'Spider-Noir' Season 1 Review
Image Source: Alpha Coders
Somewhere in the Multiverse, a new hero rises!
Where does one go after Morbin’ Time? What was sold as a cinematic universe built on the backs of Spider-Man’s iconic stable of villains became a frustrating, boring, and frankly, embarrassing experiment that was just an expensive way for Sony to keep the film rights to the iconic web-slinger. The Venom trilogy enjoyed commercial success, but its reviews never achieved any real heights. Meanwhile, Morbius, Madame Web, andKraven the Hunterquickly found themselves among the worst comic book movies ever made alongside the likes of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Batman & Robin, and Catwoman. While films centered on El Muerto, The Hypno-Hustler, and Nightwatch were in some sort of development, they were all canceled following the critical and financial failure of Kraven. For years, fans have wondered why Sony has wasted time on movies about B-, C-, and even D-tier characters when they have many Spider-Man variants to choose from. Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and Spider-Man 2099 all have the potential to carry their own live-action feature film. However, there was one man who came out of the shadows to show audiences what an offshoot Spider-Man project can really do. And that man’s name is Nicolas Cage.
In 2023, the combined talents of executive producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and showrunners Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot came together to develop Spider-Noir, a multi-episode television series focused on the Spider-Man variant from 1930’s New York. A version of the character, voiced by Nicolas Cage, from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse became a quick fan-favorite, so naturally, he made sense to headline his own series. With Cage bringing the character to life in live-action and surrounded by a cast consisting of Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, and Brendan Gleeson, Spider-Noir had more of a head start in terms of quality than Sony’s recent attempts to make live-action projects not centered on Peter Parker. A head start that thankfully paid off.
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Spider-Noir is good, like REALLY good. So good that Sony’s disastrous attempts at a shared universe will make you even more upset. Largely because Spider-Noir is so good that you wonder why Sony wasn’t investing time and resources into projects like this, as opposed to releasing Morbius twice in theaters. The series is proof of what non-Parker/Morales tales outside the comics can be at their very best.
Let’s not beat around the bush here; Spider-Noir’s greatest strength is found primarily in its filmmaking and visuals. The decision to release all 8 episodes in both black-&-white and color is a brilliant one that helps the series stand out from other superhero shows. The black-&-white version is probably the best version to watch the show in if you’re watching it for the first time. The visuals in this version make the series look and feel like an old school film noir from the 40’s and 50’s in the best way possible. While some scenes that take place in the day may look a tad awkward in this style, scenes that take place indoors or at night are breathtaking. The color version of the series is also worth it, with the visuals being insanely reminiscent of Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy. Watching the show in color also helps you take in the remarkable production design (courtesy of Warren Alan Young and Halina Siwolop) and the costumes (courtesy of Trayce Gigi Field). The direction on the show also helps the viewer be transported to 1930’s New York, particularly the first two episodes helmed by Emmy-winner Harry Bradbeer (Fleabag). However, the MVP in terms of directors is Alethea Jones (Peacemaker), who not only helms the season’s best episode (Episode 6: Nightmare on the Gurney), but also makes a great case for why she deserves a superhero project all her own.
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The cast also gives it their all this season. Li Jun Li (Sinners) radiates perfect femme fatale energy as Cat Hardy, fitting the era the show takes place in like a glove. Brandan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin) as Silvermane, Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire) as Sandman, Abraham Popoola (Andor) as Tombstone, and Andrew Lewis Caldwell (Hannah Montana) as Megawatt all make up a compelling and intimidating menagerie of villains. Karen Rodriguez (The Big Leap) and Lamorne Morris (Fargo) frequently steal scenes as Janet Ruiz and Robbie Robertson, respectively. Morris specifically steals the show so often that I wouldn’t at all mind if we got a Daily Bugle spin-off series set in the universe. As far as acting is concerned, how does one not love Nicolas Cage in this series? 70% Humphrey Bogart, and 30% Bugs Bunny per Cage’s own words, he eats up every frame of the scream and takes near-complete charge of every episode. Nicolas Cage isn’t here for subtly or nuance, he’s here to be Nic Cage as a Spider-Man in 1930’s New York. He maintains the fun energy he had in his vocal performance in Into the Spider-Verse and cranks it up to 11. It’d be enough for Nic Cage to go full Nic Cage, but thankfully he handles the more dramatic scenes as well. Whether it’s during action scenes, more dramatic scenes, or just scenes of him talking to Robbie Robertson, Ben Reilly is always a pleasure to watch on screen.
Spider-Noir swings past most live-action comic book shows of the last 7 years or so. Considering we’ve gotten gems like The Boys, Doom Patrol, Peacemaker, WandaVision, Moon Knight, and Daredevil: Born Again, I feel confident in saying Spider-Noir surpasses every comic book series since 2019, except for Loki. Committed performances, energetic direction, stylish visuals, thrilling action, engaging writing, and a great score by Kris Bowers and Michael Dean Parsons all help Spider-Noir be an 8-episode juggernaut that I hope continues down the line. If we’re lucky enough to have this series turn out as great as it did, we can only hope that Sony will be inspired to greenlight other Spidey spin-off projects that fans and audiences may actually want to watch.
As we approach the conclusion of Miles Morales’ animated odyssey and witness the return of Tom Holland, more eyes will be on Spider-Man and his mythos than ever before. If Sony is encouraged to jump start development on projects centering on Silk, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Woman, and the Sinister Six again, I should hope they maintain one lesson from Spider-Noir; With great power comes great responsibility.
Rating: 9/10
All 8 episodes of Spider-Noir are now streaming on Amazon Prime Video and MGM+.
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