POPCORN REVIEWSS

Written by Jennifer Frazen, Jack Henderson, Megan Liao, Oren Uziel, Steve Lightfoot, Christopher Chen, Bruce Marshall Romans, and Tori Sampson, the single most fascinating aspect of Spider Noir remains the characterization of Reilly that immediately distinguishes him from the prior iterations of Spiderman. He is aging (much like Jagadish from The Great Grand Superhero) and grieving the loss of the woman that he loves, someone whom he couldn’t save despite his superpowers. And that single moment prompts him to lead a more simpler life while ‘disguising’ himself as a private investigator and wanting to find peace with a dash of cynicism in it.

In the same breath, there is a shadow cast on the city of New York – almost acting as a metaphor for its noir themes in play, particularly given on how it is now being ruled by a mafia kingpin Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson). He is someone who has pocketed the services of politicians and cops, while steadily creating a ‘supervillain’ clan of his own in a bid for power and might. And it remains interesting on how their first meeting doesn’t follow the template of good versus evil – instead, the subtext remains that of a whodunnit, even as the latter approaches the former to investigate the person who wants him dead.

The world by design still follows the footsteps of a superhero, particularly with the characters of Addison (Jack Mikesell) – a person who could set himself on fire at will, without being immune to bullets. Or Flint (Jack Huston) who could transform himself into a ‘Sandman’ after being riled up. Or even Lonnie (Abraham Popoola) who would attain the superpower of a tombstone laced with strength. Ironically, this superpower trait of theirs is known to weaken their bodies – thereby adding an interesting dimension in the drama. There is also a character modelled on the lines of a femme fatale called Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li), who remains a sort of a shapeshifter in many ways – something that makes her increasingly unpredictable with her loyalties in picture.

Much of the writing dwells on the dynamics between the characters. Be it the friendly symbiotic banter between Reilly and a local reporter Robbie (Lamorne Morris), the latter often being distinguished and discriminated on the basis of his skin colour. Or that between Reilly and Silvermane, who are shown to form a strange team often being isolated by a trust factor, even as the former does his bit in keeping his superhero identity at bay, while protecting his clan around him. Or that between Reilly and Cat that triggers a palpable romance, often acting as a second chance for the former who was previously grieving about his lost love. In a beautiful scene, you see Cat forcing herself out of the window, only to be pulled back through spider webs by the protagonist, while marking a pivotal moment in their relationship.

There is a bit of dark humour mixed with dryness and snappiness that shapes up the characters, often treading the paths during the great depression. In fact, the humour is deliberately used as a form of escapism – particularly with regards to the protagonist who wishes to keep his identity under wraps, despite being at the center of a political campaign triggered by the mayor. Hence, you often are witness to the dilemma of right versus wrong, or the want to lead a quiet life versus imposing oneself for the greater good – all of which blurs the lines of morality, something that isn’t always in control with respect to the protagonist.

There is a considerable lag in the second act, even as the focus shifts to the origin story of Reilly and the others possessing an uncanny superpower. The origin story does work in isolation, almost moulding itself in a different container from the original Marvel comics – thereby adding a different flavour of moral ambiguity in the mix. But the events needed to be a little quicker to maintain the focus on the current era, as opposed to infusing a layer of mystery around it.

There is a slight episodic nature to the proceedings transitioning from a whodunnit to the origin story, and eventually the idea of injecting an antidote to the ones affected, while countering the plight of the chief antagonist. Thankfully, the character arc of the protagonist blends well with the trajectory of the drama, almost adding a purpose to his life of contributing to the larger good of mankind, while helping out innocent individuals on whom experiments were conducted by the Germans during war. Keeping that in mind, the culmination also felt layered while creating a demarcation between good and evil. Overall, the screenplay definitely manages to impress despite a few pacing issues in the second act.