‘Moon Knight’ requires disciplined attention to follow story
In case you haven’t gotten enough superhero action from the inundation of Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and TV shows over the past 14 years, along comes “Moon Knight” on Disney Plus.
The six-episode series focuses on the adventures of Marc Spector and Steven Grant (both played by Oscar Isaac), who are one and the same person. Not because of dual names, but because of dual personalities. Marc is an American mercenary while Steven is a mild-mannered gift shop worker in London.
As if being a mercenary isn’t enough, Marc is also the avatar for Khonshu (F. Murray Abraham) a moon god who seeks to destroy all evil-doers while battling confidence issues. Khonshu uses Marc to carry out his desire to do away with evil-doers—after they’ve done evil—but leaves no memories of the acts for Steven, who, as a result, has many holes in his memory.
Enter Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) the leader of a group of zealots that worships the goddess Ammit, who can, the group believes, determine if someone is good or bad before taking action. Harrow claims to be able to identify good people from bad ones on behalf of Ammit using what’s called the scales of justice. His real intent, however, is to revive Ammit to spread destruction on the world.
If Ammit can determine if someone is good or bad before they act, that would mean innocent people die without knowing why because they haven’t acted yet.
Confused? It’s the MCU way!
The confusion grows as viewers try to figure out if Marc and Steven are actually different beings or if their body suffers from schizophrenia. Be that as it may, “Moon Knight” is not a show you can watch casually. In fact, if you want to grasp the story fully, give it your undivided attention.
To their credit, the writers of the show try to explain Marc’s past to help define who he is and to give Steven an understanding of the gaps in his memory.
In the finale, “Moon Knight ” delivers lots of action and superpower showcasing. In what could be understood as an homage to King Kong vs. Godzilla showdowns of years gone by, the finale even includes giant-sized versions of Khonshu and Ammit battling each other throughout the city.
If you decide to watch“Moon Knight,” know that the season finale is a decent payoff for hanging in there through the first five episodes.
It’s not clear if the creators and writers of the show intended there to be a second season, which Disney/Marvel has yet to decide. History has shown that with Disney and Marvel, anything is possible.
Rated TV-14 for violence and language, all six episodes of “Moon Knight” are currently streaming on Disney Plus.
