Moon Knight (TV Mini Series) The Goldfish Problem (2022) User Reviews

Chaotic

[MamadNobari97 · 8/10 · 30 March 2022]

This was a really nice introduction to the world, or should I say the mind of Steven Grant.

We get a look inside this poor guy's daily life and what his job is and what he does. And Oscar does a great job portraying him.

I also liked that we're introduced to the villain this soon and we already know what he does, what his powers are and what his motivation and goal really is. Some might not like that they just threw us all these revelations, but I like that it's not one of those "let's not even show the villain and what he does for 2 minutes and we don't reveal what he really wants until the last episode" kind of storytelling.

And I also liked that we already get a Marc's Moon Knight reveal and action and that he's already Moon Knight and that they didn't delay the reveal till future episodes.

And obviously, it's not like they've shown us everything about these characters and there's no more mystery to them. We still don't really know Marc, Moon Knight and Arthur.

All in all, it's a really good introduction that sets up our protagonist(s), the villain, and the main conflict, with a great performance by Oscar Isaac and good cinematography and scenery and decent CGI, and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming episodes.

Woah 🌙

[aboalhyjaa · 8/10 · 31 March 2022]

Oscar is great, Ethan is great and the colors are great too!

Egypt history is rich and filled with amazing stories, and with moon knight people can explore this in so many ways, but the one i love the most is the ancient and some nineties Egyptian music by Hisham Nazih and the directing by Mohamed Diab who are both Egyptians by the way.

CGI is a pit of to be honest. But the story and multi-personality thing covered for it!

Promissing start of a new MCU character and his origin story

[Shadowboy_25cm · 8/10 · 31 March 2022]

At first, I don't know anything about the character Moon Knight, about the comics and therefore can't compare the source material with this tv show adaptation.

I saw the trailer and it made me interested for this show.

Now, after watching the first episode, I'd say: It's a promissing start for a new MCU character for me.

I like the setting with the Egyptian Gods and lore, I like the set of a museum in London. Really cool, dark and atmospheric.

The direction of Mohamend Diab is excellent, the camera is playful, different angles, nice editing, the set designs are great (museum in London, appartment of Steven, a town in the Alps), the special effects are top notch.

High production values.

Oscar Isaac is a great choice and does a hilarious job playing Steven. Ethan Hawke is cool as always and a joy to watch.

Some jumps in time, some blackouts, paranoia and sleeplessness. Yes.

I'm hooked and waiting for the next episode.

Highly recommended.

What a pilot should be

[TheStorytellingCritic · 8/10 · 30 March 2022]

The show kicks off with things that make you question whats going on. It continues to do the same throughout the whole episode and thats what a pilot should be: establish the characters and their personalities and hint at the story to come over the next few episodes without being slow or overly convoluted. Even skipping the action scenes and just showing the results of the action was a smart move to add to the mystery of what Moon Knight is capable off whilst seeing it from Steven's eyes. It adds to that mystery of whats to come.

The acting here is great but at the moment Oscar Isaac's British accent is hit and miss but otherwise its great.

It seems to be a bit more brutal than the other marvel shows but from this pilot it shows to be one of the stronger marvel shows. In MCU shows they tend to reveal any connections early on to establish its place in the timeline but I couldn't find any connections in this pilot bar one obscure one: did they reference Claire Temple? I appreciate establishing the show on its own and not making big connections to the films at the moment. Let's see what the next eps hold.

Overall the pilot shows a promising potential of whats to come.

P. S. Any shot with a reflective surface like a mirror, puddle or just glass were crafted beautifully.

Brilliant, amazing, and stunning

[namob-43673 · 9/10 · 30 March 2022]

This first episode take greatness to another level, in so, so many ways. The acting is beyond fantastic, the directing bewildering, music score fantastic, and the scenes go from horror to comedy to action to drama back and forth effortlessly and logically in a way that should not be possible.

This is one of the best first episode of any TV show ever in history of television. Not a joke.

I do get if one or two think this is chaotic or weird or even a bit confusing, but to me this type of trip into the subconscious mixed with a big dose of psychology is just stunning. They nailed the character almost to perfection and I cannot wait to see more.

The only negative thing I can say is that this mindtrip can be a bit too confusing for those that do not know the character. To you I need to say that you should keep watching, I assume we will get further explanation as go on.

I give this a 9.2/10 but I will round it up to 10/10 just because this is so great.

