'Spider-Noir' Review: Nicolas Cage Swings Into a Stylish, Booze-Soaked Marvel Mystery
- 1 minute ago
- 3 min read
By Jack Ransom - June 3, 2026
TV - Premium TV
The latest Marvel outing to hit the small screen Spider-Noir sees Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage), a seasoned, down-on-his-luck private investigator in 1930s New York, forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city's one and only superhero.
When the trailer for this dropped a few months ago I was instantly hooked and it felt like a genuine haze of cigarette smoke and bourbon tinged originality that the genre was in need of. As a huge fan of film noir, and with Nic Cage already established in the role thanks to his welcomely quirky and deadpan portrayal of the character in both Into & Across the Spider-Verse this ticked a lot of boxes for me… despite Sony fumbling the bag (in live action) with their post-2022 Spidey villain outings.
When it comes to my knowledge of and relationship with Spider-Noir, I only really have the Spider-Verse flicks and the Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions video game as a reference (I will get around to the comics at some point). This show is certainly a strong jumping in point and over the course of eight 40-50 minute episodes, tangles us in the boozy, smart-talking, bizarro world of Ben Reilly as he tangles with mobsters, mysteries, murder and the macabre.
The pulpy comic book vibe gels with the noir tone effortlessly. Sure, the plot may not be the most twisty or turny that this genre has to offer but it keeps engagement consistent with solid pacing and a strong bunch of characters at the centre. Reilly’s hard-bitten and guilt ridden “Private Dick” is a strong centre point and his switch up between sleuthing and swinging is seamless and never feels like he shouldn’t be donning the hat and goggles. He’s wrapped up in a cocktail of politically charged clashing, prohibition profiting… and horrific wartime experiments. The side-plots involving Cat Hardy’s (Li Jun Li) attempts to escape from the ruthless clutches of Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson), her and Flint Marko’s (Jack Huston) risky romance and Robbie Robertson’s (Lamorne Morris) quest for journalistic redemption flesh out the background efficiently.
The show is watchable in both black and white and colour. I immediately opted for B&W (I mean, noir is literally in the title) and the filmmakers did a stellar job of recreating the era from a production and costume perspective, as well as the stylistic traits, to also keeping the action set pieces exciting and unique. From car chases, to street brawls with superpowers and a fantastic drunken Spider bar-fight, and boasting superb swinging effects, the budget has clearly been utilised effectively. The frequent split dioptre shots, dynamic camera angles, homages to features of the era (the The Lady from Shanghai mirror homage in the final episode is a doozy) and the way the Spider’s beaming torch eyes ignite in the darkness is chef’s kiss . Lastly, episodes 5 & 6 boast some genuinely unsettling nightmare horror imagery that had me equally grinning and recoiling in equal measure.
Cage is a riot here and absolutely delivers on his promise of the character being “70% Bogart and 30% Bugs Bunny”. The hard-bitten, grieving, lone wolf nature of the character coupled with his usual sprinkling of wacky Cageism’s, physical commitment to the role and comedic beats make for a very likeable lead. Brendan Gleeson is clearly relishing hamming up his villainous side as the cutthroat, overbearing, power-hungry Silvermane, Li Jun Li is magnetic as the cunning and unpredictable Cat Hardy, Lamorne Morris and Karen Rodriguez are the beating hearts of the show and Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston and Andrew Lewis Caldwell all lock into their suped up enforcer roles.
Spider-Noir is an excellent, unique, stylish and well paced tale set in an era that the comic book genre hasn’t swung into before. Cage rocks, Gleeson is having a ball and the rest of the cast slide into the noir world impressively. The action and visuals are strong and the stylistic elements are excellent. The mystery angle and reveals may not be the most engrossing compared to other genre outings, however the incorporation of horror, sci-fi and layers of lighter hearted comedic moments keep it varied. Season 2 please!
All Episodes of 'Spider-Noir' are now streaming on Prime Video. Watch it HERE.
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