TV Review: Moon Knight

We live in a pretty crazy time, when it comes to television series. It feels like there’s always something new coming out that I really want to see, and if I miss out on one show, then there’s a good chance I won’t get back to it, just because there are so many other things coming down the pipeline. I’m not really complaining; having a wealth of riches is a problem you like to have. But one of the consequences of this is that I tend to rely on word of mouth when it comes to deciding what I want to spend my time on. If I hear enough good things, I watch. If the buzz turns sour, I avoid.

Moon Knight was a show I’d been looking forward to. I’ve enjoyed the other Marvel offerings on Disney+ so far, so why wouldn’t I give this one a shot? Except then I heard some decidedly bad things about the show. It had been billed as being grittier than the other Disney Marvel shows, and fans were loudly decrying that claim. To listen to some of the loudest, the show was too tame, with bad special effects, and a boring plot.

Seeing as how I had some issues with some of the Book of Boba Fett’s pacing and story choices, this buzz around Moon Knight was definitely believable. For a while, I debated even watching the show at all, but I finally decided to go for it, and we watched it with Tomas and Daniela.

I’m very glad we did. I enjoyed it from start to finish, and I have no real complaints about the show. The effects were great, the story was strong and mysterious, and the acting was top notch. It wasn’t hyper violent or anything. In line with most Marvel movies, really. Perhaps it got some people’s expectations to go in a certain way, and when it didn’t do that, there was a backlash.

It’s basically the Egyptian flavored Marvel movie. Thor among the pyramids, though that’s not really accurate at all. The show runs in part on mystery, so I don’t really want to talk about the plot too much. Oscar Isaac plays a down on his luck museum gift store attendant. He loves the exhibits on ancient Egypt, but he doesn’t have the qualifications to work outside the gift shop. Also, he’s been having issues sleep walking . . .

Isaac does a really great job in the show, and watching him navigate the hand that’s dealt to him was one of the best things about it. Overall, I gave it an 7.5/10. It tends to suffer from Marvel-itis, a disease similar to Pixar-itis. When a company has a lot of experience making good, solid shows and movies, you stop really being able to appreciate just how good the shows and movies are.

So why all the hate on the show? Some of it is likely because some people were expecting over the top violence and were disappointed, but I think another significant part of it is that the show actually tries to break Marvel into some more diverse casting and locations. Other than Black Panther.

It’s sad and depressing, but it seems like there are some very vocal pockets of fandom that are dead set against diversity. Any attempts to diversify a franchise are met with cries of derision and outrage. Black characters in Star Wars? How dare they! A black Heimdall? Sacrilege! And then there’s the following Twitter screeds and social media attacks on the actors behind those portrayals. The hissy fit some people had over Rose in The Last Jedi is just ridiculous.

In the end, I’d say give the show a shot if you like Marvel. It’s only 6 episodes long, and it’s a fun ride. Don’t listen to the naysayers, and just enjoy yourself.

Isn’t that what pop culture is all about?

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