Review: Spider-Noir recaptures the magic of a bygone era

The catch: Those superpowers are slowly killing them. Faced with a sharply truncated lifespan, Sandman, Tombstone, and Megawatt find themselves recruited by Silvermane to shore up the mobster’s political clout by terrorizing the city. Only The Spider can challenge them—if Ben can be cajoled into picking up the mantle once again. Add in a romantic distraction in the comely form of sultry lounge singer Cat Hardy (Li Jun Li), and all the requisite elements of classic noir are in place. Morris’s Robbie impersonating The Spider in a crucial scene is hilariously on point. Another standout: Andrew Lewis Caldwell’s portrayal of Leyden/Megawatt, a frustrated actor with a penchant for spouting Shakespeare as he zaps away. The character could have just been a campy caricature in lesser hands. And yes, that’s Lukas Haas, who played the little Amish boy in 1985’s Witness, as Silvermane’s menacing henchman Winston. You can watch Spider-Noir in black and white or color—and it’s not just a clever marketing gimmick. The footage was shot digitally and processed separately rather than being shot in one format and then converted to the other, so both versions look fantastic. Each version also subtly alters the overall tone and texture of the series. The black-and-white version beautifully evokes Old Hollywood noir films from the 1940s. The team coined the term “True Hue” for the color format, since the intent was to create something supersaturated, akin to classic Technicolor. Cage has compared the feel to the 1944 Edward Hopper painting Nighthawks, but it also has a vintage comic-strip quality that perfectly suits the show’s origins. I give the black-and-white version the edge, although it doesn’t do justice to Cat’s lustrous evening gowns. Your mileage may vary. However, the brilliant opening credits are entirely in black and white regardless of which version you watch. Artistically, it was the right choice, especially when paired with a killer original tune penned specifically for the series: “Saving Grace,” featuring Kirby. Why does Spider-Noir succeed when so many other superhero spinoff series have been disappointing? Perhaps it’s because there was no pressure to fit the series into a bigger multiverse story arc. Executive Producer Chris Miller has said there was no intention to create a “giant web of interconnected series,” Miller added. “It’s just its own little jewel of a story.” There’s no word yet on whether Spider-Noir will get a second season, but I would be keen to see a shiny new standalone story for our reluctant hero. There’s nothing wrong with “one and done,” though, when that one season is pretty much flawless. Spider-Noir is now streaming on Prime Video, in both black and white and True Hue.