by Nick Ferro, Editor
Spider-man is a top three superhero for me along with most of the human race. He is by far one of the most successful and celebrated comic book characters of all time and we have seen his story told countless ways from comics to cartoons, to movies. But recently, thanks to the Spider-verse movies we have been seeing even more iterations of our favorite hero. First Miles Morales’ Spider-man stole our hearts but now it’s Ben Reilly’s turn in the new Amazon original Spider-Noir.
Not the same version of Spider-man who appeared in Spider-verse, which was an alternate universe Peter Park, this time, as I mentioned, “The Spider” is Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage). The character Ben Reilly has been around in Spider-man lore since the 70s, introduced as a clone of Peter Parker. He later, in the 90s, took on the alter-ego of the Scarlet Spider but in this post World War II alternate universe Ben Reilly is a private detective who obtained the powers of Spider-man during the war while rescuing POWs from a Nazi science facility. After using his powers for his own thrills and the benefit of New York City for several years, the death of his fiancé caused him to hang up his iconic goggles, trenchcoat, and hat. He then spent the next five years as a down on his luck private detective using what little money he made on booze in a city of prohibition and ever-growing crime in The Spider’s absence.
Right off the bat you are given a choice when you log into Amazon: do you watch Spider-Noir in stunning technicolor, or would you rather watch in noir style black and white? I personally chose black and white. If you know me, you know what my opinions are on turning something that was meant to be in black and white into color (See Werewolf by Night in color opinions here). I chose to watch the series in black and white because after watching the trailer for both versions the colorized version looked off to me. The CGI stood out more and the use of colors looked more digital than natural. While the black and white version looked more stylized and intentional. I could be completely wrong, but if I had to guess, the creators probably filmed the show for black and white and the decision to colorize it was either a post-production one or a studio note. Either way, this review will not cover how the colorized version looked.
As for the black and white, this show is quite stunning in its presentation. I was instantly taken back to watching old black and white noir style movies and tv of the past while being treated to the modern-day filming techniques to clean up the image and really take advantage of the medium. Many people like to ask the question: “what does this being in black and white add?” which is a fair question. In many cases when a director chooses that medium it is to be extra stylish or artistic. Sometimes it comes off as pretentious but in the case of Spider-Noir, I think it fits the tone of the subject matter nicely. Not to say that noirs can’t be told in color. There are many great examples of modern noirs with amazing visuals and stylistic use of color, but I think where this project shines is that we have been privy to the bright and colorful Spider-man imagery for so long that the change up not only felt refreshing but allowed for the darker tone this version of the character has. And yet despite that darker tone, Cage was still able to bring a quirky and comedic tone to the character that wasn’t washed away by the visual choices.
The true standout of this show for me were those visual choices, beyond the monochromatic. The cinematography of Darran Tiernan (Penguin, Westworld, Barry) and Peter Demming (The Menu, Scream 2, My Cousin Vinny) combined with each of the four director’s unique vision are truly some of the most stylish and creative choices made in an on screen comic book franchise in years. From split screens emulating comic panels to the use of the split diopter lens for that excellent noir style perspective focus, there was always something visually engaging to look at, especially towards the final episodes. Multiple times I found myself pausing or rewinding to see a particular shot and marvel at its beauty. Even the bar fight scene that was (from what I can tell) an actual “oner” looked amazing and reminded me a lot of the one in Thunderbolts* last year. In fact, if it was merely a simulated oner then I tip my hat to them because the cuts were seamless and it put the more recent attempt by marvel from Daredevil: Born Again to shame.
