‘Moon Knight’ Episodes 1-4 Joint Review: The MNN Team Share Their Thoughts So Far

Moon Knight - Steven and Marc

Here’s what we think of Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight up to this point, ahead of the season’s third act in episodes 5 and 6. For a meaty non-spoiler review, go here.

 

Spoilers ahead.

 

Josh: I’ve found Moon Knight very entertaining so far, even though it’s definitely not been what I expected. I think my opinion of these first four episodes will change depending on how the show sticks the landing. If the finale is great, then these opening episodes will hopefully work really well as part of the larger puzzle. If it stumbles, then I worry Moon Knight will end up being a weirdo with a flawed story that no one really cares about.

 

There’s been plenty to like about the series so far. Steven Grant is incredibly likeable, even if his insistence that Marc stops killing bad guys can be grating at times. One of my favorite moments so far is when Steven realizes he missed his date and lost an opportunity to find love, driven to eating steak despite being vegan and gorging himself on romantic chocolates. It was a really compelling way to make me connect with the character. The action has been stylish and visceral. I’m fascinated by the Egyptian gods and how they fit into the MCU; it’s hard to take your eyes off the screen when Khonshu and the other gods speak with each other in episode 3. I’ve also really enjoyed the series’ dips into horror at times, especially in episode 4. It’s always done incredibly well, and I hope there’s more to come.

 

It should also be said that Oscar Isaac’s performance is incredible. You can tell he’s put so much work into Steven Grant particularly, and making both him and Marc feel like unique personalities. You can tell there’s an incredibly skilled actor at work here. Ethan Hawke is also excellent as Arthur Harrow; his character still seems to fit the MCU mold of a villain who has an admirable goal, but is willing to kill too many people to achieve it — Hawke excels at capturing the sadness in his eyes whenever he does decide to take a life. He doesn’t enjoy killing, and he is genuinely sad when he has to do it. It makes Harrow an interesting villain so far.

 

Unfortunately, I really don’t know how I feel about those last 10 minutes of episode 4. It felt so jarring after all the excellent Egyptian tomb raiding and exploration we’ve seen in the last two episodes. At first, you’re made to believe that either Marc is dreaming, which would feel underwhelming and unnecessary, or that everything up until this point is a lie and Marc is crazy, which would be ridiculous and something that was already done with mixed success by Mr. Robot years ago. Ultimately, it seems something else is going on, and I’ll wait until next week before damning or praising this latest development. It seems this twist could make or break the series, so I’m nervous to see how it plays out.

 

 

Fran: We’ve been told many times before the latest Marvel Studios installment was “unlike anything they had done before,” and I feel like only Eternals (for better or worse) and Moon Knight truly delivered that disconnect from the universe’s usual approach to comic books. Don’t get me wrong, I think Feige and company normally do an excellent job of using the source material’s strengths and twisting the superhero genre just enough to tell different stories from slightly different angles, but these two profoundly feel like new, fresh directions. Of course, the “Marvel brand” of humor is always there (in this case, it could definitely gel better with the more serious scenes), but we’re in uncharted MCU territory now.

 

And yes, Moon Knight probably contains one of the best main character performances we’ve had in the MCU in a long time thanks to Oscar Isaac’s deeply fragmented role as (so far) Steven and Marc. You can instantly tell why he was drawn to big franchise work shortly after he was done with the Star Wars sequels and had just worked on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune — this truly was a unique opportunity for him. I’m still thinking about some of his instant, pitch-perfect switches between Marc and Steven. On top of that, his relationship (as both personas) with Layla is as playful as it gets in spite of the difficulties their characters are facing. However, I didn’t buy that super quick romantic development — as much as I wanted it to happen — between Steven and her in the last episode and a quarter. As for Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow, the veteran actor is fantastic as always (he really is a chameleon), delivering a nuanced, surprisingly restrained performance as a troubled man who truthfully thinks he’s on the right path and, quite frankly, makes sense if you think about what he knows and has gone through.

 

Moreover, having filmmakers such as Mohamed Diab, Justin Benson, and Aaron Moorhead tackling the show’s directing challenges has definitely paid off and given Moon Knight a very specific visual identity (minus occasionally wonky CGI and chroma keys) and a darker tone that perfectly fit this iteration of the character while paying homage to his most famous comic book runs. The former has been extra careful with giving viewers an as-authentic-as-possible depiction of Egyptian culture, especially in episode 3, and the other two brought some amazing horror DNA to the table while keeping things PG-13, plus their camera work feels striking from the very first frames of their respective episodes (2 and 4) — I’m very excited about Loki season 2 now. But first, let’s see whether Moon Knight sticks the superhero landing or crumbles like a sandcastle in the final stretch.

 

 

Chris: At this point in Phase 4, we are well past my knowledge of Marvel Comics lore, so I went into Moon Knight with no expectations beyond the initial trailer. From that shudder-inducing opening scene of Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) walking on glass (the noise still goes through me every time he’s on screen) to the mind-bending ending of the last episode, Moon Knight has kept me engrossed from the start.

 

Starting the series from Steven’s perspective was a wise decision, allowing a unique origin story in which the hero is already established, but we’re learning about him at the same time Steven is. We share in his confusion, especially during the first episode, as we jump from London to Austria and back again, with just glimpses of Marc’s perspective until the very end. As Steven/Marc, Oscar Isaac is simply superb, crafting two distinct characters and switching between them mid-scene without missing a beat. Whatever the outcome of this series, I sincerely hope this isn’t the last time we see Isaac play this character in the MCU.

