“Moon Knight”: Oscar Isaac in a deep identity crisis surrounded by a lot of action

The most interesting thing about the Marvel characters that started with the series titles for Disney+ was that they brought the “secondaries” of the films to further open the field of action and get into minimal stories and then connect them into what is now the multiverse (central axis of phase 4). There was also a bit of a crisis-opportunity, as they accelerated the production process of them taking advantage of the fact that people were at home all day. With Moon Knight, all that breaks down and opens a new stage in Marvel: introducing characters in the series and then adding them to the list of the Avengers (or the universe of movies, something like a promotion). But it's not going to be that easy because this is not an easy character.

Steven Grant, played by Oscar Isaac, is a correct and efficient employee who works in a museum's gift shop. But in the same body also inhabits Marc Spector, an efficient ex-mercenary and body-vessel of an Egyptian god who seeks to impregnate the world with justice. They are two opposing halves fighting for control, but also complementary. One is the brain, peace and innocence, the other is strength, chaos and war. But they will discover that in a few chapters.

After watching the four episodes that Disney+ brought to the press, something is clear: the development of all the action scenes and the most superheroic part is well executed and with the bonus of trying to figure out who is in control or who will take control in a given situation, since it depends on who it is, Steven or Mark, the conflict will be resolved differently. The other line of conflict is the psychological drama of this character and that is where he becomes much more adult and coiled. To that we must add a villain that is much more interesting because of his past, present and business model: Arthur Harrow, played by Ethan Hawke, the leader of a cult-like group that wants to find an artifact he imagines, is in the possession of Steven/Marc.

Oscar Isaac doesn't have to prove anything as one of the best actors of his generation. Choose products that can be a constant challenge, from a Marvel hero to an ordinary man in the midst of a marriage crisis. He understands the game of Hollywood. But here he took on a greater challenge: his character has a dissociative identity disorder, an exercise that involves elaborating and developing almost two identities in parallel, but to that we must add his superheroic versions: Marc's is Moon Knight, while Steven begins to develop Mr. Night's Day. The result is fine, but at times with little development time, since the series needs to present a higher conflict surrounded by action and with a huge amount of elements that causes Isaac's performance to be lost, above all,.

But the rest of the actions carry out a balance sheet. Both Hawke's villain and Layla El-Faouly, played by May Calamawy, ensure that Isaac does not take an overwhelming role and work, more than ever, as supporting characters, as well as developing their own stories. Murray Abraham, the award-winning actor who gives Khonshu the voice, also has his weight in the story and his appearance functions as the most mystical and interesting moment of the first chapters. It is a small cast, beyond the different appearances it has, but most Marvel series execute this dynamic. It also works here to contain Isaac's protagonist.

Regarding Moon Knight, the central character of this story that we will surely see again later, has a history of more than 40 years in the Marvel vignettes. It is the Fist of Khonshu, the Egyptian god that exhibits a new and wide thematic universe to be explored and that adheres to the MCU without a concrete and concise presentation, it will only be learned along the way and literally by the blows (received by Steven and Marc). And I think that was the right decision of the series. The discovery of this mythology, not real Egyptian but Marvel's Egyptian mythology, occurs naturally throughout the conflict. It is not something that we should assimilate as spectators besides all the complexity that Isaac's character carries. And as we will discover it with Steven (powers, other gods and an old story with the villain), his presentation does not feel so heavy.

Moon Knight starts something sloppy. A first chapter without a balance that is then put together in chapter two and three. It develops as a psychological thriller, then progresses along the horror side (the most interesting aspect in the first two episodes) and ends close to Brendan Fraser's The Mummy saga, among adventures, humor, lots of special effects and lots of sand. Logical by the locations and theme of the series, but, in that instance, the hero is lost. We rarely see that interesting Moon Knight design and all its features. Maybe it'll get better in the last two episodes.

In short, the first season (actually the first four chapters) of Moon Knight features interesting elements all over the place. At times very well executed and at others quite crowded. Without reaching the end of the series, Marvel restarts a character in the MCU rich in its own story, addictive because of that mixture of action, horror and humor, with deep conflicts and action elements that look very cute, but that serve more of a promise than will come in a second season and the reunion with other heroes.

Moon Knight premiered this week on Disney+.

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