That “Spider-Noir” even exists is an oddity in its own right, given how quickly the superhero genre has given birth to strange offshoots. While the alternate version of Spider-Man, often nicknamed “Noir,” was first introduced in a 2009 comic book, the character took on newfound popularity when he appeared in the animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” in which he was voiced by Nicolas Cage. “Spider-Noir” isn’t strictly set in the same timeline, nor is it directly connected to the “Spider-Man” spinoff films that Sony had been developing outside of their arrangement with Disney.
It does, however, require the viewer to know a bit about Marvel comics to understand its subversion of the “Spider-Man” origin story, and some background in ‘30s cinema to pick up on its noir references. The premise and creative inception of “Spider-Noir” make it sound more complicated than it actually is, as the show is a stylized throwback to pulp adventures and dimestore detective novels, made with complete enthusiasm by its creative team.
Cage has been renowned as a comic book fan for nearly his entire life (having chosen to change his last name of “Coppola” to match the Marvel character Luke Cage), but he has always seemed to miss out on the chance to do something innovative in the genre. His “Superman Lives” film never took flight, “Ghost Rider” was a misfire, and his role in “Kick-Ass” was merely stunt casting.
The role of Ben Reilly is a Cage-esque take on a superhero because it’s an eccentric, oddball character who never feels quite comfortable when he’s not wearing a suit. Cage’s casting isn’t just wish fulfillment, as he is able to sell Reilly’s absurdist mannerisms while always feeling in-character. He described his influences for the character as both Humphrey Bogart and Bugs Bunny, which epitomize the winking yet deadpan tone of “Spider-Noir.”
“Spider-Noir” is set in New York of 1933, in which prohibition, the Great Depression, and the anxieties of a pre-World War II America have resulted in a tense social atmosphere. It’s not an origin story because Reilly is already established as having put aside his alternate persona of “The Spider” before the show begins, even if there are eventually some flashbacks that show how he first gained his powers. It’s after irregularities involving other superpowered individuals start to emerge that Reilly is lured back into vigilantism, even though he also works as a private eye with influence over some of the city’s most powerful people. Reilly has an ally in the freelance journalist Robbie Robinson (Lamorne Morris), but he has made enemies in the Irish mobster Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson) and the corrupt Mayor Alfred Morris (Michael Kostroff).
“Spider-Noir” isn’t kidding with its title, as the series is modeled after films like “The Big Sleep” and “The Maltese Falcon,” almost to a fault. It replicates tropes without any hint of irony, and occasionally feels a bit taxing in how overzealous the references are. That being said, “Spider-Noir” is refreshing in how it remains true to the original inspiration and doesn’t sacrifice its stylistic approach for the sake of becoming a more traditional superhero story.
Reilly is the main character, and his adventures as “the Spider” are merely a part of a case involving a group of World War I veterans who might be connected to mysterious experiments. Even the supernatural elements of the story are rooted in the tall tales about wartime mischief and institutional corruption, indicating that the show’s creators seem to understand why the noir genre remains so relevant.
This isn’t the first time that Cage has played an alcoholic, self-loathing private investigator harboring feelings of guilt and heartbreak, but “Spider-Noir” isn’t as disturbing as “8MM,” as narratively dense as “Snake Eyes,” or as intellectually challenging as “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call, New Orleans.” It doesn’t feel like Cage is playing the hits, but it’s unquestionably a broad performance that plays into the reputation he’s developed over the last 20 years.
However, the confidence that “Spider-Noir” has in Cage’s star power means that he’s able to elevate the less action-packed moments in the series. Even if the show’s approach to detective work is fairly simplistic, Cage finds ways to visualize Reilly’s problem-solving skills. The tragic backstory that is essential to everything related to the “Spider-Man” mythos is where the show is at its most generic, but it’s not dwelled on long enough to become exhausting.
Finding a cast that was capable of walking the same fine line as Cage was always going to be challenging, but Morris is so good as Robertson that it’s easy to imagine him leading a spinoff of his own. The journalistic component of the “Spider-Man” character has always been fascinating, and Robertson’s perspective as a burgeoning photographer facing the suppression of the cops leads “Spider-Noir” to some knotty social commentary.
Gleeson and Kostroff are unquestionably hamming up their performances for the sake of homage, but it’s excusable, given that the overall mystery of “Spider-Noir” is more compelling than any singular antagonist. The only performances that feel miscalculated are those of Li Jun Li as the lounge singer Felcia Harding and Jack Huston as her bodyguard Flint Marko, respectively. Li’s performance is too overt an homage to Fay Wray and Lauren Bacall to feel truly individualistic, and Huston feels like he’s iterating on the better role he had in “Boardwalk Empire.”
Eight episodes is an appropriate length for “Spider-Noir,” which is a novelty given how many streaming shows would benefit from either being reduced to cinematic length or expanded into a 22-episode season. The best of the clue gathering and investigating occurs in the first three episodes, and the emergence of more body horror elevates the final chapter. It’s only within the middle of the series that “Spider-Noir” begins to drag.
It’s easy to forget that there was a boom of ‘30s-inspired superhero films like “The Rocketeer,” “The Mask,” “The Phantom,” and “Darkman” in the ‘90s that understood the primal connection between the genres, and “Spider-Noir” is only radical in how fully it commits to the style. It’s the type of cool experiment that makes streaming an exciting medium. Anyone interested in watching should choose to do so in black-and-white.
