It’s been over three months since Marvel fans last got a new Disney Plus series, with theHawkeyefinale streaming on December 22. The latest offering,Moon Knight, arrives on March 30, and there has been plenty of speculation about how this series will be different than anything that has come before it. With a strong cast and anticipation that Moon Knight will be a major shift for Marvel, it’s safe to say that the premiere episode delivers in some ways, but falls short in others.
The opening scene, featuring Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow, is suitably chilling (and may make some viewers squeamish). The imagery is nicely juxtaposed by Bob Dylan’s “Every Grain Of Sand,” a fitting piece of music considering how much of a roleEgypt and its history play inMoon Knight’s story. However, not much else in this episode quite lives up to the style of these opening moments.
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The main focus of the episode is, of course, Steven Grant (aka Mark Spector aka Moon Knight, played with great nervous energy by Oscar Isaac). Grant is an overqualified museum gift shop employee, showing at several points that he knows much more about Egyptian mythology and history than his prickly boss. Grant is also suffering from memory lapses which he attributes to a sleep disorder (he keeps a lock around his ankle, sand around his bed, and tape on the door to monitor if he leaves his apartment).
Isaac does an excellent job with this character, and though he has gone on the record to talk about his intentionally dodgy British accent, it does add an air of charm to Grant, who soon finds himself in deep trouble, being pursued by men with guns in what appears to be the Austrian mountainside. Here, Grant first communicates with Khonshu, the Egyptian moon god (voiced with an appropriate level of bombastbyMythic Quest’s F. Murray Abraham), and crosses paths with Harrow.
Hawke and Isaac play well off each other, and their confrontation offers the latter the chance for some pretty amusing physical comedy, but despite setting up Harrow’s villainous intents with a death, it never feels like this character based on David Koresh is quite sinister enough. There are some hints at his cult-like following, as well as some supernatural powers, but beyond that, Harrow never feels like that much of a threat. That mostly comes down to the script, though. Hawke still imbues his scenes with a quiet menace, it just doesn’t feel well-served by the script.
That may also be due to the fact that the vast majority of this episode plays out in broad daylight, a setting not entirely suited to Moon Knight’s particular characteristics. This series of events eventually results in a car and cupcake truck chase through the hillside, which is held back by some dodgy CGI and never quite lives up to the high stylistic bar set bythe pursuit through New York inHawkeye’s third episode. While the bulk of this sequence is reminiscent of the typical Marvel style, there is one element that helps elevate it and make it feel different, that being Steven’s continuous blackouts.
These moments are illustrated through a strobing effect of both sound and picture, and typically occur when Steven is in serious trouble, such as being surrounded by guards. When Steven’s consciousness returns, he finds that he has easily disposed of his aggressors, and responds (appropriately) with confusion and horror. Fans of the character would know that these flashes are mercenary Mark Spector taking back over, but anyone just coming into the story with no previous details may find this a refreshing departure from the typical Marvel action setpieces.
The premiere does a commendable job of setting up the main character and villain, as well as hinting at Steven/Mark’s relationship and conflict, but for all that was promised about how this series would feel so much different than any other Marvel series, the premiere never seems to live up to that. Stylistically speaking,director Mohamed Diabseems to mostly follow the Marvel house style, with no real departures or flair. It’s unfortunate, as a character as complicated and interesting as Moon Knight should be given a premiere episode that matches the hero’s fractured psyche.
There is also a good amount of humor in this episode, which has become both a trademark of Marvel projects and an occasional sticking point for fans. For the most part inMoon Knight’s first episode, the humor feels organic, with much of it stemming from Steven’s lack of awareness about time that has passed while he wasn’t the one in control of his body. This results in both a failed date with a coworker and a replacement fish.
Beneath some of this episode’s flaws, there is the promise of a much stronger show to come, especially in the final moments. Isaac and Hawke are both excellent additions to the MCU, playing their respective characters with plenty of aplomb, but it’s too bad thatthis premiere doesn’t quite shake off the old house style. There are some inspired moments, and the chaotic nature of fractured sequences is a nice creative touch, but it would have been better for this show in particular to really make everything feel a little more different than usual.
Still, this is only the first episode, andwith directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorheadjoining the fold, it’s possible that future episodes might deliver a little more on style to match the character’s story. Hopefully, as the audience learns more about Mark Spector’s dark past and why the personal;it of Steven Grant exists, the story will become more compelling.
Moon KnightPremieres March 30th on Disney Plus.
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