What makes Moon Knight Moon Knight?, Just who is Layla?, And what is making Arthur Harrow Tick?. These questions and more will all be answered in Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight, an all-new, original, live-action series starring Oscar Isaac, Ethan Hawke, and May Calamawy. Debuting exclusively on Disney+ on March 30. Moon Knight is the latest calibre addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s lineup of superheroes and vigilantes.

Thanks to Disney+ Coastal House Media got to watch the first 4 episodes in advance and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before in the MCU. Throughout 1-4, Moon Knight is a supernatural spectacle that genre-bends themes and adds elements of archaeology, dark humour, and a psychological thriller. Moon Knight is also seeped into Egyptian culture and honours their mythology and society at the forefront, which I loved. All this creates an epic-scaled adventure.

Synopsis

The story follows Steven Grant, a mild-mannered man who lives a mundane life, plagued by blackouts and mysterious memories of a life somehow separate from his own. After one fateful encounter, Steven discovers that he has Dissociative Identity Disorder and shares a body with Marc Spector- a former mercenary and the ruthless avatar of Khonsu, the Egyptian god of the moon and vengeance. With their enemies converging upon them, Steven must learn how to adapt to this revelation and work with Marc. With other godly motives at play, the two must navigate their complex identities amid a deadly battle played out among the powerful gods of Egypt.

Review

REIMAGINED AS A SERIES

Like many Marvel superheroes before him, Moon Knight got his start in the comics as a guest in another character’s title series. Debuting in “Werewolf by Night” No.32 in 1975 written by Doug Moench and with art from Don Perlin. The first part of a two-issue story arc pitted the titular Werewolf against a mercenary who wore boots and gauntlets made of sliver, a hooded white cloak, and a crescent moon symbol on his chest. From his first appearance, Moon Knight was an anti-hero, Marc Spector/Moon Knight have continued their exploits on the pages of comic books for the past 47 years, and still counting.

During those years after his debut, Moon Knight appeared in the occasional team-up issues interacting with heroes such as Spider-Man and Daredevil. These comic books and being featured in the Marvel Spotlight story eventually got Moon Knight his solo series in 1980 with Moench and artist Bill Sienkiewicz headlining the comic’s creative team. here is where Spector’s backstory gets rewritten and expanded with the mercenary’s new roots vastly reaching to the deserts of Egypt. After an altercation with a fellow mercenary and eventual nemesis, Spector becomes wounded and left for dead, that is until he reaches the tomb of the Egyptian moon god, Khonshu. He awakens revived and fully healed and now with a new purpose becomes the fist of Khonshu- a knight for the vengeful god.

Along with the Moon Knight persona, Spector also adopts a couple of other identities to help serve his new god and defend the innocent. Starting with the titular character on which the series focuses is Steven Grant, a Jewish mild-mannered and utterly sincere guy who works at a gift shop at the British Museum. He’s been working at the museum for six months but isn’t aware of Marc or his condition which he believes is a sleeping disorder as seen during the trailers he calls a stay awake hotline and chains himself to the bed to not blackout again.

I can tell that throughout the first four episodes that Marvel studios have taken great care and excitement in bringing Moon Knight’s story to an episodic series. They’ve grounded the character and have utilised his comic book heritage by celebrating what makes him popular with the readers such as paying homage to his comic roots and embracing the supernatural, dark, and grittier aspects which help as the new series aims to show audiences a modern iteration of the character, with breaking new ground and exploring a Marvel Super Hero that we’ve never seen on screen before.

They’ve taken Moon Knight’s origin story, which is very much based on Egyptology and took him on a globe-trotting, thrilling adventure. At its heart the six-part series is designed as a mystery, who is Steven Grant, why does he keep dreaming about another life, and what happens when elements from those dreams start to invade his waking hours. Steven’s journey for answers leads him to a hidden world of gods and monsters, and a battle that could shape the future of the MCU. Moon Knight so far seems to be influenced by many classic adventure films such as Night at the Museum, Tomb Raider, and Indiana Jones. With these classics in mind, Marvel achieves the goal of telling a relentlessly entertaining story filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Mohamed Diab, a talented Egyptian auteur and now the first Arab director to release a Marvel project came to the studio’s attention with his 2016 Cannes selection opener “Clash”. Impressed with his vast sense of scope and scale, Diab directs episodes 101,103,105 and 106, episodes one and three being among my favourites. Diab is masterful at directing he’s able to craft a serialised story that is personal, showcasing a superhero who’s struggling with himself and his inner conflict. Diab also presents Egypt’s ancient heritage and modern culture freshly and authentically. Parts of Moon Knight are surreal yet grounded in reality which add to the intrigue and mystery.