The other big standout (and I’m sure putting him second will get me in trouble) is Nicolas Cage. Cage is putting in some of the best work he’s ever done and is clearly having the time of his life. While his interpretation of the character certainly has some “Cage-isms” in it, one could argue that is what takes a good performance and makes it a great one. The show even goes as far to explain Reilly’s psyche and how the spider powers affect his brain, which causes him to be more erratic. Cage completely owns every minute of this show, start to finish, despite being surrounded by an outstanding list of supporting actors like Lamorne Morris as reporter Robbie Robertson and Brendan Gleeson as villain Silvermane who are powerhouses in their own right. On top of that Andrew Lewis Caldwell as Dirk Leyden aka Megawatt is doing his absolute best to match Cage’s energy by being a sadistic insane super villain, ripped straight out of a 1940s comic, to rival The Spider’s heroicness. These two share only a handful of scenes together but when they do I had a blast. There may be the typical, “Spider-man fights a super powered villain and is in over his head at first cliché” but it totally works here and watching their big personalities clash is exactly why we love superheroes. The Spider may be a man of few words, but he still manages to quip with the best Alt-U Spiders so to hear him go back and forth with a villain who loves the sound of his own voice it is a nice dose of classic comics banter.
I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight Spider-Noir’s two supporting ladies. First up is Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li) as the contractually required noir “femme fatale.” But where a movie might pigeonhole her in a one note role, a tv show gives her room to be a character in her own right. She has wants and needs and a backstory worth investing. She makes moves on the chessboard that is the political machinations of our heroes and villains, and she makes mistakes which complicates both her own life and Reilly’s. Second is the other contractually required noir character: the sassy secretary! Janet (Karen Rodriguez) is a character who wears many hats and has to keep not only Reilly in line but everyone that comes in and out of his life and business too. Rodriguez has incredible comedic timing yet is able to play off of Cage’s unhinged behavior as a perfect straight woman. Janet’s dynamic with Robbie is also a highlight because as Reilly’s two closest confidants they have to keep his worse habits in check, which is only elevated by Morris and Rodriguez’s own chemistry together. And if you stick around to the final episode there is a moment of pure comedy involving Janet and The Spider that will make you happy you did.
If I had to knock Spider-Noir for something it would be the lack of mystery which was hurt by structuring it as a tv show. I know that not every noir needs a mystery, however the best ones have them. As a fan of whodunnits and noir mysteries I was looking forward to this show, however a few episodes in I found myself getting a little bored. While I enjoyed the narrative for what it was, there was never much of a hook for me too keep watching save for the obligation to write this review. I enjoyed the character work, the performances, and the visuals, but the story was incredibly lacking. And as a story first guy, that was a problem for me. There were a few moments of tension built which led to the standard “how will our intrepid heroes get out of this jam” scenario. But those moments were few and far between. The show never hid facts or story beats from the audience for too long. If there was something to question it would be answered within an episode or two. If this show had run week to week, instead of dropping all at once, I can imagine people would have forgotten to tune back in. Which segues to my second issue, this would have been better as a movie. While I do appreciate how several characters including our supporting villains get fleshed out more thoroughly in this format, their stories were ultimately not so interesting that they couldn’t have been cut for time. I can really see an excellent 140-minute movie with a minor tweak to the mystery and cutting the excess fat. Maybe I am just getting older and finding myself less committed to mini-series which stretch a single story out over multiple hours, but I found myself struggling to finish this series.
Overall, Spider-Noir is a miracle of modern “content creation.” The concept of giving Nicolas Cage’s side character, from an animated movie, the live action treatment as a tv show on a streaming service just sounds fake. Who would do this? But they did and I admire them so much for the swing. I know that streamers and Hollywood despise original ideas so to take one and slap an IP skin on it helps the pill go down, I guess. But I can’t fully recommend this show as I don’t think it will be for everyone. If you like Spider-man or noirs, you might have a decent enough time. If you appreciate creators being artistic with the camera and actors being daring and bold on screen I think you will have a good time. If you like your comic book/superhero content to be generic and safe, then maybe sit this one out. I hope that Spider-Noir is successful enough to see more projects like it, I just hope they can maybe tweak the formula to deliver on a more well-rounded story. And I absolutely would love it if Tom Hollad’s Peter Parker got to meet Cage’s Ben Reilly the next time he runs into some multiverse shenanigans!
Rating: Low Side of Liked It
Spider-Noir is available to stream on Amazon Prime
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