[7.3/10] We’ve reached the point in the MCU where even superhero story fans like me know little about the champions who take center stage in the various new movies and shows. I know Moonlight the faintest little bit from, of all things, Marvel’s recent Spider-Man cartoon, but otherwise he’s a big blindspot for yours truly. It’s interesting walking into one of these shows almost completely blind for the first time.
And if I didn’t know this was a superhero show, I’d suspect it was a horror movie or psychological thriller. Some of what “Dissociation” presents is fairly generic. There’s a mysterious villain type, and a put upon everyman, and some cryptic evil lurking just beyond the frame. But there’s also something distinctive about the setup.
I like the “lost time” conceit. Steven blanking out in key moments, finding he’s been gone for days, made dates he doesn’t remember, finding his jaw dislocated, is creepy in a cool way. Likewise, while it seems like an easy way to save on action choreography, I also appreciate the notion of him blacking out in the midst of moments where he needs to be a badass, waking back up to find himself in impossible situations. It’s an odd comparison, I’ll admit, but there’s a North by Northwest quality to it of an ordinary guy caught in an extraordinary situation.
Likewise, I appreciate the hints we get of Marc steadily putting his head above water to assume control. The recurring motif of mirrors and reflections that are just a touch off adds to the creep factor of the piece. And hearing the voice of the (presumably) Egyptian god speaking to Steven from the beyond is both unnerving and fun.
I take it as a pretty unavoidable part of the character, but the Egyptology bent is a little overblown. There’s a cool cultural angle there, but for the most part, the show hits some key bits of iconography and calls it a day. It is cool to see the protagonist running around the British museum. The collection of antiquity setting adds a certain flavor to the proceedings.
That said, the CGI here is a bit rough. While the image of the Egyptian god whose scepter just so happens to match Moon Knight’s symbol works well enough in brief glimpses, the more extended visions we get of demon hounds and the like feel too artificial and move without the right sort of weight. Likewise, when we finally see Moon Knight in action, the design and presentation is a little too Snyder-esque for my tastes, but I’ll have to see more of it in action.
All that said, I appreciate how much of this rests on Oscar Isaac’s considerable talents in the early going. Steven is an unusual character for him, more put-upon, less confident, more of a nebbish than I’ve ever seen the actor take on. Marc seems more in his usual wheelhouse, but it’s fun to see Isaac inhabit a role that feels real and recognizable, but outside of his usual on-screen persona.
Ethan Hawke as the judgy servant of a bad god didn’t do much for me in terms of how the character’s written, but Hawke does a solid job as a performer. And you can’t go wrong with F. Murray Abraham as the voice inside your main character’s head.
To that end, the first episode of Moon Knight feels a little like past Marvel flicks (albeit ones made by Sony), with analogues to Eddie Brock in Venom and Norman Osborn in the 2002 Spider-Man movie. The internal dialogue, sense of some other force taking over, and sign of something amiss the protagonist can’t quite put his finger on abides. There’s room to distinguish, particularly since Steven is a lot less self-possessed than either of those other two characters, but longtime cape fans will recognize the archetype.
Overall, this one has potential, particularly given the talent involved and the eeriness of the premise. But in this opening salvo at least, the show is perfectly solid but doesn’t do much to wow you as it sets the table for the season to come.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2022-03-30T17:39:52Z
[7.3/10] We’ve reached the point in the MCU where even superhero story fans like me know little about the champions who take center stage in the various new movies and shows. I know Moonlight the faintest little bit from, of all things, Marvel’s recent Spider-Man cartoon, but otherwise he’s a big blindspot for yours truly. It’s interesting walking into one of these shows almost completely blind for the first time.
And if I didn’t know this was a superhero show, I’d suspect it was a horror movie or psychological thriller. Some of what “Dissociation” presents is fairly generic. There’s a mysterious villain type, and a put upon everyman, and some cryptic evil lurking just beyond the frame. But there’s also something distinctive about the setup.
I like the “lost time” conceit. Steven blanking out in key moments, finding he’s been gone for days, made dates he doesn’t remember, finding his jaw dislocated, is creepy in a cool way. Likewise, while it seems like an easy way to save on action choreography, I also appreciate the notion of him blacking out in the midst of moments where he needs to be a badass, waking back up to find himself in impossible situations. It’s an odd comparison, I’ll admit, but there’s a North by Northwest quality to it of an ordinary guy caught in an extraordinary situation.
Likewise, I appreciate the hints we get of Marc steadily putting his head above water to assume control. The recurring motif of mirrors and reflections that are just a touch off adds to the creep factor of the piece. And hearing the voice of the (presumably) Egyptian god speaking to Steven from the beyond is both unnerving and fun.
I take it as a pretty unavoidable part of the character, but the Egyptology bent is a little overblown. There’s a cool cultural angle there, but for the most part, the show hits some key bits of iconography and calls it a day. It is cool to see the protagonist running around the British museum. The collection of antiquity setting adds a certain flavor to the proceedings.
That said, the CGI here is a bit rough. While the image of the Egyptian god whose scepter just so happens to match Moon Knight’s symbol works well enough in brief glimpses, the more extended visions we get of demon hounds and the like feel too artificial and move without the right sort of weight. Likewise, when we finally see Moon Knight in action, the design and presentation is a little too Snyder-esque for my tastes, but I’ll have to see more of it in action.
All that said, I appreciate how much of this rests on Oscar Isaac’s considerable talents in the early going. Steven is an unusual character for him, more put-upon, less confident, more of a nebbish than I’ve ever seen the actor take on. Marc seems more in his usual wheelhouse, but it’s fun to see Isaac inhabit a role that feels real and recognizable, but outside of his usual on-screen persona.
Ethan Hawke as the judgy servant of a bad god didn’t do much for me in terms of how the character’s written, but Hawke does a solid job as a performer. And you can’t go wrong with F. Murray Abraham as the voice inside your main character’s head.
To that end, the first episode of Moon Knight feels a little like past Marvel flicks (albeit ones made by Sony), with analogues to Eddie Brock in Venom and Norman Osborn in the 2002 Spider-Man movie. The internal dialogue, sense of some other force taking over, and sign of something amiss the protagonist can’t quite put his finger on abides. There’s room to distinguish, particularly since Steven is a lot less self-possessed than either of those other two characters, but longtime cape fans will recognize the archetype.
Overall, this one has potential, particularly given the talent involved and the eeriness of the premise. But in this opening salvo at least, the show is perfectly solid but doesn’t do much to wow you as it sets the table for the season to come.