Aaron Phillips Previews Disney+’s Moon Knight!

Moon Knight is hours away from its highly anticipated release on Disney+, with Oscar Isaac set to debut as the title role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The fist of Khonshu, the avatar of the God of the moon, Moon Knight, brings his unique style of justice to punish those who seek to do wrong. The hooded hero is not your average caped crusader, however, as you quickly learn things in Marc Spector’s life are a lot more complicated than they appear.

The series, directed by Mohamed Diab, is a dark, and chaotic story told through the eyes of Steven Grant, a lowly museum gift shop clerk in London who has no idea he suffers from dissociative identity disorder with his other personality, Marc Spector. Marc, a former mercenary serves at the bidding of Khonshu God of the moon, and his avatar on Earth. As evil forces amass, Marc/Moon Knight is called upon to stop them, but can he and Steven work together to stop them as they become aware of each other.

I’ve been lucky enough at this point to have seen the first four episodes of the six-episode series and let me tell you, dear reader, you’re not ready for what is about to be thrust upon you. Moon Knight is a complicated and ever-evolving twist of perspectives from a completely unreliable narrator as Steven and Marc fight for a primary position within their body. I love how this was handled early on in the plot with the blackouts moving the plot along and forcing Steven to adapt quickly to his new surroundings.

Steven and Marc serve as a fascinating character study for Oscar Isaac who does a brilliant job of finding a unique voice, and style for each of the roles. The attempted British accent may grate on some, especially natives of the UK, but if you can buy into the fact that this is an identity created to serve a particular need for Marc you quickly realize the accent was always intended to be a flaw. As an Englishman myself, I loved what Isaac did with Steven Grant, the little nuances in the dialect, the inflections in his tone, and the slang he incorporates blended well with how he physically manifests the character. Marc on the other hand is a similar style of character that will likely resonate with fans as he mirrors a very Poe Dameron-like figure.

While the show is predominantly based around Isaac’s performance, you’ve got to give some big props to the supporting cast and how they elevate the story. Ethan Hawke for example, wow! Playing the role of Arthur Harrow, Hawke delivers a master class of a villain that’s so different from what’s been seen thus far in the MCU. He evokes images of cult leaders of the past, and rather than leaning on the physical, or powerful aspects of previous villains, Harrow takes the route of becoming a charming, and conniving figurehead who’s assembled an army of acolytes that believe in his cause for a new world order through the backing of a mysterious and ancient power. Hawke plays his part so bloody well, and without the need to lift a finger, the way he delivers his dialogue is so sharp, pointed, and dangerously devastating.

With god-like powers on either side, May Calamawy‘s character, Layla El-Faouly, on the other hand, provides a much more grounded, and relatable personality. Layla serves as the connection to Marc’s past, his humanity, and the reminder of how things used to be. The dynamic between her and Isaac results in great on-screen chemistry. Calamawy is such an exciting and dynamic actor, and she puts in some truly excellent performances throughout the series.

Beyond Moon Knight’s fantastic cast performance is also a wonderfully thought-out, and well-developed story. The first act is messy and disorderly as you walk a mile in Steven’s shoes as he begins to realize he’s not alone in his body. As the show progresses it builds upon a much deeper tone as the characters get pulled into a world of powerful Egyptian gods. It’s such a rich world, and the further into the story you get the darker it becomes. To this point, we’ve seen nothing like this kind of storytelling within Marvel. It’s a welcome change of pace, and tone and promises some exciting things to come for the future.

Where I see this show facing some obstacles, however, is in its weekly release schedule, and the connectivity to the larger MCU.

As I mentioned, I was lucky enough to watch four episodes, so there was no waiting or speculating from one episode to the next as I immersed myself in the world that Mohamed Diab has created. The show spends a lot of time world-building, developing characters, and laying a lot of groundwork for some BIG payoffs further along in the series. It works, but you’ve got to give it time to evolve.

The first season of Moon Knight dives into the cluttered, and unreliable mind of Marc Spector, who battles for primary control against his other personality, Steven Grant, and the ancient deity Khonshu who’s granted him supernatural powers to protect the innocent. Step into a rich world of Egyptian gods, cult leaders, and friends of the past as Marvel launches into a dark and supernatural world the likes we’ve not seen before.

This is a brand new character to the franchise with no connective tissue to anything else Marvel as it stands. In my opinion, the departure from the MCU for Moon Knight presents an opportunity to open the door for more stories set around the supernatural, and the occult to exist in the MCU, and on Disney+. Read my larger thoughts on that Here. Essentially, rather than Moon Knight relying on what has come before it, the show can forge a path forward for other characters to exist such as Blade, The Black Knight, maybe even Punisher, and Ghost Rider.

The weekly episode release might be a little obstacle in the larger storytelling. I worry the individual episodes might not hold enough content for fans to chew on. I recommend you stick with the show, though, as it’ll be more than rewarding for you!

Rating: 8.5/10

Moon Knight episode 1 will be available exclusively on Disney+ Wednesday, March 30th, with episodes following weekly!

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