Nicolas Cage’s portrayal as Spider-Man in Spider-Noir gives Sony a lot to think about
Nicolas Cage remains one of the few juggernauts in an ever-expanding quicksand of supersaturated entertainment. Following his legal troubles, he quickly showed why he is an actor’s actor, taking on roles with potential and/or ones that appealed to his sense of performance. From PIG, Mandy, and Dream Scenario, it’s safe to say that the adage of, “there are no small parts, only small people” doesn’t apply to him.
His talent and ability to adapt to whatever is thrown in front of him are immense, qualities that have aided his return to the top. His recent casting as Marvel’s Spider-Man in a Sony Pictures’ presentation of Spider-Noir has been generating significant interest, and it’s engrossing to say the least. Cage, an avid comic book fan himself, was once tied to a Superman film with Tim Burton attached to direct. Although it fell through, the actor now gets another chance to portray a heavyweight superhero.
The Black-and-White Plot
Spider-Noir follows an alternate reality Spider-Man (Ben Reilly), a private investigator grappling with the loss of the love of his life, Ruby Williams, who, in this universe, coins the phrase, “with great power comes great responsibility”. Having given up the mantle of New York’s only superhero, the itch to return begins to surface as his Spidey-sense begins tingling as he comes face to face with new threats.
What Is It Like?
The first episode — airing exclusively on Amazon’s Prime Video — lives up to the hype, with the potential to remain a perennial piece of television. Originally billed as a monochromatic presentation, the series also gives viewers the ability to switch between colour and black-and-white.
If you want a piece of advice, the latter is far more enjoyable, especially when considering the normalcy of 4K+ visuals. It adds to the spectacle of Nic Cage’s James Stewart-esque accent and the exceptional costuming, thanks to Trayce Gigi Field (Poker Face), who provides viewers a meld of contemporary sensibilities and a fashion era still perceived as glamorous.
In one scene, they avoid predictable outcomes, like when Sandman and Reilly get into it, where he knocks our favourite wall-crawler off a building, maskless. Instead of hiding what he is, the private investigator chooses to use his powers to save himself, spinning webs to pull himself up onto a disused building. Huston’s character is knocked unconscious, preserving his identity as Spider-Man.
Cage is supported by an adept ensemble of actors and actresses, including Lamorne Morris (Robbie Robertson), Li Jun Li (Cat Hardy), and Karen Rodriguez (Janet Ruiz). His opponents are played by Brendan Gleeson (Silvermane) and Jack Huston (Sandman). Each brings a unique aura to the screen, adding to the atmosphere of a smoky 1930s black-and-white setting.
The Verdict
It’s a sharp beginning to a new chapter for the superhero, one where the live-action version introduces us to another universe with the potential to avoid crossovers with other titles and protagonists that feel trite, and have remained so colourful that their impact has become subdued.
Superhero stories no longer feel special thanks to a dysfunctional rollercoaster of too much too soon. Marvel and Disney are too trigger-happy with shared universes, to the point that the expectation of a population of special abilities is now quite simply — normal. In Spider-Noir, things are different; Spider-Man returns to his origins in a city that needs a hero as crime begins to rear its ugly head, with a formidable array of worthy foes. Let’s hope the film industry reverts to single-character story arcs, because once again, a Spider-Man story guides the genre back to its origins with style.
Leave a Reply