My expectations were very high for the new Prime Video superhero series spider-noir, Based on all those amazing trailers. But I was also a little nervous. Can the actual series live up to the hype?
As it turns out, yes, it can. spider-noir It’s a triumph, combining a fast-paced story, compelling characters, gorgeous cinematography and production design, and extremely entertaining dialogue into a hugely entertaining, loving tribute to a bygone magical era.
(There are some spoilers below, but no major reveals.)
Marvel Comics created its “noir” line in 2009, reinterpreting familiar Marvel characters in an alternate universe, usually set in America during the Great Depression. a version of spider-noir The character, voiced by Nicolas Cage, appeared briefly in the animated masterpiece, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and across the spider-verse (2023). (He is set to reprise that role in an upcoming film beyond spider-verse.) Cage’s portrayal was so compelling that we now have an entire series built around it.
Co-showrunner (with Steve Lightfoot) Oren Uziel is a fan of film noir, so the Marvel series naturally appealed to him. The live-action series is still based in 1930s Depression-era New York, but without the spidery superhero Peter Parker. Uziel thought that Parker’s character was too closely associated with a boyish high school type, which did not really fit the noir vibe. So Cage plays Ben Reilly, a stoic PI with a secret superhero identity, The Spider.
Ben Reilly has abandoned his cautious persona after losing his fiancée Ruby five years ago. Bitter, tired, and drinking heavily, he is barely making a living with his PI business, with the aid of his feisty secretary Janet (Karen Rodriguez). And he rejects his reporter friend Robbie (Lamorne Morris)’s insistence on resurrecting the Spider. Supposedly this will help revive Robbie’s faltering career, but with the Spider gone, ruthless Irish mob boss Finn Byrne, aka Silverman (Brendan Gleeson), takes control of much of New York City – not only the bootlegging business, but also the media, politicians, and business owners.
characters matter
Nicolas Cage stars as Humphrey Bogart as Ben Reilly, PI—aka the Spider.
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Nicolas Cage stars as Humphrey Bogart as Ben Reilly, PI—aka the Spider.
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Ben in full spider mode.
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Ben in full spider mode.
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Secretary Janet Ruiz (Karen Rodriguez) is the pivot of Ben’s business.
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Secretary Janet Ruiz (Karen Rodriguez) is the pivot of Ben’s business.
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Ben in full spider mode.
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Secretary Janet Ruiz (Karen Rodriguez) is the pivot of Ben’s business.
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Best friend Robbie Robertson (Lamorne Morris) is fishing to get his Daily Bugle job back.
Sultry nightclub singer Cat Hardy (Lee Joon Lee) is a dangerous distraction.
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Brendan Gleeson plays mob boss Finn Byrne, aka Silvermane.
Lucas Haas plays Silverman’s right-hand man Winston.
Flint Markoe (Jack Huston) and Lonnie Lincoln (Abraham Popula) have genetic mutations that give them special powers but are also killing them.
Flint is less friendly towards another doomed supervillain, Dirk Leyden (Andrew Lewis Caldwell), who calls himself MW.
Circumstances conspire to push Ben back into action. She is hired to track down a criminal named Edison (Jack Mikesell), who has pyrokinetic superpowers. And Edison is not alone. Silvermane’s bodyguard, Flint Marko (Jack Huston), is slowly turning into the Sandman, while his friend Lonnie Lincoln (Abraham Popula) is becoming Tombstone. Then there’s the cocky Leyden, who calls himself Megawatt because he can absorb and release electricity.
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