Spider-Noir is far different from other live-action versions of Spider-Man we’ve seen before. Set in the 1930s, the Prime Video series depicts the character of Ben Reilly (Nicolas Cage) as a private eye who moonlights as a superhero known as The Spider. The series is also done in a film noir style, making the look and tone like nothing seen in Sony’s preceding Spider-Man films or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Yet despite these drastic in story and style changes, Spider-Noir opens with an iconic visual device from the earlier Spider-Man films that more recent filmmakers have ignored.
When Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man debuted in 2002, some of the most exciting parts of the film came when the hero was web-slinging. Sometimes the camera was right behind or beside Spider-Man, while other times it’s seeing directly what Spider-Man sees, swinging us along with him as he maneuvers around skyscrapers or just above the city traffic. Rather than seeing Spider-Man web-sling from afar, Raimi’s Spider-Man brought the camera along for the ride, giving us a rhythmic, rollercoaster-like experience which captured something unique about depicting Spider-Man in live action. It also made clear why Raimi was the right guy to adapt the hero, as his bold camera work in previous films like Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness leant itself perfectly to capturing all the excitement that comes with web-slinging.
I’d argue it’s as visually important and iconic to the character of Spider-Man as depicting Superman flying.
But while Raimi made POV web-slinging an essential part of depicting Spider-Man in live action, recent outings with Spider-Man in the MCU have not done this. Sure, we’ve gotten plenty of action with Spider-Man using his webs, and Tom Holland’s Spider-Man does web-sling, but both Jon Watts, who directed the three most recent Spider-Man films, and the Russo brothers, who directed the last two Avengers movies and Captain America: Civil War, failed to capture that same perspective.
Perhaps there’s an argument to be made that this specific camera angle “belongs” to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, as he originated it and it’s very clearly part of Raimi’s visual language, whereas the Russos and Watts are more visually conservative directors when it comes to camera placement. That’s certainly true, but when Marc Webb took over Spider-Man with the two Amazing Spider-Man films with Andrew Garfield, he made a point to include the same POV perspective. Despite the many narrative problems with the Webb’s movies, he knew to include that element because there’s nothing else like it.
To not include it is missing a major visual opportunity, one that is key to capturing the Spider-Man experience in live-action.
So as much as that specific shot may “belong” to Raimi, it belongs to Spider-Man too and should be a part of every live-action depiction. My only hope is that POV web-slinging makes a return in Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
In the very beginning of Spider-Noir’s first episode, the first thing we see is the 1930s skyline of New York City, with the Empire State Building still dwarfing the surrounding high-rises. The camera then pushes in between the buildings as The Spider swoops in from behind the camera. The angle then moves up and down as he swings from building to building. A few seconds later, The Spider appears around the corner of a building, then he swings past the camera. We also see him swing around a moving train before the camera cuts directly to his POV, where we see his arm reach into the frame as he shoots a web from his wrist and we’re pulled up for a wide view of the city. All of it only lasts a few seconds, but its highly effective may make you feel like your Spider-Man.
In a recent interview, Polygon spoke with Spider-Noir’s Harry Bradbeer, who directed the first two episodes of the series. In addition to talking about working with Cage and finding the look for the series, I asked him about the choice to open Spider-Noir with Sam Raimi-style webslinging. His answer perfectly sums up why it’s an important thing for a director to capture when doing Spider-Man in live-action.
“It puts you in the experience of the character and that’s why it’s exciting,” says Bradbeer. “There’s that sense of vertigo. It’s like going on a rollercoaster. It’s such a simple way of getting people to relate and to feel caught up in it.”
Spider-Noir is streaming now on Prime Video.
