Nicolas cage playing a noir version of spider-man set in 1930s new york sounds like it could go either way honestly, either genius casting or a total mess. and i gotta say, it mostly worked for me, way more than i thought it would going in, though it's definitely got some rough patches too.
Quick rundown for anyone who hasn't seen the trailers — ben reilly used to be "the spider," basically a masked vigilante hero running around depression-era new york, but after his fiancée died in some tragic accident about five years before the show starts, he gave the whole thing up and became a washed up, jaded private investigator instead. obviously his past doesn't stay buried forever and he ends up getting pulled back into the superhero stuff whether he wants to or not. it's less "spider-man swinging between skyscrapers shooting webs" and more like a pulpy detective noir with a masked vigilante twist thrown in, kind of gives off the shadow or the spirit vibes if you're into those old school pulp heroes, way more grounded and moody than your typical spider-man adaptation.
cage is genuinely the whole show here though, no contest. he described his own performance in an interview as "70% bogart and 30% bugs bunny" and honestly that might be the most accurate description of a performance i've ever heard lol. he's doing full unhinged nic cage energy basically the entire runtime, switching accents mid-scene, randomly breaking into physical comedy, going completely dead serious one moment and then totally unglued the next, sometimes within the same scene even. there's this bit where he does this whole "curled up like a dead spider" physical thing that i genuinely was not prepared for, i actually laughed out loud, it's exactly the kind of bizarre choice only cage could make and somehow have it land instead of just looking silly. if you've ever wanted to watch cage go absolutely feral in a comic book role, this delivers that in spades.
the visuals are a massive highlight too honestly. you can actually pick whether you wanna watch the whole thing in black and white or full color which is such a cool little gimmick, i ended up watching most of it in black and white just to lean into the noir vibe fully and it looked incredible doing that. moody lighting everywhere, rain-soaked streets, smoky offices, that whole classic 1930s detective movie aesthetic nailed pretty consistently throughout basically every episode. genuinely one of the better looking comic book shows i've seen in a while style-wise.
supporting cast holds their own well too, robbie robertson and janet the secretary specifically were highlights for me personally, they've got this fun little dynamic going on side by side with ben's whole detective/vigilante stuff, and it gives you these nice little breather moments where you're just watching people be human with each other instead of constantly chasing plot or villains. genuinely appreciated those quieter beats.
not everything worked for me though, gotta be honest. the plot leans on some pretty convenient coincidences at times that felt like they could've been written a bit tighter, and a couple episodes toward the back half definitely dip in quality compared to how strong the earlier stuff was. some scenes also have that noticeably cheap green screen look which kinda took me out of the immersion a little, especially jarring against how good the practical noir stuff looks elsewhere.
but even with those hiccups, i had a genuinely fun time watching this. it's weird, it's stylish, cage is going absolutely unhinged in the best way, and the noir setting gives it a real identity that separates it from every other spider-man adaptation out there. i'd honestly watch a second season without hesitation if they made one.
Rating: 90/100
Originally posted through scrobble.life/tv.
