and aids Hit Man in becoming one of the strongest 2024 films and one of the best movies in Richard Linkater's career .

Savor Hit Man, however you come across it - it's not every day the movies entertain us in this way at this level of execution anymore.

One of the best aspects of the film is that Hit Man is inspired by a true story . The film follows Powell's mild-mannered Gary, who lives alone with his cats and enjoys a relatively risk-free life as a college professor. Gary's main source of excitement comes from working alongside the New Orleans Police Department as a tech guy. However, Gary soon finds himself having to perform as an undercover mole, leading to Hit Man 's many hilarious aliases and opening the film up to the rest of the fantastic cast that stars alongside Powell.

Glen Powell as Gary Johnson

Date of birth: october 21, 1988.

• Active Since: 2003

Actor: Glen Powell was born in Austin, Texas, and began acting in the early 2000s. Powell rose to prominence for his role as Chad Radwell in Scream Queens , before gaining further recognition in romantic comedies, including Hit Man director Richard Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! and Netflix's Set It Up. Undoubtedly, Powell's most mainstream role came in 2022 when he portrayed Jake "Hangman" Seresin in Top Gun: Maverick , leading to him starring opposite Sydney Sweeney in the 2023 box-office hit Anyone but You . With Hit Man and Twisters on the horizon, 2024 seems to be the summer of Glen Powell .

Notable Movies & TV Shows:

Character: In Hit Man , Powell plays Gary Johnson. Gary works as a university professor and tech aid for the New Orleans Police Department. When the man responsible for going undercover is suspended, Gary is thrust into the role only to find he has a knack for pulling confessions out of unsuspecting, aspiring murderers. Interestingly, Powell plays several aliases in Hit Man, as Gary uses his people skills to figure out who targets will be more likely to confess to. Although Powell's aliases include characters named Ron, Boone, and a Patrick Bateman rip-off, he is credited as Gary Johnson.

Adria Arjona as Madison Masters

Date of birth: april 25, 1992.

• Active Since: 2012

Actor: The secondary lead in Hit Man is portrayed by Adria Arjona, born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Arjona began working in Hollywood in a series of small roles. Some of her earlier credits include The Belko Experiment, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Triple Frontier, and 6 Underground . Arjona received more widespread recognition for her main roles in TV shows like Emerald City, Good Omens, and Andor , the latter in the Star Wars universe. Other bigger Hollywood credits for Arjona include Morbius and an earlier recurring role in True Detective season 2.

Arjona will reprise her role as Bix in Andor season 2, expected to be released in 2025.

Character: Adria Arjona portrays Madison Masters in Hit Man . Madison, better known as Maddy, is introduced as one of the people ordering a hit from one of Powell's undercover personas. Maddy is introduced as someone with an abusive, threatening husband, with Gary's better nature leading him to suggest Maddy simply leave her relationship. Afterward, the two become romantically entangled, with Maddy only knowing Gary as Ron, a charming, suave alias of Gary's.

Austin Amelio as Jasper

Date of birth: april 27, 1988.

• Active Since: 2010

Actor: Like Powell, Austin Amelio was born in Austin, Texas. Interestingly, Amelio's initial exposure came as a skateboarder before he was cast alongside Powell in Linklater's Everybody Wants Some!! This came a year after his breakout role as Dwight in The Walking Dead season 6. This led Amelio to become part of the main cast of Fear the Walking Dead , appearing in over 30 episodes in seasons 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the spin-off. Other notable film roles from Amelio include Song to Song , Mercy Black , and Holler.

Character: In Hit Man, Amelio plays Jasper, the undercover cop responsible for posing as a hitman to gain confessions. After Jasper is suspended from the New Orleans Police Department, Powell's Gary takes over the role and becomes even more adept at stopping aspiring criminals than Jasper. This causes Jasper to have somewhat of an antagonistic presence in Hit Man , becoming bitter over Gary getting more plaudits and taking his job.

Retta as Claudette

Date of birth: april 12, 1970.

