Marvel’s answer to Batman has finally arrived on the silver screen in this self titled Disney Plus series. Episode one has come out, and in the titular role is the often outstanding Oscar Issac in what is shaping to be a unique and intriguing show.
Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight, has been a prominent character within the Marvel universe since his debut in 1975. Since the MCU has started, fans have been vocal about wanting darker characters such as Moon Knight. Now that he’s finally here, has he lived up to the hype?… Well kinda.
Episode one starts off in a sadistic way, as we see an unknown figure take a shot then smash the glass with a hammer, only to then put the shards of glass in his shoes which he puts on and begins to walk.
After this, the MCU intro appears, which is a very big problem I have. When you start off a new show with such a gruesome act, you can’t have a flashy and colorful intro follow it. The gritty and hollow feelings the show builds with the first scene is immediately taken away with the MCU into. The need to brand this as an MCU property so prominently is so ridiculous.
Finally, we see our main character, Marc Spector…tied to his bed at the foot. We see that Marc locks his door, tapes the seams of it, pours sand around his bed and straps himself to his bed before he falls asleep. When he awakes he takes the strap off his foot, unlocks the door and removes all the tape and goes to work. It’s all too normal for him, and adds to the show’s mysticism.
Marc works at a gift shop in a museum and seems to have some knowledge of Egyptian history, including an odd looking artifact with him at all times. The scenes of Marc getting to work and talking to visitors at the museum showcase Oscar Issac’s talent perfectly. He comes off as slightly disturbed but mostly an everyday guy with a kind heart.
Throughout the middle of the episode, there is a lot of filler only to build up the weirder aspects of the show. Marc starts hearing voices one night, and when he falls asleep, he awakens in a random plain of grass. He visits a small village asking how to get home, but things escalate when an artifact in Marc’s pocket is taken away.
After this, he begins seeing monstrous Egyptian figures everywhere he goes. This all leads to the finale 10 minutes of the show, which is the best part by a mile. He finally becomes the vigilante Moon Knight and he looks perfect. Gone is the spandex and is replaced with mummy esc wrappings.
The humor is kept to a minimum, which is a huge positive aspect. Marc makes a couple of quick jokes, all of which fall flat. I’m hoping they cut it out all together and just have Marc say something sarcastic here and there. Marvel’s humor has gotten stale and has no place in a show based on a darker character.
The score is surprisingly good, the choice of music fits and makes scenes feel more tense and grand. The cinematography is also very well done and does a good job of making things seem crowded and noisy. I will say the color choice was not my favorite, I’d much rather a darker color palette for the show to fit better with the darker aspects. This also would have helped the less than convincing CGI stand out less.
Moon Knight’s first episode left me wanting more, as I enjoyed the first episode for the most part except for some of the filler in the middle. The end of the episode was a great set up for a darker and more complex look at a character who has dissociative personality disorder. If the rest of the episodes focus more on his mental state and have the occasional fights, it could be a great addition to Marvel’s catalog of shows. I’d say wait for episode 2 to come out then watch the first two back to back. That will give you a better idea if this show is for you.