MOON KNIGHT AND MENTAL HEALTH

Moon Knight dives into the concept of dreams and the blurred lines between what is real and imaginary. Throughout the series, you’ll no doubt question the concept of his experiences and his connection with Egyptian mythology. The comics have a long history of exploring mental health with sensitivity and depth and he never let his mental illness define him. The series doesn’t shy away from these elements and the darker aspects of the character are at the forefront. Steven/Marc are dealing with real-life relatable traumas and Isaac portrays an honest depiction of what Dissociative Identity Disorder is, and shows what a lot of people have to deal with. It’s depicted more as authenticity rather than just being a story plot device.

As I previously mentioned, Moon Knight is depicted as a mystery, the audience will know as little as Steven does, and like him are swept along on this journey and are kept in the dark on what is real and what is not. You empathise with Steven as you watch the action unfold from his perspective, it makes you feel what it’s like to have all these voices and wild things happening to him.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Marc Spector is the total opposite of Steven grant, he a former mercenary and now the brutal avatar of Khonshu. As Marc and Steven’s separate lives collide, Steven is forced to come to grips with the fact that he’s also being used by the Egyptian god such as his alter-ego of Mr Knight. Armed with Steven’s knowledge of the ancient Egyptian world, Mr Knight helps to complement Moon Knight as his approach to conflict is using his wits and puzzle-solving.

Moon Knight features an exceptional performance from Oscar Isaac who can switch effortlessly between torment and British humour as he battles between these two personalities. He understands each character and his performance is like watching two drastically different people who unfortunately share the same body.

Khonshu, (who has become my favourite character from the series) is a CGI performance captured character voiced by Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham. Khonshu is the Egyptian god of the moon and the self-appointed god of vengeance, he has walked the earth for centuries waging a one-god war on perceived injustices. However his actions have made him an outcast among his fellow gods, and as a result, Khonshu now needs his earthly avatar, Marc Spector, now more than ever if he is to continue to enact his version of divine justice.

Everything Konshu is asking for is sometimes very brutal and hard for both Steven and Marc. Their relationship and the struggle for control showcase that the abilities Khonshu have given him come with a very, very high price.

Going against Marc/Steven and Khonshu is Ethan Hawke in his first foray into the MCU. He plays nefarious, philosophical, religious zealot Arthur Harrow a cult-like leader who is no stranger to this deceptive world of gods and avatars as he seamlessly manoeuvres his way through it to wage a war against Moon Knight and Khonshu.

May Calamawy is a force of strength as Layla El-Faouly, an archaeologist and adventurer who knows Marc Spector well. Layla finds herself unintentionally dragged into Marc’s troubling and dangerous existence, as both must put their difference aside and forge a new relationship if they are to survive the battle ahead.

MAKING MOON KNIGHT

The cinematography and production designs are simply flawless throughout the four episodes I’ve seen. The details and visuals are mesmerising and some even lead to fantastic mind-bending sequences which truly lends themselves to the horror genre. Production was adamant about reflecting Ancient Egypt with much precision as possible by working collaboratively with Egyptologists to make sure that the designs authentically represented the period.

With large scale practical sets on soundstages filming in Budapest, Hungary began with a large production of 10 stages totalling 195,000 square feet and 10 acres of the backlot. Construction on the sets was a massive undertaking. The museum scenes required the production team to create an entirely new Egyptian exhibit from scratch, filling the museum’s hall with hand-built columns, displays and even a brand new fully stocked gift shop.

Steven’s apartment gives the idea that he lives in an attic to reflect the pyramids. His eclectic apartment has many books, historical artefacts, maps, and his goldfish Gus. Books divide any open space.

Costume designer, Meghan Kasperlik approached looking at the history of the gods, life practices and Ancient Egypt burials and how the culture could be modified and modernised to work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Steven reflects the coolness of Brixton whilst Marc sports a desert look with a tactical, utilitarian costume all elements of clothing foreshadows Moon Knight.

Speaking of Moon Knight his costume features his armoured chest piece which is very distinctive. It’s embedded with Khonshu’s name in hieroglyphs along with a full moon that is centred along the crescent blade. Knee pads are built into his costume along with more hieroglyphs flowing throughout his outfit inscribing Khonshu’s oath.

Mr Knight dons a custom-made three-piece suit which is certainly comics accurate.

Aside from being Marvel Studios’ first Disney+ series focusing entirely on a new superhero, Moon Knight is set to be much darker and more violent than its predecessors. So far the Marvel Cinematic Universe on the streaming service has offered us a sitcom-infused mystery, action and adventure, a multiversal story, an animated anthology, and a six-part Christmas special.

VERDICT

I’m so ready for Moon Knight to dominate your screens, it’s rooted in culture and brings a new era of the Supernatural to the MCU. It’s more mature and they’re not pulling back, there’s a tonal shift that features brutal and loud reactions. With spectacular visuals, a phenomenal score by Hesham Nazih, and story-focused world-building. Moon Knight has a chance to lead the MCU in an exciting new way that feels distinct from what came before.

Embrace the chaos on March 30 on Disney+