Moon Knight (2022) Review

Moon Knight (2022)

Moon Knight follows Marc Spector and Steven Grant, two personalities fighting for control of their mind, who must come together as one in order to stop a dangerous cult leader from unleashing the ancient Egyptian god Ammit. 

Moon Knight is one of those shows, that for the majority of audiences today, your knowledge and outlook on the character will likely determine your interest in such a concept. Moon Knight has never really been about the superhero, but about the man (or men) beneath the mask and their internal struggle, which I’m happy to say, this series goes all in on. With everything going on, between the emergence of Marc’s estranged wife, to an obsessive cult leader looking to unleash Ammit once again, all of this plays second fiddle to the mental circus going on inside Marc’s brain and his worsening DID (dissociative identity disorder). At it’s core, this is really about a broken man coming to terms with his abusive past in order to unite him and Steven against the forces of evil and work as two halves of the same coin, while another, more violent personality bubbles under the surface. 

In addition to it’s story, there’s a great deal of respect and care given to Egyptian mythology, culture, and customs, as well as in making Marc and Layla heroes that are fully representative of the region, as well as their respective gods, with some pretty dope suits that look ripped right off the pages of the comics. Marvel also ditched that annoying hidden villain trope, allowing this series, however limited, to always feel fully formed, though the 6 episode format does lead to a pretty rushed finale. 

We get a real solid cast as well, starring Gaspard Ulliel, Sofia Danu, Antonia Salib, F. Murray Abraham, May Calamawy, Ethan Hawke, and Oscar Isaac. I gotta say, Isaac is just excellent here, creating two very different personalities, often switching on dime, in what is a true showcase of his acting talents, especially when Marc and Steven get trapped in his mind asylum. 

Moon Knight, directed by Mohamed Diab, is quite the personal venture for the director, bringing Moon Knight to the small screen with an exciting emphasis on his identity crisis, feeling darker and slightly more fulfilling than most of the Disney+ series’ that have come before. 

8.5/10