I have to admit I had no idea what I was getting into with Prime Video’s new series, Spider-Noir, created by Oren Uziel.
Another alternate Marvel universe version of Spider-Man, set in a gritty 1930s New York, when journalism was seen as God’s work, and underground crime, superheroes, and villains were the talk of the town.
The cinematography is a breath of fresh air, transporting viewers into the Great Depression era of New York. A time of jazz, speakeasies, and chain-smoking.
Shots of dimly lit rooms, close-ups of beautiful jazz singers, and rooms filled with clouds of smoke lend themselves to the sign of the times and do their job of throwing viewers back in time.
A fun part for viewers is that we get to choose how we’d like to view the series. You can watch the film in authentic black-and-white or in true-hue color. I mostly watched in color for the dazzling fashion, but authentic black-and-white is an experience as well.
What I enjoy about the setting is Uziel’s commitment to immersing the viewer in New York.
I felt like I was looking at the New York that modern Peter Parker’s grandparents would have grown up in. From the detective’s office, to the nightclubs, and the captured shots of the city as The Spider webbed around. The setting is one of the show’s highlights.
Joyless
The show follows private investigator and ex-vigilante Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage), also known as The Spider. Having lost his fiancée, Ruby, five years earlier, Ben Reilly is disinterested, hardened, and jaded to the world around him.
His character seems to have lost his will to live life with joy. He does detective work, makes his money, and stays out of drama—except until the drama finds him.
I am always a fan of the jaded, wounded hero. While Modern Peter Parker and Ben Reilly share similarities, what I enjoy about Spider-Noir is the depiction of an older man who’s more set in his ways, with a weighed-down heart.
Whereas Peter Parker wears the wounds of teenage grief and angst—though with a hopeful heart—Ben Reilly isn’t seeking hope.
We watch Ben Reilly witness something deeper than crime—something more like witnessing-fantasy, though in this world it’s reality.
He comes into contact with genetically altered humans—a pyrokynetic, to be exact —and eventually with a man, Flint Marko (Jack Huston), who is turning into Sandman (one of Spiderman’s most infamous enemies).
The head of this mutation experiment is Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson), though another problem is Dirk (Andrew Lewis Caldwell), who is Silvermane’s weapon.
This concerns Ben, prompting him to merge with his old life as The Spider and brings out that side of him—the side he’d put away after losing his fiancée—to light.
The series showcases Ben Reilly’s struggle to accept his need to bring The Spider back.
His nature lends toward ‘the problem will solve itself’. Though when the world of underground crime starts to spill over, he’s forced to either help or get out of the way.
While Ben seems to enjoy living in the shadows, there is a part of him that can’t let injustice happen.
This side of Ben is something I liked throughout the show. His ‘I’m reluctant, yet I will do it anyway, even though I really don’t want to’ attitude.
It differs majorly from the eager nature of Peter Parker, who’s almost always ready to throw himself into the action.
I think a major reason Ben Reilly goes beyond himself is the support and help he receives from his secretary, Janet Ruiz (Karen Rodriguez).
As well as his friendship with journalist Robbie Robertson, played by New Girl’s Lamorne Morris. Robbie has a knack for encouraging Ben to be The Spider again through his articles.
I loved the natural banter between him and his secretary; the woman could basically tell him what to do, and he’d do it. She’s a secretary with influence and audacity, something Ben needs in his life, seeing as he moves through life with little care for much.
Until he meets a secretive, yet eye-catching lady, Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li).
The Hope Factor
Cat Hardy fascinates Ben Reilly. For the first time since his fiancée passed away, another woman has captured his attention.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Marvel for its action and storylines without romance as well, but when I witnessed potential romance, I jumped on it.
I admire Cat Hardy’s character introduction for more reasons than one. We start in a jazz club, where we hear her singing before we fully see her.
The camera does a close-up of her face. The light starts off dim, then fully shines on her; she’s stunning and captivating.
For the first time, Ben Reilly looks like he feels something, whether it’s fascination, intrigue, or physical attraction; regardless, Cat Hardy’s presence visibly moves him.
It is this scene that captured my attention as an avid romance fan. I’ll admit, Spider-Noir is beautiful in its appearance, but beauty is not enough to keep an audience; though tension is, and the tension between Ben Reilly and Cat Hardy was palpable.
Though likely, not for the reasons you may think.
Less like lovers, more like two people dancing around an upcoming war.
When Reilly has a conversation with Cat, he seems both attracted to and skeptical of her. At this point, he’s trying to get money from her for the negatives he has with her in a compromising position with the Mayor.
Cat doesn’t seem to carry the same sort of attraction towards him, it’s as if her heart is guarded or already taken.
In this case, it’s both; she has a relationship with Flint, the Sandman. She is also affiliated with Silvermane (though she wants out), and she is trying to find a way to help Flint and put an end to Silvermane.
Throughout the show, it was this unlikely yet interesting love story between Cat and Ben that kept my attention the most.
I know, I know, an entire show full of mystery and action, yet I was most interested in their unlikely romance? Yes. What can I say? Give me an inch, and I’ll ship a mile.
Cat Hardy eventually hires Ben Reilly to investigate Flint’s disappearance. Ben and Cat’s scenes together start to feel like mutual attraction, though Cat seems like she’s hiding something. It’s not lost on me that her name lends itself to Black Cat in the Spider-Verse, and I’m pretty certain that Black Cat and Spider-Man never end up together.
But, it all comes down to trust.
Throughout the series, neither character fully trusts the other. Though Cat hires him, she holds information, and although Ben is attracted to her, he never feels he can fully trust her.
Also, Flint—the man Cat really loves, lingers between whatever thing is budding between them. Flint’s transformation into the Sandman causes problems between him and Cat because he can’t live peacefully with her and deal with the effects of being The Sandman all at once.
Flint represents Cat’s first choice. He’s the guy who matters to her, and she knows the life she can have with him. He’s been there for her, and though his recent transition into the Sandman makes things between them unstable, Ben is the guy who’s more unpredictable for Cat.
Eventually, Cat and Ben share a moment. A conversation where they both admit to being alone. They almost kiss, but they’re interrupted. Later on, Cat puts it together that Ben Reilly is The Spider, and she does it in a very daring way.
She throws herself out a window, knowing if he really is The Spider, he will save her. He does, and they share a genuine and passionate kiss, and in this moment, I thought they had a chance.
Until I witnessed her interactions with Flint. Her moments with Flint are without the same secretive nature she carries with Ben.
Cat’s heart is more invested in Flint. She cares about his wellbeing, and she wants to get both of them out from under Silvermane’s ploys. So while Cat and Ben share a connection, her heart already belongs to another.
Lost Love, Gained Hope
Eventually, Cat takes down Silvermane, and Ben does the same to Dirk. Ben has an antidote to the superpowers people were given, and he gives it to Cat.
He knew in his heart that the choice was not going to be him.
Cat chooses Flint and admits that, in another world, she would have chosen Ben. Ben Reilly rejects her words, though he accepts his predicament.
She gets her happy ending, and Ben gets what he expected: the absence of love.
I have to say, I think this type of noir, 1930s feel, absolutely lends itself to the absence of a romantic happy ending. What Ben got instead is a reminder that his heart can feel again, even if Cat wasn’t the one.
He got a taste of hope again and became The Spider in the process.
