Spider-Noir Review – Nicolas Cage Finally Got the Marvel Role He Was Born to Play

Nicolas Cage and superhero projects should be a genre all by itself. Spider-Noir is his latest venture into the world of Marvel, but let’s not forget his turn as Ghost Rider, which is better than anyone remembers, since it allows Nicolas Cage to do Nicolas Cage things onscreen.

Previously, Cage lent his voice to the Spider in the animated multiverse extravaganza known as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, but Spider-Noir shifts the focus back to his character in 1930s New York City. Here, he’s known as Ben Reilly (yes, the name of the famous Peter Parker clone from the comics) and works as a private investigator. The reason for this name change is obviously rights-related, but the story actually has an interesting twist as to why he’s called Ben.

In this series, Ben has given up the superheroics after the death of his beloved Ruby J. Williams (played by Amanda Schull). For five years, the Spider has been absent from the rooftops, but his return is imminent due to the rising criminal activity of Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson) and his goons, as well as the arrival of brand-new superpowered individuals on the block. His life gets further turned upside down when singer Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li) hires Ben for an important assignment – and if you know anything about the noir genre, the detective always falls in love with the femme fatale.

Spider-Noir stands out as a stylish series, leaning hard on the noir aesthetic in both its framing, structure, and composition. The show is released in both black-and-white and full-color formats, so it’s really up to the viewer in terms of how they want to experience it for themselves. The noir approach makes all the difference here, as this freshens up many scenarios and characters that have been seen in previous movies and series.

The show isn’t married to the lore either. For example, the way in which Ben gains his superpowers is much different from what fans may be familiar with. In fact, this version feels like something straight out of a horror movie. The changes, though, work within the context of the story and setting of Spider-Noir, helping to differentiate it from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man and even Miles Morales’ Webslinger.

Cage seems to be having the time of his life on the show, especially as he’s allowed to channel other famous Hollywood legends like Humphrey Bogart. Thanks to the era and nature of the story being told, nothing feels drastically out of place here, and Cage’s natural wackiness only aids the narrative further.

In terms of other impressive performances, Lamorne Morris is excellent as Ben’s trusty friend and news reporter Robbie Robertson, while Li shines as Cat Hardy, who has one of the more fascinating character arcs on the show and turns out to be highly unpredictable. Gleeson isn’t bad as Silvermane, but most of the villains on the show are generally run-of-the-mill and grow tiresome before too long.

That’s probably the biggest issue with Spider-Noir. Consisting of eight episodes, this show threatens to overstay its welcome. It might have been a tighter and better story if this had been condensed into a film, because there is a lot of padding to fill out runtimes here. If it weren’t for the unique setting, this might have turned stale much faster. So, let that be a lesson should there ever be a second season of the show, because viewers might not be as forgiving next time.

Overall, Spider-Noir brings a novelty to modern comic book TV. Sure, it’s a throwback to what’s been done in the past, such as in Dick Tracy and The Shadow, but it’s a rarity nowadays. This alone makes it stand out and worth checking out.

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