Nicolas Cage stuns in Spider-Noir, a gritty 1930s detective thriller. With a horrific origin, a killer cast, and two ways to watch, this series is all I wanted and more.
Spider-Noir makes 1930s New York feel dark and gritty, but also adds in a special twist that makes it feel a bit fantastical and thrilling. We’ve finally seen the unfiltered Nicolas Cage (yes, that says a lot) – a version of the actor that feels perfectly calibrated for the gloom and doom of a hard-boiled detective story. He is clearly having the time of his life, and truly gives his all in this role.
Nicolas Cage can do anything, and he proves it here. Towards the end of the eight-episode season, he expands on the physicality of it far more than I anticipated. It is nearly impossible to describe, but I assure you, fans will love watching him put everything he has into it.
As Ben Reilly, a down-on-his-luck P.I. haunted by his past, Cage delivers a performance that anchors the entire series. He opts for an accent that occasionally veers into over-the-top territory, but honestly? It fits the pulpy, noir aesthetic like a glove. He’s playing a man broken by a war and a horrific origin story that, quite frankly, terrified me. The exploration of how he got his powers adds a layer of trauma that makes his heroics feel earned rather than gifted.
Photo: Courtesy of Prime
© Amazon Content Services LLC
Opposite Cage, Brendan Gleeson is absolutely phenomenal as Silvermane. Every scene between the two of them is unlike anything I have seen before.
The rest of the cast is equally stellar – Lamorne Morris brings a grounded, necessary gravitas to Robbie Robertson, and Karen Rodriguez shines as Janet, Ben’s secretary. As an original character, Janet could have easily felt like a trope, but she holds her own as the heart of the office.
One of the most unique aspects of Spider-Noir is the viewing experience. The series offers both color and black-and-white versions. Having watched both, I found myself torn.
- The Color Version: The colors pop in a way that feels incredibly artistic, adding a modern flair to the vintage setting.
- The Black-and-White Version: This is my personal favorite. It feels authentic to the story’s DNA, and practically speaking, it does a much better job of hiding the occasional CGI mishap.
Photo: Courtesy of Prime
© Amazon Content Services LLC
What I loved most about this series is the way that familiar faces are woven into this drab, dangerous world. Seeing Sandman (Flint Marko) and Tombstone (Lonnie Lincoln) through a 1930s lens was a highlight. The show allows them to have a kind side, making them feel like tragic products of their environment rather than just one-dimensional thugs.
As a massive fan of Felicia Hardy, I was nervous about how she’d be adapted, but this version of Cat Hardy is fantastic – sleek, dangerous, sassy, and perfectly mysterious. On the flip side, we have Andrew Lewis Caldwell as Megawatt.
While I understand the creative freedom that comes with using an obscure villain over someone like Electro, Megawatt was easily the most annoying part of the rogues’ gallery. He got on my nerves constantly, but in retrospect, that’s a testament to the performance – he’s meant to be a truly terrible, grating person.
The cinematography throughout Spider-Noir Season 1 is nothing short of incredible, utilizing camera angles that feel ripped straight from a classic Hitchcock film. But a pretty picture only goes so far without a solid script.
I was initially worried the plot would drag out the pilot’s central mystery for the entire eight episodes. Instead, the narrative expands rapidly, diving into Ben’s military past and a sprawling conspiracy that kept me on the edge of my seat. It goes in unexpected directions, successfully blending the tropes of old detective serials with the high stakes of the Marvel universe.
Spider-Noir is a dark, gritty detective noir that truly feels like an old series was found in a room somewhere and someone decided to release it. The writers, the cast, and everyone involved knew exactly what they were doing and what they were creating. I would love to continue to explore these Marvel characters and more in a second season.
About Spider-Noir
Spider-Noir is a live-action series based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir. Spider-Noir tells the story of Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage), a seasoned, down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero.
Spider-Noir season one will be available in select countries on the MGM+ television broadcast channel on May 25th. It will then stream exclusively on Prime Video on May 27th. The series will not be available on the MGM+ streaming app.
