On March 30, Marvel’s first dark series, Moon Knight, premiered on Disney+. The creators promised to move away from the studio’s templates and present a unique project within the framework of the cinema universe expanding in all directions. A chic cast, an intriguing theme of ancient Egypt, and an ambiguous hero suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Let’s figure out together what to actually expect from the first Marvel series in 2022.
Review of the first series of a gloomy action movie from Marvel “Moon Knight”
From the very first shots, there is an understanding of the quality of the project. The cinematography and staging of the opening scene are at an incredibly high level. Well-considered and thoughtful shots, as well as the depth of character disclosure in just 30 silent seconds (what can I say, even the character’s face was not in the frame, but the next time he appears in the course of the series, it is the echoes of this scene that create a clearer picture of him). After the branded Marvel intro, the main character of the series appears in the frame, performed by Oscar Isaac, who is at the peak of his career. He wakes up bedridden. And he does it of his own free will, because he is “afraid to wake up somewhere else.” And in general, he has a whole system of checking whether he left the house at night: a combination lock, electrical tape on the door, fish, and so on.
Apart from the fact of an inexplicable night paranoia, Steven seems to be a completely normal guy. Lives in London, works in a museum. And although his job is to sell candy to children, he himself is quite well versed in Egyptology. He calls his mother every day, communicates with mimes in the evenings, and in the near future is even going on a date. Absolutely nothing foreshadowed trouble, but suddenly the scene changes dramatically and Stephen is already clear where with a broken lip and a bunch of thugs on his tail, shooting to kill. And here you can already talk about the main highlight of the first series of “Moon Knight” – the split personality of the protagonist. After all, it was filmed very interestingly, because the viewer literally experiences all the events in Stephen’s body, experiencing all the effects of “switching” personalities with him (skipping entire pieces of the story).
For example, the scene of his meeting with a preacher-sectarian (who is brilliantly performed by Ethan Hawke), who kills grandmothers in some mystical way. Firstly, incomprehensible voices in my head, which call for the transfer of the body to a certain Mark. Second, the limbs, which take on a life of their own at critical moments. And thirdly, those same omissions, when Mark nevertheless intercepts body control. This, of course, will upset the viewer a little, because the second person is involved in the entire “combat” action and it’s a shame to miss this, on the other hand, it is this technique that gives the series an element of uniqueness, significantly increases the dynamics of the narrative and draws you into what is happening even more. In addition, excellent direction and unusual camera decisions, especially manifested in chase scenes and game with reflections, influence the dynamics and immersion.
The villain is already in the first series trying to give a clear motivation. He is a follower of the Egyptian deity Ammit, who allegedly knows how to recognize evil in people even before it manifests itself. If a person is predisposed to committing bad deeds, then it devours his soul. Thus, if Ammit had been free, then, according to the sectarian, she would have been able to prevent the rise of Hitler and a number of other world catastrophes. It seems like it would be nice to have such a tool to prevent wars and genocides, isn’t it? However, the protagonist apparently knows more than the viewer and tries to prevent Ammit from returning. Perhaps her ability to determine the predisposition to atrocities works somehow in its own way. At least the plot of the series is intriguing.
Conclusion: a new “Loki” or another passing series?
Moon Knight is a very high quality project. The best operators and directors obviously worked on it. The shots are beautiful and clear, the dynamics are high, the style of narration is unusual. The acting work of the leading performers is not amenable to criticism. What’s more, Moon Knight is currently one of Marvel’s most unorthodox projects. Here I would like to draw a parallel with the launch of Wanda/Vision. The first Marvel series also got off to a strong start, with 100% positive reviews from critics for the first few episodes, which successfully parodied old American sitcoms. However, then everything slipped into such a stereotyped action for the studio that the last series caused rejection even among the fans. Now “Moon Knight” attracts precisely with its corporate style and I would like to wish the series not to repeat the path of its predecessor. Of course, the question arises: “Will something so unusual like the average Marvel fan?” While it is not entirely clear, because it is something completely different. But for the rest of the audience, you can be happy, because so far there are only positive emotions from the project.
Source: Trash Box
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