• Active Since: 1998

Actor: Marietta Sirleaf, known professionally as Retta, was born in Newark, New Jersey, and began her career almost two decades later. Initially, Retta pursued stand-up comedy and appeared in minor film roles before being cast in Parks and Recreation. As Donna Meagle, Parks and Recreation proved to be Retta's breakout role , leading to bigger comedy movie roles in The LEGO Ninjago Movie, Father Figures , and Good Boys, and a starring role in the comedy series Good Girls .

Character: Hit Man sees Retta starring as Claudette, one of the members of the New Orleans Police Department's undercover crew. Claudette works with Powell's Gary and Amelio's Jasper and is one of the characters responsible for the former overtaking the latter as an undercover mole. Claudette works with Gary throughout the film, offering insights into the character arc of Gary.

NBC’s Parks and Recreation had dozens of incredible, hilarious episodes throughout its seven seasons, but some were better than others.

Hit Man's Supporting Cast & Characters

The supporting cast of hit man rounds off the ensemble.

As alluded to, Hit Man 's cast is relatively small. Aside from the aforementioned actors, there are only a handful of others who have any kind of role in the film. These other actors are lesser known than those above, though no less important to Hit Man 's story and the overarching themes of the film. With that in mind, here is a rundown of the other cast members in Hit Man , their roles in the film, and other notable works.

Sanjay Rao as Phil - Like Claudette, Phil is one of the other characters who helps with tech-related aspects of undercover sting operations. Phil and Claudette often come as a package deal in Hit Man , commenting on Gary's strength in his undercover roles. Phil is played by Sanjay Rao, whose other notable credits include Rob in Bad Romance and William in the TV miniseries Segs .

Gralen Bryant Banks as Sergeant Hank - In Hit Man , Gary and his team report directly to Sergeant Hanks. Hanks plays a minor role in the film but becomes important as Gary's romantic connection with Maddy as "Ron" leads to increasingly hectic scenarios. Bryant Banks is known for his roles in Prime Video's 2023 film The Burial and 2023's box office horror hit, Five Nights at Freddy's .

Evan Holtzman as Ray Masters - Ray is the husband of Maddy in Hit Man , whom the latter attempts to place a hit on early in the film. Ray appears as a cruel, abusive, derogatory man, leading to Maddy taking action against him. Ray serves an antagonistic role in Hit Man as he finds out more about Maddy's new boyfriend "Ron," a.k.a. Gary. Other roles for Holtzman include minor appearances in the TV series Messiah and an uncredited role in Alex Garland's Civil War .

Molly Bernard as Alisha - Early in the film, Gary reveals he is divorced though remains friends with his ex-wife Alisha, played by Bernard. Alisha implores Gary to find something more exciting in his life, as well as to find a new partner. This pushes Gary into finding "Ron" as an alias and subsequently leads to Gary's relationship with Maddy. Besides Hit Man , Bernard is known for her main role in the TV series Younger and recurring roles in projects like Transparent and Chicago Med.

From director Richard Linklater comes Hit Man, a 2023 action comedy film based on a  Texas Monthly  article of the same name. Undercover and trying to catch a group of criminals, a Houston police officer poses as a hitman until he falls for a woman on assignment. Finding himself diving deeper into the world of crime, the Houston officer finds it increasingly difficult to escape his new undercover persona.

10 Best Matt Smith Movies and TV Shows, Ranked

When Matt Smith appeared as Doctor Who , he was only 26 years old, the youngest actor ever to portray the Doctor. While Smith had done some previous work on television in the United Kingdom, Doctor Who made him a household name. No one could have predicted the meteoric rise his star would take. His fresh take on the Doctor earned widespread acclaim and resonated with audiences old and young alike. Smith likes to say the Doctor is "an old man trapped in a young man's body." Choosing to focus on this duality enabled him to master the art of portraying multi-dimensional characters.

