I wasn’t entirely sure what to think when Spider-Noir was first announced. A live-action Marvel (ish, it’s made by MGM+) show set in 1930s New York, starring Nicolas Cage reprising the role he first voiced in Into the Spider-Verse. It sounds like something you’d hear on The Studio, and yet it’s a real, fresh, exciting take on the superhero genre.

Cage (National Treasure – the franchise and arguably his public status) plays Ben Reilly, a man who used to be “The Spider” (aka Spider-Man), New York’s only superhero. That was until life wore him down and he walked away. Since then, he’s been scraping by as a private investigator, trying to keep his head down and put his past firmly behind him. You can probably guess that it doesn’t last very long. The big question was always going to be whether Cage could carry a full television series, and I’m really pleased to say the answer is a resounding yes. This is his first-ever lead role on TV, and he throws himself into it completely.

He has that incredible ability to be over the top whilst never losing you. It’s the kind of performance that reminds you why people have always had such strong feelings about him, one way or another. It also makes me want more National Treasure movies, but that’s probably a different write-up altogether. The supporting cast is also brilliant, with the likes of Lamorne Morris and Brendan Gleeson standing out. Every character has a bit more going on beneath the surface than you’d expect, and the ensemble as a whole gives the show a full sense of a living, breathing world rather than just a generic backdrop for Cage to do his thing.

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It also helps that the world they’ve built around Cage is fantastically immersive. 1930s New York feels alive here. Torrid, glamorous, and dangerous in equal measure. The show takes its time establishing this version of the Spider-Man story, and it gives a real sense that everyone in it is just trying to survive, whether that’s a mob boss past his prime, a journalist with the odds stacked against him, or a nightclub singer with a few too many secrets. It’s a move that gives the whole series weight and depth that many superhero shows skip over. I’m also an absolute sucker for cool web-swinging visuals, and Spider-Noir delivers them in abundance, which is incredibly pleasing to watch.

Visually, it’s stunning and unique. Interestingly, the show was actually shot in both full colour and authentic black-and-white, so you get to choose which version you watch. The black-and-white option is an absolute epic. It gives the whole thing a cinematic quality that feels genuinely cool to watch, and honestly, it’s worth watching at least a few episodes in that style just to experience it. It really helps that the plot leans into the classic noir style. Rain-soaked streets, morally complicated characters and a femme fatale with more going on than she lets on. The best part is how well it all works. This could easily have felt like a gimmick, but instead it feels like a genuinely bold creative vision that delivers.

It’s not perfect with the middle section dragging a touch, but it’s still thoroughly enjoyable throughout. Parts of the plot are also more familiar than the show’s bold look might suggest, especially to those who love the superhero genre. However, at a time when it can feel like superhero content is everywhere and most of it is blurring into one, I’m really glad to see Spider-Noir do something genuinely different. It’s weird, it’s stylish, it can be surprisingly heartfelt, but importantly, it’s letting Nicolas Cage shine once more.

★★★★

Premieres May 27th on Prime Video / Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris, Brendan Gleeson / Showrunners: Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot / MGM+ and Prime Video

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