Can I just say WOW!!! I have been impressed with every single performance of Oscar Issac’s since I first saw him in the Robin Hood, portraying Prince John alongside Russell Crowe’s Robin Hood. And, like a fine wine, Oscar Issac's performances just get better and better.
That being said, I expected to enjoy Moon Knight (now playing on Disney Plus), not really knowing what exactly it was about except a super hero and that Oscar Issac plays the lead and I do love the Marvel Universe.
Well my spoiler free synopsis is this, it's AMAZING! Oscar's performance takes it to a whole new level. It is definitely not a show for when you are half awake. There is a lot going on and you only get fragments of information at a time that you need to piece together. Well, I feel obligated to piece them together. All is of course revealed in due time. The characters are beautifully developed and the story line comes together seamlessly. There are moments of intense action and several laughs as well. If you have any interest in Egyptian mythology, superheroes, and/or action films that have a deeper story line than simply “shoot ‘em up!”, I feel confident you’ll enjoy this.
For a bit of a deeper dive, with some spoilers, read on!
SPOILERS!! BEYOND THIS POINT!!
STOP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS!!
I'M SERIOUSLY GOING TO WRITE STUFF YOU MAY REGRET READING!!
OK, WARNING OVER. YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF!!
I'm assuming if you kept going to this part you have seen the show or give zero forks about spoilers. Moon Knight is a troubled hero with multiple personality disorder that manifests a bit fantastically in that he can actually talk to his other personality in reflective surfaces. The way Oscar Issac goes from Steven Grant to Marc Spector and back and forth is nothing short of stunning. For some scenes, sure they probably cut and he had time to change head space or whatever, but for other scenes it doesn't seem probable that they did and his transition from one to the other is so smooth and believable you’d think he was twins, with different accents.
I don’t know what your knowledge is on psychological disorders like multiple personality disorder, but my kids didn’t really know much about it, so I did some explaining. And yes, if you were wondering, some people with multiple personality disorder will have personalities with accents different from their own, different genders, different ages, all kinds of differences. It is sadly a development brought on by some form of trauma, typically in childhood, but it is fascinating that the mind can compartmentalize like that. Another excellent film on the topic is Split with James McAvoy. His performance in that one is also award winning.
Back to Moon Knight. I am increasingly impressed with movie writers’ ability to make things less black and white. The hero isn’t always this perfect flawless being and the villain isn’t always completely horrible. Moon Knight pulls this off well particularly in Marc’s personalities. The innocence and hopefulness of Steven, the tough but still caring broken Marc, and then, the one where Marc stuffed all of his hatred and violence, Jake. Marc is both hero and villain rolled in to one. I believe one of the main reasons the best in Marc is able to prevail is due to Layla. She is strong, independent, not a quitter, and honestly carries the story forward. May Calamawy does a phenomenal job and I am looking forward to seeing more of her as well!
And of course there is the god Konshu, who is manipulative and deceitful, but he’s better than the goddess Ammit who wants to execute punishment before the crime has even been committed! (Minority Report is a great film if you like that story line). And let’s not forget Harrow. Harrow is just as broken as Marc is, but in a different way and with a different response to his pain. A lot of which, was a result of being Konshu’s avatar.
Anywhozer, I’ve rambled on enough. There is clearly a door left open for a season two and I, for one, really hope we get to see more of Moon Knight and the Scarlet Scarab!!
Have you watched Moon Knight yet? What are your thoughts on it?