- It’s hard to imagine a better way to end the month of March than with Marvel and Disney+’s newest series, Moon Knight, premiering on Wednesday, March 30. Last week, the first four episodes of Cosmic Circus were shown to me, Brian Kitson, and Anthony Flagg, two of my colleagues writers (linked at the end). The Marvel series starring Oscar Isaac has pleased all three of us so far, to say the least.
- Moon Knight’s debut episode was one of the best of any Marvel series to date, as I’ve noted in several of my “first impressions” postings. We’re thrust into Steven Grant’s world, where we learn about his memory problems, mental health, and night terrors. The situation worsens as Steven becomes convinced that he is being chased by a monstrous thing, all the while getting in the way of Arthur Harrow’s schemes, who is both charming and menacing.
- There were several characters for Oscar Isaac to play in this series, all of which he excelled at. Steven Grant and Marc Spector are the two primary personas we see from him in the first four episodes, and they could not be more dissimilar.
- Despite Khonshu’s protestations, Steven Grant has become one of my new favourite Marvel characters. Viewers are likely to fall in love with him right away since he’s so lovable. As the episodes went, I could clearly discern a distinct character journey for him that was distinct from Marc’s. In the future, I’d want to see more of this character in action. It’s understandable that Marc Spector fans would be startled by how little they see of him in the first few episodes of Steven vs. Marc, but rest assured that this is all part of the story’s setup, as well as the introduction of The Moon Knight. Be patient; it will all work out in the end. He’ll be here soon.
- We’ve learned to anticipate Marvel’s action scenes and battles to be of the highest calibre. Depending on who was performing the fighting, there was a great combination of physicality and comedy. Once again Oscar Isaac deserves commendation, coupled with his interpretation of a third personality at a surprise moment that I will not disclose. Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic piece of work. When you hear it, you’ll know it’s there.
- It’s not until the latter episodes when Layla’s courage, her sadness, and her strength come to light that May Calamawy’s performance as Layla is really amazing. There are some signs that Layla may not be what she seems to be, which intrigues me. To see whether she has any more surprises in store for the audience, as well as Marc and Steven, is something I’m eagerly anticipating.
- Toward the end of the third and fourth episodes, Layla Calamawy reminded me of Rachel Weisz in The Mummy. It’s not by chance that there are parts of the film that have an Indiana Jones or The Mummy vibe to them.
- Slowly revealed in the fourth episode, there’s even a “Oh… I know what that means!” from certain ancient history geeks, such as me. I hope that if the show is renewed for a second season, they continue to explore ancient history, since it is a fascinating topic and has tremendous potential for many exciting stories.
- Even though Khonshu’s voice has been given to F. Murray Abraham, he’s not the only one who deserves praise for his performance. Despite his strange and at times terrifying appearance, he’s done an excellent job. In addition to learning more about Khonshu’s goals and history, he is also developing into an intriguing character. In the same vein as Steven’s journey, I’m glad to see he’s getting his own arc in the show. As opposed to just being employed as a CGI gimmick character with no real function other than that.
- All four of the first four episodes were excellent, and they had me guessing throughout. I’m looking forward to going back and re-watching the episodes to see what I missed the first time around and to see where the storey goes from here. There is no question in my opinion that WandaVision has been surpassed by the fourth episode, and I have no doubt that this is only the beginning. Toward the end of this episode, there is a “What the hell just happened?” moment I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks. A huge cliffhanger and ramifications for Marc and Steven’s universe are set up in this episode as well, and I’m sure that once it airs, fans will go crazy with their speculations.