Smith has wisely chosen diverse characters throughout his career to keep from getting typecast, bouncing from movies to TV and back again, and working in both the United States and the UK. He's had his share of playing antagonists, like in Morbius , but excels at playing more nuanced characters. He recently portrayed Prince Philip in The Crown and showed a balanced take on the royal, a figure many have mixed feelings about. In his current role as Prince Daemon Targaryen in The House of the Dragon , he took the internet by storm, with fans worldwide falling for the questionable prince. With his upcoming British horror film Starve Acre alongside Morfydd Clark , it's a good time to look back on Smith's filmography and investigate his best movies and TV shows. In each performance, you can see him using what he's learned from the role before and continuing to evolve into one of the finest actors of his generation.

'Official Secrets' (2019)

Directed by gavin hood.

Official Secrets stars Smith and Keira Knightley in a thrilling drama based on the true story of journalist Martin Bright and GCHQ analyst Katherine Gun. Gun blew the cover on an illegal spying operation designed to strong-arm the United Nations Security Council into supporting Bush's invasion of Iraq. One of Knightley's few forays away from period pieces like Anna Karenina and The Imitation Game, she does an excellent job of portraying the stress and intelligence that are the foremost characteristics of a gun.

Admittedly, it was a slow burn that didn't particularly excite audiences. Still, Official Secrets handled the sensitive topic of the lead into the Iraq War well. Viewers are reminded that although Gun paid a heavy price for her morality, the end result was the same. Bush invaded Iraq, and no party faced any consequences besides Gun for her whistleblowing. Smith's take on Bright held his usual unruffled intuitiveness, and the film served as an adequate political beat overall.

Watch on Hulu

'Morbius' (2022)

Director: daniel spinosa.

Widely panned by critics and audiences alike, Morbius was considered Sony's worst Marvel attempt ever until Madame Web entered the chat. It currently holds a whopping 15% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes , with audiences giving it a much higher 71%. ( Madame Web would earn its own 11% and 57%, respectively.) Smith's performance as Milo greatly contributed to that 71% audience score. The rival to Jared Leto 's Morbius, a jealous brother hungry for the cure, Smith had many fans rooting for his character over the titular hero.

Whether it be from the shirtless dance scene or his wicked acceptance of vampirism and willingness to feed, he was a well-placed contrast to the somber and somewhat boring Morbius. Moviegoers felt the energy rise when he came on screen and unfortunately fall when he left it. While Morbius will never be a shining star in anyone's filmography, it makes it all the more impressive what Smith accomplished with the material he was given. This take even had fans hoping he would get a turn as Reed Richards in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie.

Release Date April 1, 2022

Director Daniel Espinosa

Cast Matt Smith, Michael Keaton, Jared Leto, J.K. Simmons, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris

Rating PG-13

Runtime 104 minutes

Genres Drama, Superhero, Action, Adventure

'Party Animals' (2007)

Created by ben richards and robert jones.

Party Animals was a BBC series produced by World Productions. The show orbited a group of 20-somethings in the British Parliament. Smith played Danny Foster, a Labour Party researcher whose older brother is a lobbyist. The show followed the pair's antics with their friends on and off the clock. Party Animals, an underrated comedy, was Smith's first major TV show. It showcased why he was perfect to play the Doctor later. As Danny Foster, Smith showed an earnestness and boisterousness that he coupled with physical comedy.

Unafraid to be as cheesy as he was heartfelt, Smith held nothing back. It takes that kind of courage and near-wild abandon to step into the timelord's shoes. The show only lasted one season, but it's definitely worth watching, not just for a young Matt Smith but for the entire cast, who all deliver fantastic performances. Fast-forward and Smith has come a long way, next starring in director Pablo Trapero's English debut film & Sons alongside Bill Nighy.

Buy on Amazon

'The Forgiven' (2021)

Directed by john michael mcdonagh.

The Forgiven stars Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain as a miserably wealthy couple that shows little empathy for the Moroccan lives surrounding them. Smith plays the host of the festivities, Richard Galloway, a bored billionaire who's claimed himself a Moroccan retreat where he can indulge in his many vices and desires. Starting as a rather pleasant host, Richard walks the line between the selfishness one would expect of a hedonistic foreigner and touches on what seems like genuine concern for his guests and the Moroccans.

