Nicolas Cage is the right man to play this Spider Person, see?
The best animated film of 2018, “Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse,” gave us a few different spider people, and out of them, only the 1930s Spider-Man detective known as Spider-Man Noir gets a series known as “Spider-Noir.” Nicolas Cage reprises his voice role by portraying a live action version of him with a mixture of Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, and a little little of Bugs Bunny, especially when he meets well with age.
Instead of Peter Parker, Cage’s Spider-Man Noir has another spider name-Ben Reilly. And like the first season of “Daredevil: Born Again,” the hero decides to give up vigilantism and handle crime in a regular manner. But this isn’t because he believes in the law; he lost a loved one and it devastated him. But of course you know he’ll be back to wearing the suit soon.
We see the Prohibition Era and Great Depression through the Marvel eyes, and there’s a nice blend of classic film noir and modern day Marvel movies. That’s what makes “Spider-Noir” something to binge watch.
The series cast also includes Lamorne Morris as Ben’s journalist friend Robbie Robertson, Brendan Gleeson as the Irish gangster Silvermane, Li Jun Li as the femme fatale singer Cat Hardy, Jack Huston as her sandy bodyguard Flint Marko A.K.A. Sandman, Karen Rodriguez as Ben’s secretary Janet, Abraham Popoola as the towering albino WWI vet Lonnie Lincoln A.K.A. Tombstone, Andrew Caldwell as a shocking criminal named Megawatt, Amy Aquino as a doctor, and Andrew Robinson as her assistant, both of whom are more than meets the eye.
The plot ends up involving Silvermane and a league of villains, consisting of Sandman, Tombstone, and Megawatt, and there’s also the scientist being on the brink of curing metahumans. You know, 20 years ago, we had “X-Men: The Last Stand,” which had a similar concept regarding the cure of mutants and how everyone handled it.
The Prime Video site allows streamers to watch the series in black and white or color, and you can switch between any time. I watched all eight episodes in black and white, and that really sets the style and stone of the series. A black and white spider person like him should be watched in black and white, especially with how Cage combines many actors of the 30s into one character. And I also admire his dialogue and how he delivers them (“A hotdog at the game is better than roast beef at the Ritz” and “With no power, there’s no responsibility.”)
After seeing her in “Babylon” and “Sinners,” I think we can agree that Li specializes in period roles, and she plays Cat Hardy with some vibrance. Morris and Rodriguez both add some nice timing as Ben’s companions, while Gleeson, Huston, Popoola, and Caldwell have some Looney Tunes vibes. There are cartoon voices, tough voices, and consistent voices within them. And the actors deliver on the times.
“Spider-Noir” was developed by Oren Uziel, who also wrote “22 Jump Street,” “Mortal Kombat,” and “The Lost City.” Some CGI effects wear out their welcome, but there are those that do deliver, and the look and feel of the series is classic and stylish with credit to cinematographers Darran Tiernan (“The Penguin”) and Peter Deming (“Mulholland Drive,” “The Menu”). And I still think that watching this series in black and white really enhances the experience, even on your computer or TV.
Streaming on Prime Video and MGM+
