Moon Knight (2022) Mini Series Review

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes
details
Title: Moon Knight.

Rated: TV-14.
Number of episodes: 6.
Release Date: 2022.
ORIGINAL NETWORK: Disney Plus.
Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy.
Series Direction By: Mohamed Diab (4 episodes), Justin BEnson (2 episodes) & Aaron Moorhead (2 episodes).
Writer: Danielle Iman, Doug Moench, Don Perlin, Jeremy Slater, Alex Meenehan, Peter Cameron, Sabir Pirzada, BNeau DeMayo, Rebecca Kirsch, and Matthew Orton.
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, May Calamawy, Michael Benjamin Hernandez, F. Murray Abraham, Ann Akinjirin, Karim El Hakim, and many more!
My Overall Rating:

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Under enough duress, any individual can wind up insane. The mere torment and ceaseless hassle of enduring unforgiving and unstoppable pain, be it psychological or physical, would leave the most mortal of individuals begging for an exit, a way out of the nightmare, and an opportunity to relinquish the evil they’ve inevitably withstood to embrace the peace they ever so crave. Sometimes, the coping mechanisms that are thus developed are beyond our grasp and bring us to places our minds would’ve never thought of going. Set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and part of its Phase Four slate, this six-episode long TV mini-series introduces actor Oscar Isaac as Marc Spector/Steven Grant, also known as Moon Knight.

What is Moon Knight (2022) about? The story follows Steven Grant in his quirky, socially awkward, and amiable ways, going about his usual business as a gift shop seller within a museum in London. As his day goes on, he slowly learns that he might not be aware of everything he’s been up to lately, as if his body might have been inhabited by another owner when he’s asleep. When he least expects it, he discovers that he might also be a mercenary with dissociative identity disorder and was granted deadly and mysterious powers by an Egyptian moon god. What he then embarks on is a journey, unlike anything he’s imagined, pitting him against powerful foes in the midst of a war of the gods.

(c) IMDb.

Still within its more formulaic storytelling framework, this Marvel event wanders outside of its usual box to explore a complex and darker character in all of its wacky splendour. Inevitably, the story takes its time in introducing Steven Grant’s character and obsession with Egyptian mythology, successfully tying it all together with his unknown personality, and then with his supernatural alter ego. Once his childhood is also explored, the character’s journey becomes one of acknowledgment, one where this new reality is the one that he has to make peace with. Furthermore, as the villain’s motives are also revealed and the story’s mythological elements become predominant, the series falls back to its traditional superhero antics (e.g. larger-than-life conflicts) but allows itself to play with the protagonist’s mental health condition in a way that assures novelty and lunacy.

The show’s success does hinge on actor Oscar Isaac’s engrossing portrayal of dissociative identity disorder. His ability to switch around between different accents, expressions, and demeanors is formidable. Convincing and authentic, he juggles his multiple identities with flair and brio, delivering a much-wanted fan depiction of Moon Knight. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of his show partner and antagonist, Ethan Hawke, who plays the cult leader Arthur Harrow. His character, although convincingly evil and bearer of the show’s central ideological war, debating free will versus determination, often feels monotonous in execution alongside the rest of the cast. May Calamawy’s character of Layla El-Faouly is also fine in her role, bringing into play a complicated romantic affair and an unresolved past into the plot.

(c) IMDb.

A special mention goes to F. Murray Abraham serving as the voice actor behind the moon god Khonshu, who brilliantly conveys the deity’s mischievous yet righteous voice. The CGI utilized throughout the series isn’t mind-boggling but is sufficient to help capture the protagonist’s journey and the creepy supernatural elements. The action sequences, although limited, pack quite the punch and help, with each additional scene, establish Moon Knight’s powers and abilities, while also showcasing the hero’s original and source-material adequate costume design. There are also some gorgeous scenes that are shot throughout the series, some respectfully and beautifully showcasing Egyptian landscapes. While there are no plans for a second season or a teaser of Moon Knight’s return anytime soon, it is clear that he’s sure to make a surprise appearance in future MCU movies, and this mini-series built up every fan’s appetite.

Moon Knight (2022) is an invigorating, zany, and poignant introduction to a complex character rooted in Egyptian mythology who goes up against a resolute foe defending precrime beliefs.

