Moon Knight Review: Chaos and Oscar Isaac Reign Supreme (Season 1 Episode 1)

Warning: This review may contain spoilers for the first episode of Moon Knight.

Moon Knight may just be one of the weirdest things you choose to watch this year, but it will also be one of the best.

As Moon Knight Season 1 Episode 1, “The Goldfish Problem,” suggests, this series has much to offer, but nothing quite as appealing as its personal brand of chaos.

This trippy vigilante therapy session is entire too unhinged and unconcerned with apologizing for its absurdity. Instead, it walks its own messy path of superhero righteousness. Most importantly, all can enjoy its strange theatrics even if you haven’t a clue what is happening. It’s sometimes best if you don’t.

The aspect that will hit you first is the killer soundtrack. The music is a mixture of Egyptian folk acoustics and upbeat pop jams. It’s as unhinged as it sounds and perfect for creating an atmosphere that mimics Steven’s multiple personalities.

A montage relies entirely on the sound of Steven’s movements to lull the viewer into a false sense of routine before striking. And this is just one of the immersive soundscapes this show has to offer in the place of conflict.

Moon Knight takes precautions to put Steven’s disorder first, but it also uses the uncertainty of his mind to up the scare factor. From the jump, it alludes to dates and phone calls Steven has no recollection of making with “blink and miss it” dialogue.

These mind games are so absurd that the need for Marvel’s name-dropping tactics is redundant here. There’s no need to look outward for answers; Steven Grant’s existence does not rely on the lore of The Avengers to mystify.

Moon Knight‘s opening number is something entirely new and confined, making for a thrilling kind of storytelling.

Steven Grant of the Gift Shop

Chaotic, thy name is Steven Grant.

I believe Oscar Isaac holds the record for the fastest one will fall in love with a Marvel character. This bumbling British dork of a man, a walking mess ready to save the day, is fundamentally refreshing. He is a soothing mess in a sea of born leaders and nerdy super-geniuses.

A hot, chaotic mess that only doubles down on his ways as his life is torn to shreds by a tantrum-throwing Egyptian god.

But under all that panic, sweat, and gangly limbs sprinting off-frame is a man with a heart of gold and a moral compass that will guide this series to great success.

Regardless of how weird, a series can do wonders with a strong lead, and Moon Knight has that in spades with Isaac’s off-kilter, mythology-loving cinnamon roll. It is an excellent predicament when said lead accounts for half the cast.

Moon Knight has been described as a character study foremost, and while the premiere does lose that aspect to the kooky world-building at times, I have to agree. No character has felt more tangible than Steven Grant in a long time.

Steven is deeply flawed, and yet, he is content with his harmless existence as a gift shop attendee, and that ease rubs off on viewers. He says “Laters Gators” at the end of calls, guys — he is a keeper.

And as such, his pure mundaneness is this show’s secret weapon when introducing Marc Spector. While the mercenary is but a myth until the final scene, his gruesome skillset is present.

With a bold desire to keep us as clueless as Steven, Moon Knight chooses to force perspective. The way Steven’s vision flashes violently to reveal the horrors Marc committed in his absence is exhilarating. Add in a few split mirrors, and the cinematography holds up its end beautifully.

The series attempts to use imagery to tell us a story rather than mindless action sequences. A cupcake-throwing Steven suddenly turning a gun on a man isn’t as satisfying as jumping into the bloody aftermath.

It forces us to fill in the gaps as Steven does and frames this other personality’s inevitable arrival as something to fear.

Villains, Genocide Is Not the Vibe

Moon Knight is not without flaws, regardless of all the blissful oddities. However, one must also recognize that the show is under a more scrutinizing microscope than Hawkeye.

We will undoubtedly hold it to stricter standards for the themes it explores and the weight its existence carries as a BIPOC-led show exploring multiple-personality-disorder. Moon Knight has more to lose if its story fails, and that means much of the pressure falls on Isaac’s shoulders to see this bizarre series succeed.

But it isn’t Isaac’s Steven who struggles here.

Ethan Hawke does all that he can to bring originality and depth to the vessel of Arthur Harrow, but it’s not enough to give this white one-note villain purpose. Instead, Harrow reminds me of the interchangeable male antagonists that overpopulated Marvel when it feared diversity would not sell action figures. 

Harrow’s character adaptation seems irrelevant. A villain of past necessities is brought to life by a fantastic actor making the best of his darker material.

I am hoping Hawke can win us over with this cruel antagonist, but right now, he is giving off generic Bond villain vibes, no discernable fashion sense and all — with a tour of his evil lair not far off.

This series needs to clarify his greater purpose, and soon. It’s not enough to peddle a fun fascination for genocide anymore. We have to respect these villains on some level to hate them, especially when they are living within a belief system they are borderline appropriating.

(Side note: I will never respect John Walker, and I hope he knows that)

Chaos Reigns Supreme

This chaotic series is not the dark mythological thriller one would expect, at least not at first.

Sure, Moon Knight, like Steven Grant, thinks it is somewhat intimidating with the spooky costume reveal and aggressive CGI jackals. But when Steven shoves a cupcake in a man’s face for trying to kill him and immediately apologizes, you realize the only thing to fear here is fun.

The big scary mercenary and Egyptian god fighting for control of his mind are no better, seemingly going out of their way to replace the pet fish they accidentally killed before Steven notices. Chaotic cinnamon rolls, the lot of them.

So the pilot does not shackle itself entirely to this darker mindset. Instead, it embraces the campy adventure-style antics of fantastical-comedy films like Night at the Museum and National Treasure.

However, sinister Mr. Robot vibes lurk, and in an attempt to not be bamboozled by another good-looking man with multiple personalities, we must keep our guard up. Beneath Oscar Isaac’s jarring British accent is a horror begging to be unleashed.

Moon Knight is not all that it seems, but for now, it stands to be thought-provoking, funny, and marvelously manic.

—

What did you think of the Moon Knight premiere? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

 

New episodes of Moon Knight air Wednesdays on Disney+.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

Disney+ Announces Its Upcoming Slate of Marvel Series