Latest News

The High Arrow

Indiana Area Senior High School

,

Morbius: a complete failure?

By YANIS DJEKBOUBI

Morbius is Sony’s latest addition to their superhero movie adaptation catalog. After the enormous success they had with Spiderman: No Way Home (3rd most money grossing movie of all time), it would be logical to expect Morbius to follow on this trend. However, the movie took a completely different path.. and not a great one. But you may ask yourself : What went wrong, how did it fail, and is Morbius a complete failure?

Luckily for you, I have answered these questions for you here at the IHS High Arrow.

A good background. 

Morbius had everything to succeed. First of all, it’s produced by Sony, one of the biggest companies on the market but also, and mostly, those who gave us one of the biggest movies of all time : Spiderman No Way Home. Morbius also takes place in the Marvel universe (same as spiderman).. which is a great selling point. Moreover, the anti-hero movie is starring a famous cast with Jared Leto as the main character, Michal Keaton (already part of the MCU) and even Tyrese Gibson from the Fast and Furious franchise! This is without even talking about all the marketing done, and the millions of dollars put in the production. 

So, where did it miss?

Where it missed.

Even with all these benefits and advantages, Morbius did not succeed to implement itself as a must-see movie. Indeed, with a $75 million budget to make, the movie only grossed $100 million dollars worldwide. In comparison.  In comparison, Eternals (came out in november) cost $200 million dollars to make and grossed $400 million dollars worldwide. A question therefore is forced to be asked : Why? Well, there’s many reasons for such a poor score. First of all, the marketing. Even though Morbius had a somewhat big marketing campaign, it was just not that good. It was clear that Marvel and Sony were trying their best to sell it to people by saying for example : “the new marvel legend”. But, as we say, never judge a book by its cover. The true nature of the movie could only be analyzed when it came out on the big screen. And that’s what happened. The issues? A kind of poorly written story, terrible visual effects and a superhero origin story that feels forced as it can’t decide itself between humor and seriousness.

But what did IHS students ACTUALLY think about the movie? We asked them.

“I haven’t watched it, it didn’t look very appealing to me” says Avery Olenchick, a 12th grader.  “The story is not bad but the visual effects are disappointing” says Chris Norton, an 11th grader. “I’m not going to watch it” says Fiona Mcquaide, a 10th grader.

To conclude:

Morbius was a movie with a lot of potential that didn’t live up to these. It had undone visual effects and a story that was not appealing to many people. It still  managed to beat the $100 Million mark at the box office thanks to its studios and actors, but it certainly will  not stay in history for its success.

You May Also Like...

MiniTHON 2026 is almost here

By Anna Carnovale With Mini-THON quickly approaching on March 19, leadership students have a variety of activities planned for the six-hour fundraising event. The event planning committee has worked to create an action-packed night designed to keep participants engaged throughout the evening. Overall Mini-THON chair Anna Kauffman said several minor changes have been made this year, including the theme and color scheme. This year’s theme is “Love Guides the Story,” with blue, pink, purple and yellow as the featured colors. Kauffman added that one major change is an increased focus on dancing. Madelyn Bauer, a member of the event planning committee, said one of the new dance activities this year will be a dance-off, including the Cotton-Eyed Joe. “I’m excited for it all to come together,” Bauer said. “We’ve all worked so hard.” Kauffman also emphasized the more serious aspects of the event. “A lot of people just think Mini-THON

Read More »
March 19, 2026

The Death of Literature

By Zoey Motto Put down your phone and open a book. Many young people today do not read nearly as much as they should. Phones, television and other electronics distract them from sitting long enough not only to read, but even to let ideas sink in. Over the past decade, there has been a significant decline in how much young people read. New technology and digital entertainment have contributed to shorter attention spans. When asked what makes young people less interested in reading, Mrs. Lyons, an IHS English and theater teacher, said, “Reading is not part of our culture anymore. We go straight for a phone nowadays. It once was that everyone carried a book instead, and that was entertainment before technology.” New generations often turn to screens instead of pages. As a result, concerns about literacy and reading comprehension have increased over the past decade. Reading does not have

Read More »
March 18, 2026

IHS Drama Department brings Oliver! to life

By Kaylee Higgins The Indiana Area Senior High School Drama Department is proud to announce the 2026 musical Oliver! Based on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, Oliver! follows an orphaned boy who escapes a workhouse in Victorian-era England and joins a group of pickpockets led by the Artful Dodger and Fagin. As Oliver searches for a place where he truly belongs, the story explores themes of kindness, survival and the power of hope, even in difficult circumstances. With memorable songs, energetic dance numbers and a full cast of characters, the musical captures both the excitement and challenges of life in the city. Freshman Emily Matty is a member of the props crew, and mentioned she joined the IHS musical this year because she loves theater and has been participating in shows since the sixth grade. Students have spent months preparing the production, working both on stage and behind

Read More »
March 5, 2026

IHS Girls’ Swimming & Diving snatches WPIAL AA title, boys take runner-up

By Gabi Isenberg IHS Swimming & Diving had an incredible performance at the AA WPIAL Swimming & Diving Championships. The girls team took the championship title for the second year in a row – their second WPIAL win in program history. With a meet full of personal bests, the boys team was runner-up.  Notable finishes on the girls’ side included senior Sydney Anderson taking fourth in the 200-yard freestyle and third in the 100-yard freestyle. Also in the 100-yard freestyle, freshman Jordyn Grove finished seventh. Breaking the school record in the 50-yard freestyle, sophomore Gracie Reed snatched fifth. In the 100-yard butterfly, G. Reed also took fifth, with senior Morgan Grove and junior Veronica Major close behind in places seventh and eighth, respectively. Senior Maddy Bauer delivered an impressive eighth place finish in the 500-yard freestyle. Indiana’s only female WPIAL diver, sophomore Morgan Blystone, took tenth place at the diving

Read More »
March 2, 2026

IHS Green Bandana attends youth mental health conference

By High Arrow Staff On Friday, February 6, 2026, members of the IHS Green Bandana Project attended the NAMI Youth Mental Health Conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. This conference is one of the only conferences in the country specializing in children, adolescents, and transition-age youth. Prior to the conference, students had an opportunity to submit an essay to the Youth Mental Health Leadership Award Essay Contest. This award recognizes the passion and courage of young leaders who are committed to fighting the stigma of mental health conditions, providing a safe community for peers to share their own mental health experiences, and empowering peers through education.  We are pleased to announce that IHS senior Anna Carnovale was the 2026 Youth Mental Health Leadership Award recipient. Anna was presented with her award, alongside a $1,000 prize, during the luncheon portion of the conference.  The IHS Green Bandana Project would like to thank the

Read More »
February 18, 2026

Bad Case of Senioritis

By Zoey Motto With graduation just a stone’s throw away, it is no surprise that seniors all over are starting to come down with a bad case of senioritis. So, what is senioritis and how are seniors working to manage it and prevent it from undermining their motivation and success? Senioritis, which has been going on since the beginning of schooling, is the time in which a senior is so close to the end, that they are blinded by it. The excitement of graduation and what comes after distracts them from the now. When asked what she thinks causes senioritis, IHS Senior Isabella Grim stated, “I think seniors are just excited about graduation and finishing high school so they don’t want to do any school work.” The overwhelming feelings of procrastination and stress that comes with senioritis makes seniors just want to not do anything. IHS Senior Sweetsage Barrera commented

Read More »
February 18, 2026