You think you have issues with sleep? Steven Grant has you beat.
Oscar Isaac’s character — or, more accurately, one of his characters — in Disney+’s newest Marvel Cinematic Universe show, the frequently mind-bending “Moon Knight,” does puzzles and reads about Egyptian deities in an effort to stay awake. When he does sleep, he does so with his ankle chained to a post near his bed.
Exactly WHAT is he doing after he closes his eyes?
He — and, as a result, we — will get an idea by the end of the first of the series’ six episodes. And, well, it’s complicated.
For the first time, Disney-owned Marvel Studios provided for review the first four installments of an MCU series, and the three-plus hours of solid entertainment showcase a series that feels refreshingly different from most Marvel fare. That isn’t meant as a diss toward the MCU but instead an appreciation for variety.
While we do get a powerful costumed hero in the titular Moon Knight, he takes a back seat to Steven and his primary alter ego, Marc Spector.
The mild-mannered Steven works in the gift shop of a museum, while Marc — whom Steven begins to encounter in mirrors and other reflective surfaces — is a former mercenary who speaks not with Steven’s heavy British accent but an American tongue.
At first, Steven doesn’t recall setting a date with an attractive co-worker, and he’s being seen by his boss as increasingly unreliable. Soon, though, his problems are much more serious, as he awakens in a field and then finds himself on the run from men who want to kill him.
“Go back to sleep, worm!” the voice of Marc tells him. “You’re not supposed to be here!”
“Surrender the body to Marc,” advises a nearby mysterious-looking figure (voiced by F. Murray Abraham) who proves to be a ruthless Egyptian god, Khonshu, whom Marc represents on Earth.
Marc, it turns out, is working against Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke), who possesses a dangerous supernatural ability and is endeavoring to resurrect another god, Ammit, who passes judgment on those who, supposedly, will commit a bad deed in the future.
After making it back home, Steven tries to learn about the man in the reflections. He discovers, hidden in his flat, a phone with several calls from Layla, who, upon receiving a call from Steven, is relieved to finally be hearing from Marc.
When they meet, Layla El-Faouly (May Calamawy) is, understandably, confused by Marc’s accent and why he insists he’s some bloke named Steven. Nonetheless, Layla and Marc/Steven embark on an adventure that will take them to Egypt to try to foil the efforts of Arthur.
From what we’ve seen, “Moon Knight” is never stronger than in its debut episode, directed by Egyptian auteur Mohamed Diab (“Cairo 678,” “Amira”). He also directed the third, fifth and sixth episodes, with the tandem of Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (“The Endless,” “Synchronic”) directing the lesser other two installments.
In the series’ first 45 minutes, Diab is masterful at bringing us into the ordeal being experienced by Steven. He uses a jarring flashing technique to show us some amount of time has passed and that Steven’s circumstance has changed, often alarmingly so.
The greatest asset of “Moon Knight,” however, is Isaac (“Ex Machina,” “The Promise”), who’s about as fine a leading man as we have today. The veteran of the “Star Wars” sequel trilogy finally joins the MCU and delivers big time in what would appear to be a highly demanding role. As Marc, he’s determined and fearless, while Steven is searching for the hero inside him. However, Steven can’t simply be put in a drawer until this ordeal is over because he possesses crucial academic knowledge that Marc doesn’t.
Hawke (“The Good Lord Bird,” “Before“ Trilogy), who seems to be enjoying portraying this reasonably complex villain, and Calamawy (“Ramy,” “The Long Road Home”) offer strong supporting work, but this truly is Isaac’s show to carry. And he manages to keep it engaging enough when it plunges into a dense mound of mythology that could cause it to lose some viewers.
Although it does have lackluster stretches, “Moon Knight” ultimately offers a lot: mystery, horror, comedy — the closing moment of the trippy fourth episode is laugh-out-loud-funny — and, yes, action. Because we don’t see him all that often, it’s easy to forget that Moon Knight can kick some butt when need be.
With “Moon Knight,” Marvel Studios continues to be a bit more daring on the small screen, as it has been with the terrific “WandaVision” and the uneven-but-interesting “Loki.”
And based on his first two episodes of this show, we expect Diab to bring this season to a satisfying conclusion.
Hopefully, then, Steven can truly get some rest.
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'MOON KNIGHT’
Rating: TV-14
Where to watch: Premiered Wednesday on Disney+, with new episodes airing weekly.
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