29/05/2026
Sony Aimed for the Spider and Hit the Bat
Sony has once again delivered a new universe for the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. An alternate, older version of Ben Reilly set before World War II. For those who doubted Nicolas Cage, he's still got it... older, with a weathered face, but still Nick Cage.
I watched the first episode in black and white, but it was missing a filter to add some blur and hide the makeup base that doesn't show as much in the color version. The color choices for the sets and characters are excellent — vivid, very much in a comic book style — strongly reminding me of the palette of the classic (and fantastic!!!) Dick Tracy, with Warren Beatty, Madonna, Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman. (Don't believe me? Do a quick search and you'll be amazed by the cast.) You don't need to be a film genius to see that Dick Tracy — the comic book detective — was a clear reference; even the period songs chosen for one of the characters echo Madonna's soundtrack for the 1990 film.
But what impressed me most in the black-and-white version was a subtle touch of Batman 89. I'm not comparing Tim Burton's aesthetic to Spider-Man Noir, but the camera work in certain scenes brought the memory rushing back immediately. Not to mention the tribute to Sam Raimi's Spider-Man right in the opening scene.
Sony had already disrupted Marvel with the Spider-Verse through its groundbreaking animation — and Nicolas Cage was already voicing Spider-Man Noir in that film... and now they do it again, delivering a cinematic universe with a completely different Spider-Man. Though few fans will remember that this version first came to life in the comics.
Final thought: In my humble opinion, Sony handled Spider-Man Noir so well in this "Sin City" style that it may have given DC Comics a serious headache — after all, Nicolas Cage proved he can be just as good as Michael Keaton.