All six mini-series episodes are now available to binge on Disney Plus!
Have you read any comic book stories featuring Moon Knight?
Have you seen Moon Knight (2022)? Will you?
Share your thoughts with me!
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Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

39 thoughts on “Moon Knight (2022) Mini Series Review”

  2. Glad you enjoyed it, Lashaan! I must admit we’ve watched two episodes and just couldn’t get into it. To me, Isaac’s quirky rendition of Steven (a la Mr Bean) was a bit too much. Also, the CGI felt rather cheap, especially those hounds :/ We might give it another try after your enthusiastic review, though!

    I did read a few Moon Knight comics, and enjoyed their total craziness and a acerbic it a lot more than the tame version shown in the series 😉

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    1. Having grown up with Mr. Bean, I agree that Steven is pretty much a talkative rip-off of the character but I have to say that, when watching Marvel stuff nowadays, I turn off a huge deal of my own critical appreciation and try to tell myself that they have to ALWAYS make it unnecessarily comical and family-friendly because it’s Disney… 😦 I honestly wouldn’t say that you’d have more fun with the following four episodes, even if there are some original moments, especially with episode 5 (which is probably their best episode yet not extraordinary too).

      The comics are 200% better than the show could ever be though. For the show to even be anything as original and insane as the comic, it would’ve had to be a pre-Disney Netflix show but we’ll never get that anytime soon… 😦 Have you had the chance to try Lemire’s Moon Knight?

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      1. I haven’t read Lemire’s take, no – do you recommend it? I’ve read a good part of Ellis’s run, it was fun! 😀

        Oh, pre-Disney Netflix, you’re 100% right! Moon Knight on Netflix, that would have been something, though!

        Yeah, I feel like I’m done with Disney MCU. I tried to watch She-Hulk and just exploded afterwards 😉

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Definitely recommended. It’s short and sweet compared to other runs and it has a nice style and direction.

        I dread the day I’ll go through She-Hulk… I’ll still do it because I’m a masochistic completionist but man… the first trailer did not convince me at all.

        P.S. I also saw Thor 4 the other day and I’ve never facepalmed my way through a movie as much as I did there… I despise what they’ve done with the character and how much they’ve embraced Waititi’s vision of that world…

        Liked by 1 person

      3. Yep, I’m not going to watch Thor 4, at least not intentionally 🤪 She-Hulk avoid as long you can, its very reason for being seems to be showing that having two X chromosomes makes one better in everything, even in hulking…

        Liked by 1 person

  3. We ended up with mixed feelings about this series. Oscar was amazing, and I enjoyed the way the story was told. But… we couldn’t care less about the romance, or her character in general. I’d def have preferred it if she wasn’t there 🙈 also, there wasn’t enough Moon Knight imo. The fight scenes that were there were brilliant, but we wanted more.

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    1. I so agree. It wasn’t necessary at all to have that romance subplot. I shrugged it off as an inevitable idea that Marvel had to include to spice things up. I also felt like the whole mini-series was just a teaser for more. I’m glad that the little time we had with Moon Knight was still great but we clearly craved for more by the end of it all!

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  8. I’m not very familiar with this character. I’ve seen the name and the costume but don’t recall ever reading anything. Sounds like an interesting story and glad to see you enjoyed it. It’s always unfortunate when a well-known actor/actress like Ethan Hawke isn’t able to pull off a role.

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    1. The character is quite awesome and insane in the comics and I’ve been dreading the day they’d bring him to the live-action scene. In the end, it isn’t so bad. Now I just hope they’ll bring him back on the movie scene for something more spectacular. Yep, Ethan Hawke’s role wasn’t as impressive as it could’ve been to me. He was shooting another movie around the same time, The Black Phone, based on a book by Joe Hill. I saw the movie and definitely loved his portrayal of the antagonist there (although I felt like the movie was a bit too tamed).

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  10. Milou read the comics to be up to speed on this series, I did not, but could follow the story some what, I kept feeling that they were going to do the same thing marvel seems to be diong the whole time now with genderswapping established characters, the love interest this time around was a big no no for me and just gave me I am Rey from Star Wars vibes. I found it an oke series in the end though, Isaac was the winner as well as Konshu. Ethan Hawk, even with limited speach bubbles was good in his scenes too though.

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    1. Having also read a lot of Moon Knight, I feared they’d screw around with the character too much and Disney-fy it but luckily, it wasn’t so bad in the end. It could’ve been way darker but I think that would’ve needed for the show to be handled under Netflix like Daredevil and Punisher were back in the day. I wasn’t a huge fan of the love interest either but at least her character got the superhero finale that it wanted. Glad to hear that you still enjoyed it even if it wasn’t a huge hit, my friend.

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  13. Pingback: My Monthly Wrap-Up | August 2022 – Roars and Echoes

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