Prime Video's Spider-Noir Streams With 2 Versions as Review Says Style Outweighs Substance
Updated
Updated · tvline.com · May 27
Prime Video's Spider-Noir Streams With 2 Versions as Review Says Style Outweighs Substance
6 articles · Updated · tvline.com · May 27
TVLine says the first 3 episodes turn Marvel's new Prime Video series into a slick film-noir homage that is only mildly entertaining and never develops the emotional weight of a strong TV drama.
Nicolas Cage plays Depression-era private eye Ben Reilly, charging $10 a day plus expenses while using spider powers to probe a convoluted mystery involving the mayor, a crime boss and superpowered outlaws.
The review praises the show's period interiors, costumes and hard-boiled commitment, but says CGI-heavy exteriors, heightened performances and kid-movie humor leave the world feeling artificial.
Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li and Brendan Gleeson stand out in the supporting cast, while the series also offers both color and black-and-white versions to deepen its noir aesthetic.
The verdict is that Spider-Noir works better as a boldly bizarre stylistic experiment than as a fully satisfying Marvel series, with the central joke wearing thin once the character becomes the lead.
Is Spider-Noir's black-and-white version the 'true' experience, or does the unique color option offer more?
Why did creators swap Peter Parker for Ben Reilly to tell a more brutal, R-rated Spider-Man story?