Is Spider-Noir ACTUALLY Good?... | Nerd Legion

MonteCristo and DoA are on opposite sides of Spider-Noir, and the gap between them is wider than a Prohibition-era speakeasy. DoA loved it. MonteCristo thinks you should watch something else. That tension drives the whole conversation. Spider-Noir, the Amazon Prime series starring Nicholas Cage as a 1930s New York private detective with spider powers, is visually stunning, atmospheric, and genuinely funny when it leans into its hokey film noir premise. Nicholas Cage's deadpan Humphrey Bogart-meets-Jimmy Stewart impersonation is exactly the kind of committed, decades-in-the-making performance that only he could deliver. Brendan Gleason is exceptional. Li Jun Li brings real heat as the femme fatale Cat Hardy. The black-and-white cinematography is meticulous. The art deco sets are lush. The jazz club scenes are the best thing in the show. So why does MonteCristo struggle to recommend it? Tonal whiplash. The show's supporting characters talk like they wandered in from a 2020s sitcom, while the three leads are playing a completely different, far more committed genre exercise. The plot keeps inventing new subplots and then abandoning them. Tombstone could be deleted entirely. The kidnapping arc wastes an episode and a half. And crucially: every superior version of everything Spider-Noir is trying to do already exists, from Into the Spider-Verse to LA Confidential to Blade Runner 2049 to The Batman. But even MonteCristo would watch a second season if it got one. Because the bones are there, and they're good bones. DoA gives it an 8 out of 10. MonteCristo gives it a 5. Watch the episode and decide whose side you're on. Raycon: quality wireless earbuds with open-ear and noise-cancelling models for every listening style, with a 30-day guarantee and over 3 million happy customers. Use code NERDLEGIONOPEN at https://buyraycon.com/NERDLEGIONOPEN Nerd Legion is a TV and film review show hosted by William "DoA" Stark and Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles. Each episode covers a new movie, series, or franchise from across the worlds of sci-fi, fantasy, animation, and genre entertainment. 🎬 Credits Editing: Adanion Art: Atantalas 🎧 Watch/Listen to Nerd Legion: Spotify (with video): https://open.spotify.com/show/0NuVDoQ... Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/kjklqj7e Pandora: https://www.pandora.com/podcast/nerd-... iHeart: https://iheart.com/podcast/117702344/ 💬 Join the conversation: Discord:   / discord   📲 Follow LFN Movies: YouTube:    / @lastfreenationmovies   Twitter:   / lfnmovies   Instagram:   / lastfreenationmovies   TikTok:   / ucp55fglkhohbrryvo4xavrw   0:00 First impressions and aesthetic 7:02 Nicholas Cage's performance 10:34 Tonal inconsistency and modern dialogue 16:42 Too many characters: the Spider-Man 3 problem 21:09 Plot bloat and unnecessary subplots 28:01 The writing and direction 31:55 Do we recommend the show? 39:11 Nicholas Cage's filmography and bankruptcy arc 42:22 Final verdicts 51:56 Next week on Nerd Legion #SpiderNoir #NerdLegion #LFN #NicholasCage #FilmNoir