Thrilling, interesting and creepy

[harry-34518 · 9/10 · 30 March 2022]

This is a great way to start a show, i wanted to keep going the second the episode ended. This show looks to have a really interesting mystery throwing the viewer right into the action of the show. Oscar Isaac shines and Ethan Hwake does a great job playing a really ominous villain I can't wait for more. The cinematography was top tier on level with eternals at points, the directing was brilliant as was the script.

He is risen!

[GomezAddams666 · 10/10 · 30 March 2022]

This was amazing.

Totally what I wasn't expecting, but it blew my mind into the stratosphere...

I love the pacing and the storytelling route they have chosen for this extraordinary adventure.

MOON KNIGHT HAS RISEN 🌙

Wow...something new!

[garabedian123 · 9/10 · 31 March 2022]

I like it. Great episode. Not cliche or repetitve like Hawkeye.

So there was one small plot hole to this otherwise great start. How on earth could you wake up in the morning thinking it was friday and somehow make it to dinner still thinking it was friday. He works at museum so how the heck did he make it all day...its small but still noticable.

There's chaos in you

[Trey_Trebuchet · 9/10 · 31 March 2022]

I found this to be a really solid pilot episode, probably one of Marvel's better ones.

We meet a new character to the MCU canon and learn just enough to want to keep watching. It is a very twisty forty-something minutes of television compared to most of Marvel's other stuff so maybe some who want everything explained precisely out-rifht won't get in to it... I thought it was fairly easy to follow. I've wanted to see Moon Knight on screen for a good while and Oscar Isaac's acting, along with the directing and visual flair, was more than enough to get me into it.

I did notice some pretty weak effects a few times. I'm not sure what that's all about. Other than that, I throughly enjoyed it and I already love the main character.

The best start

[MUHAMMED_HASHIR · 1 April 2022]

The pilot ep was so engaging and curious about what happens next. Every character was lit and the background scoring was mind blowing. Great work.really different approach from marvel.

Too many thoughts for this medium, but a complicated start to the season

[blightsky · 6/10 · 31 March 2022]

TL;DR - Was episode one good? Sort of? It depends on how you consume and appreciate the medium.

The Good:

• intriguing premise
• fresh(ish) take, nice settings
• most writing is passable, connections to comic pretty cool but ultimately detract in a few ways. Dialogue shines, cool mythos
• oscar issac is a great actor (ep was acted well overall by cast except for a few qualms which I will get into)
• Khonshu gave me Stanley Parable vibes which is a point in my book despite other issues with the character immediately nullifying said point
• main "revelation" of EP is as slow of a burn as possible without being trite/boring, glad they resolved the "trailer mystery" in first EP, suggests more substantial follow-up

The Bad:

• the CGI/special effects are not great. They're often laughably bad. This is a Disney+ Marvel series. You have the budget for this. Referencing Avatar was that expensive? If the money was not there, less is more. Practical effects, offscreen action (see the final scene of the episode--i know they know how to employ this technique), and atmospheric tension take a backburner to poor renders, jump scares and other default horror tropes. FX go from tense to silly to completely immersion-breaking at times. Just gonna headcanon that we're still in the pilot episode era and the effects will improve over time.

• moon knight's mummy-adjacent costume is flawed in myriad ways, it was silly from day 1 and should've been workshopped into something that didn't look like it was a PS4 render of whatever Assassin's Creed protagonist is also a half-mummified corpse (ngl i'd play that game)

• the description on D+ specifically states Steven/Marc has Dissociative Identity Disorder, and if so, this is a very tasteless portrayal...then again we got Split as well so in comparison it's not as bad.

The Ugly:

• some story beats and events simply don't make sense, and it is hard to judge as poor writing so early in the series. An example: the logistics of who gets to be in "control" don't seem well defined, marc has to ask for permission at the end but the threat of death was greater than previous times marc "assumed control". If Marc can step in to intervene, and Steven is powerless to this, why does Khonshu act like Steven can "take control" at random and inconvenient times with no knowledge or interest in doing so? Perhaps this will be answered in time.

• a few goofy extras/lesser characters. Like, standing in Steven's path to the exit from an altercation is enough to reveal you are working with the bad guy. Did you have to roll up your sleeve to show your death eater tattoo as confirmation? Total badass over here

• Khonshu's voice doesn't work for me, but this is a personal issue with having ancient deities use English instead of something more cerebral (same issue w/ celestials in Eternals). I'd rather have slowed-down electric can opener noises with subtitles or truncated/weird creoles than perfect English. It's a small individual gripe and I don't count it against the show for this reason.

