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A Review of “Moon Knight (2022)”

 

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Moon Knight is the first Marvel Disney+ show that is not based on an existing MCU character. I have no knowledge of this character apart from his split personality aspect. However, that alone made me very interested to watch this. So does Moon Knight shine or should it have stayed in the shadow?

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Firstly, Oscar Isaac is phenomenal as the titular character. Due to the split personality element, he ends up playing multiple individuals and it is just captivating to watch. There are scenes where he is just talking to himself and let’s just say he has great chemistry with himself for sure! There are also some emotional moments that Oscar delivers perfectly. This might genuinely be one of Oscar’s best performances yet. May Calamawy plays Layla, the love interest, and she is great opposite the amazing Oscar which is quite a feat. I especially love her interactions with the “Steven” personality which is just very sweet. Ethan Hawke plays the villain Arthur Harrow and he delivers a very unsettling but not over the top villainous performance. He is a cult leader but you could see why someone like him might be able to convince people to believe in his cause and that is all down to Ethan’s performance.

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Additionally, the story and characters are all very engaging. I love how it just puts us in the middle of it with Moon Knight already being a superhero instead of being a generic origin story. Having the story be more focused on the POV of Steven who knows nothing, makes the show feel more like a mystery. I also appreciate how the show explores darker themes than what you would expect from the MCU property. The music score by Hesham Nazih is absolutely amazing. He brings this Egyptian authenticity that sets the score apart from other MCU properties. The beautiful score makes Egypt come to life and makes every scene feel tenser as well. The cinematography and visuals were quite stunning as well. There is a scene in episode 3 that sticks in my mind but it was a scene with the sky that is just gorgeous. The action scenes are also pretty enjoyable to watch when they do appear but there isn’t a lot of it.

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However, I’m not very clear on what Moon Knight’s power and abilities are. The action scenes show some things but I’m not entirely sure about his skill sets and why being the “Moon Knight” is special because he is mostly just fighting normal individuals. It also has the same issues that a fair amount of the MCU live-action shows have and that is a disappointing finale. The final episode is incredibly rushed in wrapping up the relevant plot threads and it results in an unsatisfying ending. This series really needed at least 1 or 2 more episodes.

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Overall, Moon Knight was a pleasant surprise. I am glad Marvel is making the wider audience more aware of their less iconic heroes. Despite still having the same issues as other MCU Disney+ shows, it still manages to be an engaging superhero story. I can’t wait to see where Moon Knight will be next whether it is a season 2 or other MCU properties.


 

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