Like many other Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, I have little to no experience with the character of Moon Knight. To keep this ignorance up for the release of Marvel’s newest mini-series I intentionally stayed away from any “character explanations” or “origin stories” of a minor character. Honestly, I was happy to do so and learn what the creators of Moon Knight had to offer the MCU. Right now I believe it is off to a promising start.

The story follows Stephen Grant (Oscar Issac) who seems like a paranoid person at first. He wears ankles cuffs to bed and tapes his door while he’s asleep. Stephen works in the gift shop of an Egyptian museum and seems to be wanting to lead tours. Once the episode progresses, we see Stephenblacking out and finding himself in the Swiss Alps, with a mysterious voice telling him “to go back to sleep“. This is where I found the tone of the show to be rather unbalanced.

Moon Knight set up a darker tone but didn’t commit when it mattered most. A great example of this is when Stephenis running from a cult’s army led by Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke). Stephen is scared and anxious, trying to blend in. He watches a woman “be judged” by Arthur. She is deemed unworthy and is killed right then and there. He then finds himself being called on by Arthurand is called a mercenary. At this point, the audience is just as confused as our protagonist which leads to some intrigue.

However, all tension was broken when Stephen played “keep away” from Arthur. Things also take a turn when Stephen brutally kills 5 or so people, steals a truck and participates in the worst chase scene since the 3rd episode of Book of Boba Fett to the tune of Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go”. All of this, alongside Marvel’s signature poorly-timed humor causes all intensity to be lost among the audience.

Moon Knight’s first episode “The Goldfish Problem” was directed by Mohamed Diab, who I felt did a serviceable job with this first episode. The shots were clear and concise and Oscar Isaac’s performance had just the right balance of socially awkward and relatable moments to make for a charming protagonist. Even when Isaac was acting opposite some extremely poor CGI.

However, Moon Knight’s biggest compliment is how it stays away from the already established MCU. The MCU as of late has been hit or miss with most of the TV outings being a big disappointment and a waste of time and potential. I specifically am referring to Loki and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which I did not enjoy. Moon Knight wisely steps away to center itself on its character and story.

In this first episode, there were no cameos or references to other MCU events, which I appreciated. It felt like a breath of fresh air not to be bogged down by over ten years of stories. As a pilot “The Goldfish Problem” was a promising one. However, it may have been held back from greatness with a slow pace, inconsistent tone, and generic cinematography. All that considered, it sets up an interesting protagonist with a new interesting character.

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Moon Knight

7

Score

7.0/10

Pros

• Great Performances
• Intriguing New Hero
• Stands Apart from the MCU

Cons

• Tone is uneaven
• Feels very familiar at times