Conclusion:

I hope the series improves because premise alone is enough to carry it. It feels distinct enough to be successful, but I think the FX usage is a travesty.

This show could be elevated with better cinematography and FX choices moving forward. I guess we will have to wait and see.

What a way to start off a series

[agentsofsword · 10/10 · 30 March 2022]

Its a great mystery and thrilling premiere and i love everything about it but the cgi is not so good but the ending is freaking amazing!

Oscar Isaac is a great actor and the plot and the writing is just bonkers probably my fav mcu show premiere.

The Goldfish Problem

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 31 March 2022]

Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac) works in a museum gift shop in London and knows a lot about about Ancient Egypt.

Steven is also socially awkward, a nobody at work. He is also prone to blackouts, elaborate dreams and sleepwalks at night.

Moon Knight is not a Marvel character I know much about. So I had to learn as the first episode went on.

Steven might be a nerd. He suffers from some kind of multiple personality disorder.

He has an alter ego. Marc Spector, a mercenary who takes over when Steven is in danger. Marc is also linked to an Egyptian god.

Hot on their heels is Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke) who is a cult leader and might also be linked to an Egyptian deity.

This was a solid opener that spanned several international locations. It was not easy to follow and some of the CGI monsters were less than impressive.

I did like Isaac's stab at a London accent.

Oscar Isaac deserves better!

[lovemichaeljordan · 5/10 · 27 April 2022]

Oscar Isaac is a great actor and he deserves better than this. The show would benefit from a more serious tone. Marvel keeps doing the same thing over and over again, maybe time to try something new? But if it's not broken why fix it? Personally I would love to see something new come out of the MCU. Something more serious perhaps?

Different than I expected, very good episode

[Joshumms · 10/10 · 30 March 2022]

This episode and show is not what I expected but it is very interesting. It starts off showing us the life of Steven, and it's kinda sad what he goes through with his multiple personality disorder. But then it absolutely just throws you and Steven through a loop and it's absolutely insane but it does such a good job of setting up the story. The story is exhilarating and it is fast paced and Oscar Isaac does a really good job.

Some people may be disappointed because honestly this really is not the serious type of show it seemed to be advertised as or a very deep character study, it feels more like a really fun ride with more serious undertones of what it's like with dissociative Identity Disorder.

Also for a marvel project the budget seems to be pretty low, the CGI is VERY rough in almost every scene that cgi I used and I'm scared the fight scenes might turn into a black panther situation.

A Solid Start

[AnimatedCritic · 8/10 · 31 March 2022]

I haven't been this excited for the rest of an MCU Disney+ show since WandaVision. This episode does exactly what it needed to do; be intriguing, and set the bar for the series.

I thought Oscar Isaac did a great job in his role(s). He has a lot of charm, and the techniques he pulled off was done very well. He also conveys his problem in a very convincing way. The others also do a good job, including Ethan Hawk.

One thing I like about this show is how unique it is from the rest of the MCU. Like WandaVision, but with a twist, it's really trippy, and mysterious, which had me very interested in the show. While the CGI isn't impressive, the action scenes are at least decent, and a lot of fun.

Overall, while not without issues, it's a great start to a show, and has me very excited. Unlike some of Phase 4, this has me interested in what happens next.

Very trippy, surreal.

[slak96u · 8/10 · 31 March 2022]

For the most part, true to the original source. Unique adaptation, confusing in a good way. The episode wasn't formulaic at all, which so much MCU content ends up as when it ends up in "television". Thoroughly enjoyed the hour, can't wait for more. My only knock was the poor CGI, during the chase scene, it was distracting. For something so cinematic, it's disappointing the CGI was so unpolished.

Like the start of a great movie

[Couchkik20 · 10/10 · 30 March 2022]

I really liked this except maybe that it felt more like watching a movie that got interrupted after 45 minutes.

Oscar Isaac nails the shy troubled character though.

Just wondering how the "Venom" voiceover is going to play in the long run but quite exciting so far.

Ice-cream truck chase was ok, a bit reminiscent of Spider-Man : Far from home in terms of location.

I hope they keep that goofiness mixed with horror elements because that works very well.

Great start

[mattrabbi · 9/10 · 30 March 2022]

Honestly a surprisingly intriguing and entertaining start to this new Marvel series. Oscar Isaac is great, and I love the exclusive focus on his character throughout the entire episode. It is an interesting take on the psychological thriller genre with a character who has dissociative identity disorder, and this aspect blends in well with the seemingly supernatural things going on around him.

