Spider-Noir: Nic Cage Revels in the Role of Your Friendly Neighbourhood Sam Spade Spidey
By John Kirk
Rating: A-
If you’re not already aware, Spider-Noir, the hard-boiled, web-slinging gumshoe series that debuts on Prime this week, began as a Spider-Man comic series.
It’s what’s known as an “Other-Verse” story, part of the same multiverse narrative that gave us the hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. And it’s prime material for an episodic series - one that a comic aficionado like Nicolas Cage would jump at.
Think gritty detective story from the 1930’s and you’ve set the scene for this story in which Cage plays ace private eye, Ben Reilly (who Spider-Man fans will recognize as the name of Spider-Man’s clone), aka The Spider. He was New York’s only superhero, who gave up the cowl and settled down to a lonely life of Depression era obscurity after personal tragedy struck.
It’s five years later and eking out a living as an impoverished private investigator who can’t afford to pay his long-suffering secretary, Jan (Karen Rodriguez), Reilly lands a paying case. Of course, it winds up bringing him into the circle of crime boss, Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson) and discovering that there are more super-powered individuals like him.
The Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse connection makes the series relevant. Ben Reilly gives us not only a reason for why the series exists but also acknowledges its connection to the rest of the Spider-Verse, regardless of the production company. It’s a clever bit of writing.
What’s unique to this series is that it’s offered in two formats: “True-Hue” colour and black-and-white. The audience can enjoy the viewing experience in black-and-white for that 1930s mood. When you see the Spider’s bright white goggle lenses turn and look at the camera, it’s a pretty striking scene. Truly a bold gimmick and the novelty pays off. I’ve watched the episodes I was given twice now just for the effect.
There’s an appeal to seeing Nicolas Cage on the small screen, but also in this role. Given the nature of the subject, it’s actually one that he’d clearly jump at with his penchant for comic collecting (and his erstwhile attempt to land the role of Superman). Not only has it heavily influenced his acting career and his stage name, but he also voiced Ben Reilly in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This is clearly his role.
Understandably, he does it well. He has the voice, the demeanor of the veteran gumshoe and the age even works. In this role, Cage does not disappoint.
In 2024 at SXSW, Cage said that he was reconsidering returning to superhero roles, as they were “not really on my mind.” He left himself open to roles in the genre, but said he’d be very selective. It’s clear that this one found him.
There’s also a joy in seeing noir versions of the characters from the Spider-Man universe. Characters like Tombstone, Felicia “Black Cat” Hardy and The Sandman also show up in this series, played respectively by Abraham Popoola, Li Jun Li, and Jack Huston, seeing them evolve in their own unique way as demanded by the sub-genre is not only entertaining but their mystery also adds to the fun.
(CLICK HERE to read our interview with these three actors).
The mood, the pacing and the background music; every aesthetic is there for a melodramatic return to the grainy world of whisky-smuggling and trenchcoats. The super-heroics are muted, subdued to the emphasis of the story. And while everything looks great, the story itself is a fun one.
Actually, the active word for this series is fun. Cage has a lot of witty retorts and self-deprecating humour that not only speak to the character of Spider-Man, but also to the fun of watching a noir story unfold. Dames, Jimmy Cagney accents, and the spectre of prohibition are all in the background. And watching the action unfold throughout the Bowery from the POV of the roof of a 1931 Four-Door Plymouth is just plain cool.
With the slow burn nature of the superpower reveals, the story takes precedence. The audience is transported to the world of Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe. Though it’s poured on a little thick, it’s still a great story and has the right degree of suspense.
And in his own street-wise way, the Spider gets to still spin a web, any size, catching thieves just like flies.
Spider-Noir. Cast: Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston and Brendan Gleeson.Producers: Harry Bradbeer, Oren Uziel, Steve Lightfoot, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, Aditya Sood, Dan Shear. Directors: Harry Bradbeer, Nzingha Stewart, Aletha Jones and Greg Yaitanes.
Spider-Noir débuts May 27 on Prime Video Canada.