While Fiennes and Chastain shine as the vapid duo tiring of each other, Smith's Richard tugs at your curiosity. Where did he meet his American partner, a man named Dally, and what made them choose to bunker down outside Tangier together? While viewers may never know, interested readers may gain more insight from the novel based on the same title by Lawrence Osborn .

'Patient Zero' (2018)

Directed by stefan ruzowitsky.

Patient Zero is a sci-fi zombie thriller starring Natalie Dormer as Gina alongside another Game of Thrones alum, John Bradley as Scooter, Stanley Tucci as the Professor, and Smith as Morgan. One of the most significant aspects of this performance that sets it apart from other works by Smith is the American accent he uses for the film. Though some viewers called this particular accent into question, it was more than passable and played with 100% commitment by Smith, which can be hard to pull off. Actors often get caught slipping in and out of accents they attempt.

Morgan is the only known person in the film to have been bitten by these rabid, sentient zombies and not turned. This gives him a unique ability to communicate with those who do. It's an interesting twist on the zombie genre, and they throw in a splintered romance and a bromance undone for extra drama. The film was delayed and then released straight to digital, but it contains worthy performances from Dormer, Smith, and Tucci.

Patient Zero

Release Date September 14, 2018

Director Stefan Ruzowitzky

Cast Matt Smith, Stanley Tucci, Agyness Deyn, Natalie Dormer, John Bradley, Clive Standen

Runtime 93 Minutes

Genres Drama, Action, Horror

Watch on Amazon

'Charlie Says' (2018)

Directed by mary harron.

Smith filmed Patient Zero in 2015. He must have worked on his American accent between then and his time on set for Charlie Says in 2018. Whether it was simply a ton of practice or an accent coach, the effort proved worthwhile. Smith's turn as Charles Manson is equal parts charming, manic, and intimidating. Surrounding Smith is a stellar cast of women, including Hannah Murray , formerly of Game of Thrones , Sosie Bacon of Smile , The Walking Dead 's Merritt Wever , and Suki Waterhouse.

From director Mary Harron, who also helmed American Psycho , Charlie Says follows the stories of the women whom Manson manipulated into taking part in murder and the woman trying to help them find some sanity in the aftermath. Even surrounded by such talent, Manson always draws the gaze while on screen. Some credit can be claimed by the viewers' knowledge of what a beast he is representing, but even so, Smith proves to be one of the more impressive cinematic portrayals of the psychopath.

Watch on AMC+

'Last Night in Soho' (2021)

Directed by edgar wright.

Last Night in Soho is one of Matt Smith's most charismatic and enigmatic roles. Edgar Wright does a fantastic job of letting the audience fall for Jack (Smith), right alongside Sandie ( Anya Taylor-Joy ) and Ellie ( Thomasin McKenzie ). At their first encounter, Sandie wows him with a dance number , and Jack immediately offers her a singing gig before stepping in to defend her honor from an aggressive and crusty old suit. Ellie witnesses these 1960s escapades through Sandie's eyes via time-twisting visions from her same flat in the future.

The three actors star in one of Wright's twistiest and most cerebral films to date. Credit must be given to McKenzie and Taylor-Joy, as they played impeccable and mind-bending mirror versions of each other, an effect achieved through ingenious practical techniques. Likewise, Jack and Sandie have a chemistry that pops right off the screen and helps the film maintain its air of enigma as Ellie attempts to learn whom to trust. The film was initially overlooked but has amassed a solid following since its digital release and continues to stand out as one of Smith's most enjoyable exhibitions.

Last Night in Soho

Release Date October 21, 2021

Director Edgar Wright

Cast Jessie Mei Li, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Thomasin McKenzie, Terence Stamp, Diana Rigg

Runtime 118

Genres Thriller, Horror

'House of the Dragon' (2022-Present)

Created by george r. r. martin and ryan condal.

