Is Marvel’s Moon Knight the best tv show yet on Disney plus? 

Marvel Moon Knight promotional post, found in google creative commons seciton

by Jon Donohue, assistant editor

Exhilarating, hilarious and surprising. These are three words that I would use to describe Marvel’s series Moon Knight. A character by the name of Steven Grant was welcomed with open arms by MCU fans. The storytelling from the first episode to the last was full of energy and excitement, and the fun addition of ancient Egyptian gods brought new flavor to the story. The show delivered on all accounts, but the standout performance of Oscar Isaac carried the series without a doubt. 

To begin, Isaac’s portrayal of Grant was brilliant. Not only did he portray Grant, but Marc Spector as well. Spector and Grant, two different consciousnesses, share one body. There is a fun exchange between the two throughout the series as either of them want control, but only one can control at a time.  Isaac gives an amazing performance of both characters and showcases their similarities and differences in a dramatic fashion. Grant is more jittery and nervous all the time, while Spector is much more calm and collected. The raw emotion is incredibly realistic and puts into perspective what Grant is struggling with over the course of the series. It helps the audience to see his pure confusion as to  why all these bad things are happening to him. He has absolutely no clue what is going on, and even the audience hardly knows what is going on either. Also, the divide between Grant and Spector is visible. There is no effort on the viewer's part to differentiate between the two. While they look the same, they are two different people. Isaac does a flawless job of perfecting both characters.

The first episode begins with Grant simply going about his life, and it almost feels as if time is moving without him, because it might be, literally. Moments in his life just are not adding up, and there is no clear explanation for what is happening and why. The mystery is exhilarating, and it keeps the audience glued to their seats throughout the episode. There is one moment where he is talking to a man who is upset with him. The cuts show Grant, right there and in control, and the screen gets blurrier and blurrier till it looks like he passes out. They also use audio that makes it sound like he is losing control and someone else is almost taking his body, like he is being abducted. And then all of the sudden the camera zooms back out, he wakes back up, and there are three dead bodies all around him and his hands are covered in blood. Isaac does an amazing job portraying the confusion on his face in a realistic manner. 

As the show proceeds, the pieces begin to fall into place. But Marvel pulls the rug out from the audience's feet with a jaw dropping reveal, right at the moment when you think the story is coming together. I was utterly shocked going into the final two episodes, because everything that I had previously known seemed to be thrown out the window. The deck reshuffled itself. Even in the final scene of the show I still have so many questions on what went down. Marvel left us on a massive cliffhanger for this one, and I loved every second of it. 

The ancient Egyptian gods were also really fascinating to me. It was a new culture that Marvel introduced into the MCU, and any time they incorporate new culture or history, it gives some new flavor to the viewing experience. The concepts of the gods and the  influence they have on Earth played an important factor over the course of the series. 

To be brief, all of the ins and outs were captivating and interesting. From the mysterious performances to the surprising storytelling, it is apparent that there was plenty of care put into the project. Isaac showcased his amazing skills as an actor in not only one but two main roles in the series. Another comic book character, in a fantastic fashion, jumped onto the big screen and caught the love of MCU fans in fantastic fashion. I cannot wait to see Moon Knight again in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, hopefully on the big screen, because I know whatever film he might end up in, it is going to be great.

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