 

The series also takes the MCU to new places and new mythologies, with Egypt and the Egyptian Gods. The cinematography on the series is good throughout, but Egypt especially is gorgeous to behold. Fran notes above how Mohamed Diab worked hard to make the series as authentic as possible to real Egyptian culture, and that works in the series favor. Yes, we’re still in a world where the Gods are taking human avatars, but it feels grounded in a way the comes from using the country and mythology authentically rather than just as set dressing. The descent into the Tomb of Ammit, the mummification chamber, and the tense chase/hide and seek with the ancient priests push the series deeper into the horror genre than anything the MCU has done before (outside of the zombies episode of What If…?), but it flows so well with the story that I didn’t even consider it until looking back for this review. And then everything changes again as Marc is shot and wakes up, well, we’re not exactly sure where. Inside his own mind, maybe?

 

One thing I do know is I can’t wait to see where this goes and how everything comes together. I just wish there was more than two episodes left, as this has probably been one of my favorite Marvel series so far. I can count on one hand how many of the shows have led to me looking up the character and the comic runs that inspired them for further reading, and Moon Knight now joins them. My only (very minor) criticism isn’t with the series itself, but with the release strategy: I feel that Moon Knight, like some other MCU and Star Wars series, may have benefited from launching with two episodes to help viewers really get a feel for the characters and story straight off the bat. It’s a strategy Disney Plus used with Hawkeye and will use again with Obi-Wan Kenobi next month, and I would love to see it become the standard.

 

Moon Knight

 

Tyler: In what should surprise no one, Oscar Isaac has been absolutely spectacular through four episodes of Moon Knight, and I find myself absolutely adoring May Calamawy’s performance as Layla too. Having avoided any spoiler talk and limiting myself to just a single watch of the trailer, I came into this show as fresh as possible. Whether or not that has played a larger role in my enjoyment of the series, I am satisfied with the direction so far.

 

Launching the story from the viewpoint of Steven seems to be paying dividends where we are now. In the beginning, you see a man who so desperately wants to find his place. From the security guards not knowing his name, some lonely one-sided conversations, and the missing out of his chance to find love, we build a sincere relationship with Steven early on. It makes Marc’s intrusions feel as invasive to us as they do to Steven. Building the connection to Marc through Steven’s perspective has been a great way for me to enjoy the series. Oftentimes, I have been left as confused or scared as Steven.

 

The pacing throughout the show has been wonderful. However, I am quite skeptical of the final twist in episode 4 for a few reasons… First, it was so unnerving to be completely removed from the tempo and aesthetic of what we had experienced so far, and thrust into a completely different environment without warning. Second, the manner in which Marvel chooses to portray the mental condition of Steven/Marc going forward is one to watch. There is a fine line between a tasteful and well-executed portrayal of his DID and a harmful one. How the show executes this big twist will largely determine how the first four episodes rank moving forward.

 

I must confess that I entered into Moon Knight cautiously optimistic while also feeling a bit jaded. As a Marvel fan I have been somewhat disappointed by the turns previous shows have taken. Aside from Loki, which I thoroughly enjoyed and can’t wait to revisit, the others’ biggest moments often failed to deliver for me. Instead of delivering final episodes intrinsically character and story-driven, they can often give way to simply plugging a larger MCU narrative. In this occasion, I have thoroughly enjoyed the show so far and am excited for the two final episodes!

 

Moon Knight

 

Miguel: Moon Knight is really the ultimate example of Marvel Studios going bold and taking creative liberties. There is absolutely no way they could have made this movie seven years ago, and not just because of the zero connectivity it has to the rest of the MCU, or the representation that is going on behind and in front of the camera, but mostly because of the storytelling techniques the filmmakers were allowed to use.

 

Moon Knight makes full use of the television medium, not just to structure its overall story, but also each episode individually. They all feel self-contained, and they all add to the overall narrative. I still think it was a bit repetitive to have Steven fight with Marc over summoning the suit in episode 2 after the amazing ending of episode 1, but the Mr. Knight reveal was so awesome that I’ll forgive them for that. Every fight scene with Moon Knight was incredible to watch, and they definitely contributed to blurring the line between what can and cannot be done in television versus film.

 

But the series, at this point, is entirely defined by what happens in the second half of episode 4. I still contend the first half is amazing, but the second one is the real conversation starter. I’ve been very surprised to see for the last few days that most people aren’t convinced the reveal means this is all in Oscar Isaac’s head. I thought the twist was bold because it made it abundantly clear that this was all a figment of his imagination, and therefore rendered the entire series as completely separate from the MCU.

 

Of course, episode 4 wasn’t the season finale, so a lot can still happen, and there’s clearly more to the story. I am worried, though, because I don’t think any of the Marvel Disney Plus shows, animated and live-action, have really landed their ending. However, Moon Knight seems to be the series with the least amount of influence from the studio’s larger plans out of all of them, so I fully trust the creative team and am hoping for the best.

 

 

Come back tomorrow for an in-depth review of the next episode of Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight, which is reaching its season finale next week, on May 4.