Matt Smith's portrayal of Prince Daemon of the House Targaryen is delicious. Referred to as "The Internet's Boyfriend" and "Prince Toxic," many fans have had to question their taste and reasoning. Others do not question it at all and enjoy the guilty pleasure of fawning over Daemon. Whether he is starring across from the young Rhaenyra, played by Milly Alcock , or the slightly younger version, played by Emma D'Arcy , Smith manages to create a chemistry that sizzles and sparks —a quality befitting the Prince of the House of Dragons.

Smith puts all of his experience to work as Daemon, ensuring audiences can never fully count him as a villain or a hero. His ambition, anger, and temperament for war are evident, but so is his love for his brother, for Rhaenyra, and for his children. His acting skills have been honed to the point that he confidently improvised some of the fans' favorite scenes . In acts as simple as picking up a fallen crown or turning a mother away from the room to receive devastating news in some semblance of privacy, he elevated the material. These personal touches ground the fantasy of the series and show why Daemon may be the most anticipated character's return in Season 2, airing June 16th.

House of the Dragon

Release Date August 21, 2022

Creator Ryan J. Condal, George R.R. Martin

Cast Emily Carey, Milly Alcock, Rhys Ifans, Matt Smith, Steve Toussaint, Emma D'Arcy, Eve Best, Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke

Rating TV-MA

Genres Drama, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

'The Crown' (2016-2017)

Created by peter morgan.

For the first two seasons of The Crown , Matt Smith plays Prince Philip next to Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth and Vanessa Kirby as her sister Princess Margaret. The series collected an enormous number of nominations and awards for the crew, including several nominations for Smith's portrayal of the Duke of Edinburgh. Often known as a problematic prince who preferred military life to a castle and likely committed adultery, it would be easy to paint the prince a villain and allow the viewers to hate him.

However, by casting Matt Smith, they could ensure the cad remained likable, even sympathetic at times. The chemistry between the Queen and her Prince is organic and fiery ( with no hint of the pay gap issue behind the scenes ). And whether or not you agree with his parenting style, it cannot be denied that he is a committed father. Smith sunk into the role, playing him with all the gravitas and unexpected candidness required. Tobias Menzies and Jonathan Pryce , despite their worthy efforts, never reached the level of perfection that Smith did .

Release Date November 4, 2016

Cast Elizabeth Debicki, Dominic West, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Vanessa Kirby, Olivia Colman, Jonathan Pryce, Helena Bonham Carter, Claire Foy

Genres Biography, Drama

Watch on Netflix

'Doctor Who' (2010-2014)

Created by sydney newman, c. e. webber, and donald wilson.

As many regenerations as the Doctor may continue to have, only so many actors will get to step into the role of the "last" Timelord–fewer still who can make it look like they were born for it. David Tennant is one such Doctor. When it came time for Matt Smith to put the bow tie on, New Who was wrapping up a wildly popular run with Tennant and his companions. Any Doctor having to follow that knew what a challenge they were in for. No one but Matt Smith could have pulled it off; just ask Karen Gillan (who played Amy) .

Paired with two new favorite companions, Amy and Rory ( Arthur Darvill ), Smith's Doctor became known for having a boyish charm that could also unleash an ancient temper. Simultaneously more youthful than Tennant and even angrier than Eccleston, the 11th Doctor was the entire spectrum. Paired with Steven Moffat's show running and a few new companions, he took Doctor Who to the heights of fame, setting record ratings. At just 26, Smith showed us he could turn from "Doctor boyfriend" to your worst enemy and back again. As varied as his suit of roles has been since no other show or movie has given Smith the same opportunity to show his range and the same time to shine as Doctor Who.

Release Date March 17, 2006

Cast Christopher Eccleston, Peter Capaldi, David Tennant, Matt Smith, Ncuti Gatwa, Jodie Whittaker

Rating TV-PG

Studio BBC America

Genres Sci-Fi, Action, Adventure

NEXT: The 10 Best Villains of Modern Doctor Who