Over the years Spider-Man media has juggled a disjointed relationship with cinema. From the highs of the Raimi trilogy to the forgettable lows of Sony’s disastrous outings, of which were tastefully abbreviated to SPUMC. For every acclaimed win, another pitiful attempt followed. The Disney-Sony partnership, a relationship heavily tested at the best of times, appears to be the root of fans’ frustration. Disagreements over character rights, financial avenues and narrative decisions have led to confused messes and ‘nostalgia slop’ – as the kids call it. A frustrating roadblock to webbed excellence.
However, in swings ‘Spider-Noir’ with brazen confidence. Sony’s latest live-action attempt in partnership with Amazon Prime Video, and produced by acclaimed ‘Spiderverse’ directing duo Lord and Miller (Project Hail Mary). Following Nicolas Cage’s (Longlegs) celebrated performance in Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, Spider-Noir returns for his first live action appearance, played by none other than the Academy Award winner himself. Although, this version is described as a different iteration from his animated counterpart. Deviating from Peter Parker and Spider-Man as audiences recognise him, Nicolas Cage leads in Spider-Noir as private investigator Ben Reilly, with his alter ego titled The Spider. Offering viewing experiences of both black and white, replicating the 1930’s noir setting, and modern colour, can Spider-Noir live up the challenge as the wall crawlers first streaming adventure?
New York Like Never Before
Investigating the rise of super-powered beings, Reilly attempts to uncover their origins and connections to New York’s dangerous criminal underworld, and it isn’t long before his retired alter-ego is forced to return. Emerging with a comicbooky ‘pow’ embracing punch, Spider-Noir is unapologetically bonkers, and in all the right ways. Nicolas Cage is renowned for his over the top eccentricities and wacky mannerisms, and Spider-Noir bleeds Cage at his very best. Throughout the series, the actor embodies the down-on-his-luck detective with magnetic brilliance. During occasional narrative lulls, his enthusiastic bounce, whether as Ben Reilly or The Spider, dances the season across the finish line with delightful charm that offers a bold twist on Spider-Man’s mantra “with great power, comes great responsibility”. At its best, Spider-Noir plays like a Saturday morning cartoon, full of suave and unwavering heroism, despite Ben Reilly’s insistence that he is anything but.
Much attraction to Spider-Noir stems from its stylized colour grading, offering a choice between colour or black and white. Pops of vintage complexions beautifully dress the screen, whilst the absence of such in the alternative version sells a grimy New York plagued by a criminal underbelly. The noir grading admittedly covers the cracks of occasionally weak VFX scattered within the colour version. But equally, lacks the vibrant personality of its sibling, which sings a visual harmony when paired with Cage and Lamorne Morris’ (New Girl) quirky tempo. Meticulous care for this palette, alongside a thrilling web swinging, creates a New York that hasn’t felt this alive since Garfield’s turn as the masked menace. Undoubtedly, the correct viewing experience here is both.
With Great Power, Comes Nearly Great Villains
Every great hero has legendary enemies. Enter Sandman, Tombstone and an intriguing collection of the wall-crawler’s most iconic villains – with a 1930s twist, of course. A stylized New York, and its pre-World War 2 setting, allows these timely changes to boast surprisingly cohesive ambition, free from Sony’s typical self-imposed shackles. Whilst appearance of superpowers may be minimal, a complication originating from budget restrictions, the challenge these villains impose on The Spider is gripping and worthy of acclaim. Favouring quality over quantity, fight sequences ooze a daring personality that reaps the cozy essence of early superhero media. Carrying an overly cocky zip, supervillains embrace their cheesy dialogue, delightfully marrying the zippy campness Cage enjoys layering into the role.
On the other hand, series antagonist Silver Mane, played by Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin), falls disappointingly short of similar excitement. A TV-14 rating holds the supposedly brutal crime lord back from realising his menacing potential, and instead, audiences are repeatedly fed monotonous exposition unraveling his plans to control New York through his super-powered lackeys. Frustratingly, the gangster starts strong demonstrating cold-hearted brutality, yet never evolves past these opening moments. Silver Mane floats rather aimlessly as a generic mob boss with an uninspired goal. At the very least, Gleeson nails the sarcastic wit required to negotiate with Cage’s The Spider, but ultimately falls short of anything memorable.
Investigative Elements Reign Supreme
Nicolas Cage possesses the most recognisable face in Spider-Noir, but his contribution is elevated by that of his co-stars. Most notably, Emmy winner Lamorne Morris (Fargo) and Li Jun Li (Sinners), who respectively play journalist Robbie Robertson and Cat Hardy. Morris assists with the series’ investigative elements when Ben Reilly is otherwise occupied, and indulges audiences within Spider-Noir’s strongest detective elements. His boyish charm pleasantly contrasts against deliberate bleakness, preventing the 8-episode release from stumbling into staleness. This charisma and quirkiness grounds Spider-Noir, serving as the perfect companion to Cage’s brilliant over-extravagance. Delivering a highlight performance, Morris justifies his Emmy each episode – not that Winnie the Bish fans needed convincing.
Teasing enticing romantic insinuations, Li Jun Li’s (Babylon) delivers an equally magic performance as Cat Hardy guaranteed to keep audiences guessing, with her true allegiance forming an enchanting mystery. At times, Li serves as the focal point of narrative progression and is rightfully entrusted with key emotional moments, a pressure she relishes with a sexy sophistication. As the episodes progress however, Hardy is relegated into a damsel in distress, and Li’s talents fall into the danger zone of under-utilisation. Unfortunately, this repeated pattern with character development demonstrates a minor writing weakness that holds Spider-Noir back from true excellence.
Outlandish, Weird and Off-beat, But Undeniably Fun
During its peak, Spider-Noir is an lovingly outright weird iteration of everybody’s favourite hero. And, even when bordering upon over-indulgence, the Cage-led adventure always finds a way to reel audiences back in. His peculiar energy remains unmatched, one may even suggest Hollywood’s iconic star was born to play this specific version of Spider-Man. Absence of a remarkable main villain, and significant stakes, are felt slightly too much in later episodes, but Spider-Noir’s unreplicatable enthusiasm is hard not to enjoy. From unique visuals, riveting bar-fights, and an ironically animated energy, Cage’s outing as the detective turned vigilante ensures that Spider-Noir is a refreshing swing at the webhead.
Spider-Noir Releases on Amazon Prime Video May 27
