Diandra Reviews It All- Moon Knight Is Giving The Mummy Vibes

Watching Moon Knight’s first 4 episodes, I kept on thinking of FX’s Legion and the 90s’ classic: The Mummy. Both series, one tv and the other film, relied on the charming fragility and strengths of its leads, of which Oscar Isaac or rather the internet’s boyfriend has both. Brendan Fraser’s Rick and Dan Stevens’ David were characters that gained cult followings because they could be their own worst enemy while managing to still conquer villains and woo intelligent, female leads. Thus, Isaac may be playing four different people, but his dynamic with May Calamawy’s Layla makes the new Disney Plus series as much a love story as it is an origin one, a la Rick and Eve or David and Syd.

While the series’ first two episodes can feel choppy and slow, Isaac pulls you in with the sweetness of Steven, the suaveness of Marc, the cool silliness of Mr. Knight, and the utter surrealism of Fist of Khonshu. His ability to distinguish these four forces using the same body or some grand, cosmic scheme that we and Marc/ Steven have no idea about is fascinating and terrifying. While there are horror elements to the series, the real fear is born from being a good person that has no idea why their mind betrays them and thus they cannot truly control their power and potential without a bout of self-sabotage. This “scare” is what reminded me of the heartbreak and beauty of FX’s Legion/ David’s story; you cannot help but feel for a good human being struggling to treat themselves better.

Isaac’s performance carries us for two episodes with nobility and endearment, but the series gets REALLY GOOD once it enters Egypt and starts to give us more of Layla and Steven/Marc’s romance. Smart, strong female leads are not the easiest, for some reason, when it comes to action/ superhero movies. They have the tendency to be stuck in damsel limbo, despite being presented as smart and fierce. Yet, Moon Knight develops Layla as much as Marc/Steven, and Calamawy gives the character both sass and spirit. She is a brilliant, cunning woman grieving the loss of her dad and wondering if her devout loyalty to her husband, Marc, is actually a smart move, especially as they face Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow.

I always say you have to be a really good villain to make me wonder if I’m on the right side. From the very beginning, Hawke gives Harrow such a calm collectedness that you wonder if Steven is playing for the “right team” and if Marc truly knows all about Khonshu and these ancient, Egyptian gods guiding him. In essence, sometimes, the most dangerous evil comes from the man who knows how to keep his peace. As the series become global and even inter-dimensional, both Harrow and Moon Knight’s power and mental prowess develop to create a fascinating versus that, in some ways, alludes to Marvel/Disney’s future.

Watching Moon Knight, especially episode 4 and after, I kept on thinking of Wandavision, and how Disney is brilliantly using and discussing grief and love as mental tricksters. While Moon Knight takes Disney into different existential, philosophical territories, it gives it such a nuance and depth that I am excited. From Loki to Spider-Man: No Way Home, Marvel is delivering a Phase 2 that aims to be both cosmic and emotional, which are certainly words I would use to describe Moon Knight. Premiering March 30, the six episode event has new episodes every Wednesday on Disney Plus.