Some notable sequences include the "dream" sequence (which was not really a dream), which was both thrilling and comedic, and had an interesting introduction to what seems to be the main antagonist of the series.

Another neat sequence is the mirror scene near the end of the episode, where Steven finally has a proper discussion with his alternate personality. Great cinematography, and it ends with the superhero reveal which somehow did not feel as cheesy as it should have!

There is some obvious exposition here and there. In my opinion, this series could have benefited from taking a narrator approach from the main character's POV (similarly to "Mr. Robot"), to avoid awkward moments where the character speaks to himself, but they do a good enough job of making it feel like a personality quirk rather than it feeing too forced.

One other small detail that brings this down is knowing that there will be only five more episodes. It just really doesn't seem like enough, and is especially disappointing because this seems like it will be great!

Regardless, hopefully the momentum keeps up in the next episode!

What we have been waiting for

[eoinpgeary · 9/10 · 30 March 2022]

FINALLY !!!!

This episode was great, there was no dull moments, of all the new marvel shows this is definitely the best opening episode, Oscar Issac is great, the whole episode was chaotic is the best way but it's obviously following a well structured path.

Of course you have your jokes it's Marvel it's the formula but they are enjoyable none the less, my gripe with all the marvel shows is that they are so slow and just lead to the last episode but this 1 episode felt as though it has the excitement of an entire season of build up, I loved it and I hope all the episodes keeps this quality I'll be very happy !! RELEASE THEM ALL.

Not sure where these 9/10 ratings are coming from

[luke-beer1 · 6/10 · 30 March 2022]

I was very excited to watch Moon Knight brought to screen with high production values and to introduced to the MCU. But compared with other Disney + MCU shows, I thought some of the CGI was dreadful, particularly in the car chase scene, it honestly came across like they were trying to save money by having little in the way of special effects and not investing in CGI which for a Marvel production like this is important. Obviously this is early doors, there is room for development but I thought it felt flat and fell short of my expectations and the usual standards of MCU in recent years.

Engagingly bizarre

[majic-5 · 8/10 · 31 March 2022]

I've developed a taste for the fantastically bizarre, and I was a fan of both Orphan Black and Legion for just that reason. Ep. 1 of Moon Knight delivers bizarreness in spades, with a capable portrayal of the life whiplash that Dissociative Identity Disorder (or _is_ it?) brings to the person afflicted (or _is_ he?). Isaac gives a very sympathetic, believable performance: I felt truly bad for Grant, as it he becomes terrified of both his alter ego and the impact of his alter life. Like other viewers though, I subtracted points for poor-quality CG effects. Since production on this mini-series is complete, I know that the entire show will suffer from skimping on this budget.

Very off putting...in a good way

[burdickhj · 7/10 · 11 April 2022]

This episode was full of jump scares and anxiety-laden throughout! I had no idea what I was watching. Yet somehow it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time, so I guess it was a good start to the series.

Incredible acting and very well put together! I just hope all my questions get answered as the series goes on.

It is not what any of the 10 star reviews state.

[sambomeyer · 5/10 · 31 March 2022]

Ignore any of the reviews saying that this episode/show is "brilliant", "unique", "stunning", or otherwise. I'll keep it short here. It feels like a rehash of all of the disney marvel shows that have been released. Yes, it is a new 'story', but it feels exactly the same. It is not brilliant or unique in any way other than being a new character. Also, anyone saying that it looks good is full of it... This show has some of the worst CGI I have seen in the past few years. Like, it is really, really, really bad. Laughably bad for a show trying to be serious. Oh, and yeah, the show is not going to scratch that itch from the lack of Daredevil-like content. There is comic relief every 5 seconds and it is quite annoying. From the trailers, I was expecting something much darker and much grittier. It is not that.

First episode is a 5/10. Oscar Isaac is great, nothing else is.

One of the best hooks to an MCU show, YET!

[and_mikkelsen · 9/10 · 31 March 2022]

A great introduction to a lesser known character in the Marvel universe! Personally i am glad that the we get some creativity on display! It feels Very different from the usual MCU content and character setup, but in a good way! More dark, mysterious and tense! Oscar Isaacs performance is the standout here! Deffinetely gonna watch the next episode, plus you dont need to be familiar with the other MCU movies, and shows, to Enjoy it!