My rating: 7.8/10.
A few years ago I began reading the Moon Knight comics because the premise promised a character study of a troubled individual with multiple personality disorder and superpowers. With costume which reminds you of Bat-Man, the character couldn't have been further from the Dark Knight. But, as it turned out, I couldn't get past the first issue. It was too pulpy and convoluted for my liking and the artwork was not very good to look at to say the least. But after watching this adaptation, I feel like picking up the Warren Ellis' Moon Knight even though I've outgrown the Marvel comics.
Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke make this show work. Oscar with his double (triple, technically) role as the British nerd Steven, a timid man who fears his own shadow and Marc, an American mercenary slash badass. And to make things even more awkward, both the personalities are in love with the same girl, Layla, played by May Calamway, the awkward part being that Marc is married to Layla.
Ethan Hawke has always been one of my favorites, whether it be Linklater's Tape (2001), the Before Trilogy, Boyhood (2014) or The Dead Poets' Society (1989), I'm yet to see him deliver anything less than perfection. And I think he is pretty good as the cult-leader villain here, even though the writing doesn't really hit the mark most of the time.
The writing in general doesn't feel like the show's strength. The ancient Egyptian civilization and their mythology have always been my favorite to read about, probably because of the massive, insanely intricate structures that they built. And also because of the Library of Alexandria which unfortunately went up in flames. But unfortunately the show doesn't really take full advantage of the mythology, the way Assassin's Creed: Origins did.
The real star of this whole production has to be the soundtrack. The score feels fresh and is actually a bit memorable and is clearly the best original score Marvel has come up with in years. And the Egyptian pop songs with their Arabic rap gives the atmosphere an incredibly distinct personality. The clear standout for me was El Malouk by Ahmed Saad. I also found out that the show also utilized underground music of Egypt which is banned in their country because freedom of expression isn't free everywhere. And Disney must be praised for putting the repressed at the front and centre and refusing to portray the culture in a stereotypical manner.
The costumes of the show also look terrific, whether it be the Deadpool-esque Mr Knight costume or Layla's outfit in the climax. May Calamway really made me interested in her character by the end of it; would definitely like to see her return. Both of the leads should return in a feature film.
What I didn't enjoy about this show was how it kept skipping over the action scenes and how there was very little Moon Knight present in a show which has him as it's title. I was expecting Jake Lockley to appear and deliver his fight scenes in the most gruesome way but it never happened. Instead he appeared at the end and that was it. It felt like the whole story was a build up to a let down.
Moon Knight is an enjoyable show to watch because of it's eccentric editing and loony lead performance. Lets see when this character will return.
No comments:
Post a Comment