Spider-Noir First Reviews: A Bold, Beautiful Experiment Led by a Gonzo Nic Cage Performance

Nicolas Cage stars in the new live-action Prime Video and MGM+ series Spider-Noir, which begins streaming later this month. The first reviews of the live-action show, based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man Noir, are out now and are mostly positive. Combining a superhero story with the detective genre, Spider-Noir is said to be tonally effective, surprisingly funny, and a fresh and original entertainment for fans of Spidey, film noir, and especially Cage at his most over-the-top. Here’s what critics are saying about Spider-Noir: Is this another must-see superhero show? Spider-Noir stands out in an oversaturated superhero landscape.— Ernesto Valenzuela, Discussing Film Spider-Noir is one of the most exciting and creatively fertile superhero works to be released in the last couple years.— Bill Bria, Slashfilm Spider-Noir is a work of art, and I absolutely loved it… [It’s] unlike almost anything you’ve seen before.— Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review Simply put, the series is different than almost anything on streaming or network television.— M.N. Miller, Geek Vibes Nation A bold experiment that breathes fresh, cynical life into a crowded superhero landscape, hooking audiences from its very first shadow-drenched frame.— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin It’s a stand-alone tale of spectacular proportions.— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast Spider-Noir is a lackluster, repetitive retelling of the same old vigilante tale audiences have seen time and time again.— Aramide Tinubu, Variety (Photo by Prime Video) Does it rank among the year’s best television? Spider-Noir is the year’s top TV treat so far… All television should be this much, well-done fun.— Bob Strauss, TheWrap Spider-Noir is one of the best Marvel series to come out in a long time.— Sarah Fields, Tell-Tale TV What if we’re skeptical? If you have any doubts about whether an entire show about this iteration of the wall-crawler can work, cast them aside now because Spider-Noir is genuinely fantastic.— Ernesto Valenzuela, Discussing Film Anyone expecting executive producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller to put their stamp on Prime Video’s new streaming series Spider-Noir will be sorely disappointed… That’s not to say Spider-Noir doesn’t work on its own terms, with a distinct style and tone.— M.N. Miller, Geek Vibes Nation It may not be for everyone, especially for hardcore comic fans expecting something much grittier.— Aidan Kelley, Collider Does it feel like a Spider-Man series? Spider-Noir captures the spirit of Marvel’s friendly neighborhood web-slinger while reimagining him in distinctly hardboiled fashion.— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast Cage and the rest of the team not only thrive within the genre’s constructs but also stay true to what makes Spider-Man such a beloved hero in the first place.— Ernesto Valenzuela, Discussing Film It may not prove that Spider-Man is ready to be shoehorned into a Southern Gothic or Italian neorealist series, but it does show that he’s flexible enough to survive a bizarre genre transplant, as long as his core emotions — guilt, responsibility, and loss — are woven into the web.— Mark Keizer, MovieWeb There are periods where you forget that it’s a Marvel project altogether, with Cage spending more time as Reilly than his vigilante alter-ego.— David Craig, Radio Times (Photo by Aaron Epstein/Prime Video) Will it also work for fans of film noir? It channels its detective-story ancestors with a self-conscious wink that oozes playful admiration.— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast Thankfully, the show isn’t weighed down by the gloom that comes with the noir genre… The bombastic action scenes and spectacle on display don’t detract from the noir underpinnings.— Ernesto Valenzuela, Discussing Film Cineastes will have equal fun spotting the show’s Hollywood influences and tributes, from an entire episode that recalls mad doctor B movies to a Lady from Shanghai mirror-shattering showdown.— Bob Strauss, TheWrap The show feels like ten hours of classic film noir hallmarks crammed into eight fast-moving episodes.— Mark Keizer, MovieWeb The show fails to nail the decadence of true Old Hollywood film noir.— Aramide Tinubu, Variety How is the writing? The series stands as a testament to how versatile superhero storytelling can be when creators are allowed to take genuine risks.— Michael Sowell, Nerdspin Showrunners Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot successfully deconstruct what we believe is the idealized Marvel hero when they fully engage with who Reilly believes he is, and contrast it to who people perceive him as.— Maxance Vincent, The Cosmic Circus No fewer than eight writers deliver a series dense with rat-a-tat dialogue that would come off as self-satisfied and overly constructed if it weren’t often so juicy and genre-authentic.— Mark Keizer, MovieWeb The story doesn’t always stick the landing.— M.N. Miller, Geek Vibes Nation Any eight-episode series in which one could easily skip three or four episodes entirely — episodes two through four, if you’re curious — isn’t telling its story optimally.— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter For a show that is essentially a mystery drama with some bells and whistles, the central conspiracy is surprisingly unfocused.— David Craig, Radio Times (Photo by Prime Video) Is it funny? Even amidst the dark and thrilling themes, the show balances them with moments of levity and humor.— LaNeysha Campbell, But Why Tho? Spider-Noir‘s Ben Reilly is a far cry from the character he’s based on, constantly cracking jokes and ending up in comedic situations.— Aidan Kelley, Collider More laughs than I expected.— Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review There are certainly funny moments, and the antics Cage has with Rodriguez and Morris do feature a good deal of comedic banter. But everything to do with Hardy and Silvermane feels deathly serious.— Abe Friedtanzer, Awards Buzz How is Nicolas Cage’s performance? Nicolas Cage gives one of the best performances of his career.— Maxance Vincent, The Cosmic Circus Cage’s turn as the Marvel hero at the center of Spider-Noir is fantastic.— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant Nicolas Cage leans fully into his eccentricities as a performer.— Ernesto Valenzuela, Discussing Film Tonally, his performance is hilariously spot-on.— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast If you’re a fan of Cage when unhinged, you’ve got some great content coming your way.— Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review His spin on The Spider stands in distinction from any other, carrying echoes of Face/Off, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans, and Ghost Rider.— Ben Travers, IndieWire His commitment to the hard-boiled James Cagney drawl really does sell the strange yet delightful reality of this series.— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence The series has a lot going for it, but it’s worth watching for Cage alone.— Bill Bria, Slashfilm His heightened performance can be distracting at times, but it is always engaging and consistently entertaining.— M.N. Miller, Geek Vibes Nation The [second] most polarizing aspect of Spider-Noir is likely to be Cage, who sleeps through the first half of the series for reasons that are probably justifiably character-based.— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter (Photo by Aaron Epstein/Prime Video) Are the villains satisfactory? As someone who has wanted to see a version of the beloved Spider-Man and Black Cat dynamic from the comics in live-action for a long time, Spider-Noir hits all the right notes.— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant Brendan Gleeson is the quintessential detective noir antagonist as Irish crime boss Silvermane, the overall Big Bad of the season. The talented character actor can be both silly and terrifying, striking a perfect balance for the series’ tone.— Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review Gleeson, whose Irish brogue sounds thickened by Silvermane’s poor upbringing, makes a menacing apex villain.— Mark Keizer, MovieWeb Gleeson’s casual menace and black sense of humor make for an ideal foil to Cage’s quip-cracking do-gooder.— Ben Travers, IndieWire That’s sadly where Spider-Noir stumbles. Gleeson’s Silvermane is perfectly passable as the Kingpin-type antagonist of the series, but there isn’t much to separate him from the average comic book crime boss.— Aidan Kelley, Collider This show and Gleeson both deserve more than a role lifted from a Generic Irish Gangster template.— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter Does anyone else in the cast stand out? Lamorne Morris is undoubtedly a highlight here, balancing humor and excellent Nicolas Cage impressions with heart and sincerity.— Ernesto Valenzuela, Discussing Film Strong, noteworthy performances from Lamorne Morris and Li Jun Li.— LaNeysha Campbell, But Why Tho? It is Li Jun Li who, in my opinion, delivers an award-worthy performance, bringing one of the series’ few truly three-dimensional characters while bringing emotional complexity and true screen presence.— M.N. Miller, Geek Vibes Nation The bigger supporting performances end up being the most memorable, be it the commanding presence Abraham Popoola brings to his looming Lonnie Lincoln or something more aggressively irritating like Andrew Lewis Caldwell’s very theatrical Dirk Leydon.— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter Andrew Lewis Caldwell’s psychotic aspiring actor Dirk Leydon, aka Megawatt, [is] the biggest scene stealer.— Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review Most enjoyable is Andrew Lewis Caldwell piling the right amount of ham onto his performance as the Shakespeare-spouting villain, MegaWatt, and putting a charge into every scene he’s in.— Mark Keizer, MovieWeb The series’ real breakout is Karen Rodriguez as Janet, who is just delightful as Reilly’s sarcastic assistant.— Aidan Kelley, Collider (Photo by Aaron Epstein/Prime Video) Should we watch it in black and white or color? Both formats have their own advantages… Spider-Noir‘s cinematography makes excellent use of shadows in traditional noir fashion, even in color.— Ernesto Valenzuela, Discussing Film Both are terrific, and it’s hard to choose which one is better – although I’m partial to the black and white. “True Hue Full Color” is also gorgeous and absolutely pops in a way that reminded me of Warren Beatty’s underrated 1990 classic Dick Tracy.— Kyle Wilson, The Lamplight Review Given that the eight-episode season has been crafted for maximum chiaroscuro boldness, [the black-and-white version] is unquestionably the only way to go.— Nick Schager, The Daily Beast I can confidently claim that Spider-Noir is meant to be watched in black and white. At the end of the day, it just makes sense for the show’s noir aesthetic.— Felipe Rangel, Screen Rant If you only wanted to watch one version, color might be my recommendation. But they’re both gorgeous.— Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence Any cinematography optimized simultaneously for both color AND black and white hasn’t really been optimized for anything.— Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter Spider-Noir premieres on Prime Video on May 25, 2026. Find Something Fresh! Discover What to Watch, Read Reviews, Leave Ratings and Build Watchlists. Download the Rotten Tomatoes App.

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