Spider-Noir Review: What if Sam Spade had Superpowers

Prime steps into the world of Marvel with its newest limited series, Spider-Noir.

The series is the first of what Amazon hopes will be more Marvel series produced in partnership with Sony. For their first Marvel outing, Amazon chose to adapt the Spider-Man variant of Ben Reilly, aka the Spider. 

Reilly is a private detective in the mold of Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe living in 1930s New York. Ben, however, is a bit different. He has Spider-Man powers.

At some point, Reilly was the Spider. Much like Peter Parker, The Spider was New York City’s local crime-fighting hero. Importantly, he would often lock horns with a crime boss named Silvermane.

But that’s not where the story viewers see picks up. Instead, the series picks up five years after Reilly failed to save the love of his life. That tragedy led Ben to reject both the power and the responsibility of being The Spider.

But, as every version of Spider-Man quickly learns, you can’t run from your problems, and Ben’s latest case starts to pull him back into the world of The Spider.

With genuine love for the classic Film Noirs that inspired it, an outstanding cast, and a story that is both engaging and fun, Spider-Noir is one of the best Marvel series to come out in a long time. Better than most of the shows being produced by Marvel’s main home over at Disney.

Should You Watch in Color or Black and White?

One of the more unique aspects of Spider-Noir is that it offers viewers two distinct viewing experiences. Viewers can choose whether to watch the series in black and white or in color. 

Assuming folks don’t plan to watch the series twice (though I’m sure plenty will), the first question most people will have is which version to watch.

For this review, I went back and forth between the black-and-white and color versions. My initial prediction was that the black-and-white version would be the more visually interesting of the two. 

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that both versions are visually compelling, playing to the strengths of each style. Ultimately, which version to watch comes down to the type of experience an individual viewer wants. 

The black-and-white version offers a slightly grittier, more stark experience. It evokes the atmosphere of pulp detective stories more vividly than the color version does.

The black-and-white version plays with light and shadow like any good Noir. It underscores the seedy sense of corruption that the classic Noirs were built on.

The color version, on the other hand, uses a rich, vibrant palette and creates truly striking visuals. It has a more cinematic feel than the black-and-white version. At times, it feels like it’s paying tribute to the lush visuals of old Technicolor movies from the studio system. 

It has more of a period drama feel than the Noir B-movie feel of the black-and-white version. 

A Good Script That Stands On Its Own Merits

What sets Spider-Noir apart from most of the Marvel series over at Disney is that you really don’t need much prior knowledge about the Marvel universe to be fully invested. 

Part of that is the benefit of adapting an offshoot character rather than a central character from the main Marvel Cinematic Universe. The characters of Spider-Noir are independent from the rest of Marvel. They are new to most viewers, so there is no expectation of prior knowledge. 

That makes the series much easier to step into and more accessible to non-Marvel and casual Marvel fans. You don’t need to know much about Spider-Man as a character to invest in the series, even if some basic knowledge of his powers doesn’t hurt. 

The other thing that works well about Spider-Noir is that it’s a pulp detective story first and a superhero story second. That’s not to say the sci-fi/superhero aspects of the show aren’t important. In fact, they are quite central to the plot. 

Still, it feels less like you are watching a superhero story and more like you are watching a neo-noir that happens to involve superpowered people. That alone makes it distinct from other shows like it. Or, at the very least, harkens to the early days of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Beyond all that, the series is just well-written and well-paced, with excellent dialogue and character development. There are a few episodes towards the end that drag a bit, but the show rebounds beautifully with an exciting climax and very satisfying conclusion. 

A Fantastic Protagonist. 

The solid plot is a strong foundation for the show’s best part: the great characters and fantastic cast. 

We can start with The Spider himself, Ben Reilly, played by Nick Cage. Reilly is a callback to the Noir detectives of the early and mid-40s.

That period of Film Noir was a little less nihilistic than later films. The protagonists in these films, while not squeaky-clean, selfless heroes, still have a clear moral compass that identifies them as the “good guy.”

There is a lot of focus on banter and witty dialogue that tends to keep things a bit lighter than the later films.

Ben Reilly embodies all those qualities, which make him an immediately compelling character. There is a reason why these types of characters endure and have so many imitators.

Add to that some clever dialogue, delivered by the perfectly cast Nick Cage, and we have everything we need for a new fan favorite Marvel character. 

For long-time Spider-Man fans, it’s also intriguing to see the sort of inverse of Peter Parker.

Rather than this idealistic young kid figuring out what it means to be a hero, we have someone older, more cynical, and world-weary, who actively rejects the responsibility of being one.

It is a refreshingly different dynamic from what we normally see in superhero media, and especially in the Spider-Man franchise.

The Supporting Characters

As great as Ben Reilly is, and as good as Nick Cage is playing him, that character and that performance are not enough to carry the series. The thing that makes Reilly such a great character and elevates the series is the supporting characters and cast.

The villains, the sidekicks, and especially the femme fatale, give the series its distinct snap, crackle, and pop. 

The villains are sufficiently menacing while still feeling like they belong in the small, petty underworld of New York’s prohibition-era organized crime. Silvermane is a throwback to great character actors like Sydney Greenstreet, but with a different accent.

You can’t pay homage to the detective stories of the 1940s without some scrappy sidekicks, particularly the detective’s girl Friday. Spider-Noir’s sidekicks are Ben’s secretary Janet, played by Karen Rodriguez, and local reporter Robbie Robertson, played by Lamorne Morris.

Rodriguez and Morris are both delightful in their respective roles. Their charm provides most of the series levity and much of its heart. Any scene where either of them calls Ben out on his BS is going to be an episode highlight. 

The hands-down standout of the supporting characters, though, is Kat Hardy, played by Li Jun Li. There isn’t much I can say about this character without giving away spoilers.

I’ll just say her introduction is one of the most memorable and mesmerizing. From there, she remains completely captivating, especially in her scenes with Cage. They’re on-screen chemistry that sizzles with electric tension at times.

That is not something I necessarily expected from this show, but it’s something I absolutely loved about it.

Final Thoughts

There is a lot to love about Spider-Noir. For the film buffs out there, stay alert for all the nods to specific Noir films.

My personal favorite involves Cage channeling Bogart while pretending to be a plumber. I’ll let viewers see if they can recall what movie and scene I’m referring to, though.

You don’t have to be a classic film fan to enjoy this series. Whether you are a Marvel fan, a classic film fan, or just looking for something a little different, Spider-Noir is well worth your time.

The show’s description says it’s a limited series. However, we all know that these days, that’s not a designation written in pen, and I hope that in this case, it is just penciled in. There is plenty left to explore in this world, and these are characters viewers will want to spend more time with.

It would be a shame not to get more, but even if we don’t, viewers should still finish the series feeling fully satisfied. 

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What did you think of Spider-Noir? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don’t forget to leave your own rating!

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Spider-Noir premieres linearly Thursday, May 25, on MGM+, with all 8 episodes streaming Saturday, May 27, on Prime.

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