A former U.S. Marine, struggling with dissociative identity disorder, is granted the powers of an Egyptian moon god. But he soon finds out that these newfound powers can be both a blessing and a curse to his troubled life.
I always felt like Oscar Isaac was left out of the new Star Wars films. The narrative always seemed to focus more on Finn and Rey while he just tagged along, with nothing beneficial or constructive bestowed upon his character. And that is a shame because, with the right script and director, he can deliver the goods; watch “Ex Machina,” “A Most Violent Year,” and “Inside Llewyn Davis” for proof of his versatility. Thankfully, “Moon Knight” places Isaac front and center and recognizes his talent, allowing him to run with it.
Isaac plays Marc Spector, an American mercenary who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorder. One of his identities, Steven Grant, is a mild-mannered Englishman who works in a gift shop at the Museum of Fine Arts in London. When Steven progressively finds himself in far-off lands under the guise of an alter ego, Marc Spector, killing bad guys in droves, he originally disregards his experiences as dreams; intricate, unambiguous dreams but he soon discovers they are not dreams, but, in fact, real-life experiences.
When he receives a mysterious phone call from an American woman who calls herself Layla (May Calamawy), who also states she is his wife, Steven begins to come unglued. It’s only when he has a conversation with his alter ego, Marc, in a reflection, which is the only way they can communicate with each other, that he begins to understand his situation, realizing that the two identities can coexist together with Steven being the brains and Marc the muscle. Marc is an avatar for Khonshu, one of the Gods of Celestial Heliopolis, worshiped by the ancient Egyptians. He is trying to stop Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke), a religious zealot, from resurrecting for his own nefarious needs, the Egyptian goddess Ammit. She devours the souls of the unworthy in the afterlife.
Steven finally meets Layla and explains his predicament to her, and although she is initially skeptical, when Marc appears as Moon Knight, his alternate superhero identity, complete with his white Carbonadium Armored Vestment, and confirms what Steven said, she has no choice but to believe them, and they set off for Egypt to the Great Pyramid at Giza with the intent of stopping Harrow from resurrecting Ammit from within the walls of the ancient monolithic structure.
“Moon Knight” is comparable to Marvel’s other TV shows such as “Daredevil,” “Luke Cage,” and especially “The Punisher,” the action and violence can be quite brutal but never too gruesome. Oscar Isaac is effective in playing the show’s titular character and his dual personality and can switch from serious to compassionate in the blink of an eye. He owns this series, and it’s about time. Before watching this, I knew nothing of Moon Knight but immediately took to the character(s). I thoroughly enjoyed “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” because it was the first time a Marvel movie focused on Asian folklore and mythology, and here, the show centers on ancient Egyptian gods and deities and the mythos that surrounded them, another first for Marvel.
“Moon Knight” will appeal to the masses because it takes them in a completely new direction than what they have previously experienced within the Marvel Cinematic or Television Universe, and that’s a good thing. Adding a protagonist that is part hero, part anti-hero, makes for interesting viewing and is a character I could easily see being added to the MCU. If you are a fan of the “Moon Knight” comics, I think you’ll have a blast with its TV iteration.
“Moon Knight” will air weekly on Disney+ beginning March 30th
