Explosive
Summary
Spider-Noir is one of Nic Cage’s best projects in years while also giving us some interesting villains, entertaining fight scenes and a wonderful sense of style. It may not be for everyone but I loved watching it in Black and White as it just made it feel more authentic. Recommended!
Plot: Ben Reilly, a seasoned, down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York, is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero.
Review: *Mild spoilers ahead* I do have a soft spot for Nicolas Cage; I know he has been in some questionable movies in recent years and he overacts a lot, but there really is no one else like him and he is always watchable even if the material isn’t the greatest.
I think many of us have had superhero fatigue for a while, but I thought Spider-Noir looked interesting mostly due to the involvement of Cage. This is the perfect role for him and the best thing he has done in some time.
Cage plays private Detective Ben Reilly who used to be a superhero called The Spider; after the death of his girl, Ruby he hung up his webs and stopped caring about the world. Cage brings a world weariness to the character (while channeling Edward G. Robinson and Jimmy Stewart) that even when he is at his lowest you still root for him just for Cage’s sheer likeability. He mopes around feeling sorry for himself but is lifted up by his secretary Janet (Karen Rodriguez) and his reporter friend Robbie Robertson (Lamorne Morris).
They remind him of who once was and could be if only he’d start to care again. Obviously there are several Gonzo Cage moments, but nothing too crazy as it would have taken you out of the story; I like how his character still has a big mouth and pisses off the bad guys which feels accurate for this universe’s Spider-Man.
I really enjoyed the villains because as this is a series rather than a movie we get to know them properly as characters; Brendan Gleeson plays Irish gangster, Silvermane who is trying to take over New York for no other reason than he just enjoys the fight. We also get The Sandman, Megawatt AKA Elektro and Tombstone as the henchmen who are far more interesting as they are more tragic characters rather than one note bad guys. I thought Lewis Caldwell was great as Megawatt as he just enjoys being bad while having a love of the theatrical.
The series somehow manages to capture the feel of old fashioned noir movies while also very much having the spirit of Spider-Man.
Spider-Noir looks best in the black and white style; I like how we get to chose if it’s colour or black and white and this series just shines without the colour. The dark shadows just add an extra moodiness which only benefits the story and time period.
In terms of action there are several fight scenes and superpowered showdowns, although a few more set-pieces would have been nice. I also wish we got to see The Spider in costume a little more as he usually only shows up for minutes at a time.
The music is mostly perfect in capturing the mood and the opening credits are awesome too.
I don’t binge watch many TV shows these days, but I watched this over the weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the immersive world.
Overall, Spider-Noir is arguably better than any of the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies (so far) because despite featuring superpowers this has darker themes and is also violent too. There is some decent action with a great bar fight in the penultimate episode and Cage is perfectly cast as the lead. He of course can’t help overdoing it occasionally, but that’s really what makes it so watchable. Even if you’re bored of superhero shows this one is worth checking out.