TV Review: Spider-Noir (Season 1)

***This review may contain some SPOILERS***

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A sometimes too over-the-top Nic Cage leads a fun superhero series that’s actually more like 90% private detective noir and 10% superhero action.

The plot, like most noir mysteries, is pretty engaging. There’s a lot going on, and Ben Reilly is pulled deeper and deeper into the thick of things as seemingly unrelated stories coalesce in a way that seems organic. An attempted assassination of a mob boss, the mayor’s meetup with a lounge singer, and people with superpowers suddenly appearing and causing havoc are all threads the Ben begins to pull on and reveal a larger picture. However, there are some pacing issues where things occasionally slow down when they shouldn’t while important moments are sometimes glossed over too quickly.

The show lives and dies by Cage’s performance, and for the most part it works. While his Bogart impression coupled with some sheer goofy moments tend to straddle the line between quirky and silly, his jittery spider movements and some of his undercover character mannerisms can be groan worthy. The character himself is entertaining. Even though his superhero days are mostly behind him when the show starts, he’s an extremely talented detective with the ability to read people and talk himself out of some tight situations. Li Jun Li’s Cat Hardy is a solid femme fatale but unfortunately doesn’t have much in common with Felicia Hardy/The Black Cat besides the similar name. Meanwhile, Robbie Robinson and Janet Ruiz are solid supporting characters, especially how likable they come off compared to the jaded Reilly.

On the bad guy front, Brendan Gleeson delivers a strong performance as the big bad Silvermane, who is a much more grounded character here as opposed to the comics. Sandman and Tombstone are also dialed down a few notches from their comic counterparts and are played in much a more sympathetic light. The most over-the-top villain in the group is Megawatt, who despite being a late addition to the show, is able to bring chaotic energy to the story, both with his personality and his powers.

The show looks good overall, with the costumes, sets and props perfectly capturing the era. The special effects are not always the greatest. Some backgrounds and city shots almost look like cartoons, and the same goes for a lot of the web-swinging shots. I’ve watched some episodes in color and some in the black and white format and they both work. One version allows you to see all the vibrant sets and outfits in the higher end section of town, while black and white really sets the mood in the depression era streets and also really accentuates many of the noir-themed directorial choices.

“Spider-Noir” is both a fun detective story and a decent superhero show that’s both a bit edgy and a bit cartoony. Nic Cage brings his typical manic energy to the role and mostly delivers, as does the supporting cast. The season-long mysteries continue to drive the show till it’s time for the big season finale.

*** out of *****

Movie Review: The Mandalorian and Grogu

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An enjoyable return to the Star Wars universe that offers few surprises and doesn’t do much to justify bringing these characters from the small screen to the big screen. Overall, the plot is too predictable. After just seeing one or two trailers and watching the first few minutes of the film, it’s clear how most of the story will play out. And like “The Mandalorian” television series, much of it is Mando participating in a series of “fetch quests” to accomplish his mission. However, the third act has a few small twists to freshen things up, but it’s at the expense of making the film feel bloated. It stars to feel like too long of a story for a movie, but at that same time it feels like it would’ve been hard to stretch it out for a season of the TV show without it feeling like there was too many filler episodes. The characters are just as likable as ever and Pascal puts on another solid voice acting performance. (Unfortunately, he only ends up showing his face for only a few minutes.) And after a few cute moments and an overabundance of jokes about his insatiable appetite, Grogu gets some time to shine as a character. even though he’s mostly a puppet or occasionally CGI. Speaking of CGI, there’s just too much of it. It often feels like almost every person, place and thing on the screen is noticeably CG. While it rarely looks bad, it usually is extremely obvious. This also hurts the action sequences, but despite that some of them are still pretty fun, especially later in the film. It’s also a bit disappointing that there weren’t any big surprise character appearances, considering that the current Star Wars shows often deliver some major legacy character moments.

**1/2 out of *****

Movie Review: Mortal Kombat II

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Despite fairly accurately recreating the story-mode of the modern Mortal Kombat games, this latest attempt at a film adaption feels too much like a video game and only stays afloat by a couple of entertaining performances. On paper, the plot is pretty solid, and it continues on from the first film while essentially mashing together the plot of the first two Mortal Kombat games. Unfortunately, it has many of the same flaws as that first film including plenty of characters with little charisma. Most of these carry over from the previous film, but even some of the newer characters are pretty one-note. Thankfully, Karl Urban breathes life into the film with his cantankerous take on Johnny Cage. (There are also quite a few laughs provided by the returning Josh Lawson as Kano.) This leads to another of the film’s big flaws: It starts off as Kitana’s story before pivoting to being about Cage, and then not really committing to either before trying to appease both. (And that’s also at the expense of Cole Young, who goes from lead of the first film to just a side character here.) In theory, this film features really cool fight scenes, but in reality, they mostly fall flat. There’s an extensive use of CG, not just in all the special moves, but also the blood and guts. Even many of the locations look unrealistic. In general, the film struggles between serious and campy, and every time it looks to nail dramatic moment or a cool fatality, the cheesiness shines through and knocks it down a peg. On top of all of that, like the games it’s based on, death tends to have little meaning so anytime someone is killed you can’t help but think that they’ll be back.

** out of *****