Nicolas Cage returns to the comic book genre for his small screen debut Spider-Noir, which is loosely inspired by his memorable character in the acclaimed Spider-Verse animated films.
Ben Reilly (Cage) is a private investigator in 1930s New York City, who once served as a masked vigilante known to the public as The Spider – but a personal tragedy caused him to abandon his alter-ego.
The eight-episode series finds Ben drawn into a dangerous conspiracy involving mob boss Silvermane (Brendan Gleeson) and the sudden emergence of a group of super-powered thugs.
Taking cues from the film noir genre, Spider-Noir was shot in black and white to evoke the feeling of classic Hollywood, but Prime Video is also offering a vivid colour version for those with modern sensibilities.
But which is better? Here’s our verdict on whether you should watch Spider-Noir in black and white or colour. (Check out our full Spider-Noir review for further thoughts on the latest Marvel streaming series.)
Radio Times strongly recommends watching Spider-Noir in “authentic” black and white on Prime Video (in the UK) and MGM+ (in the US).
The series was shot with a black and white colour palette in mind and that is evident in the finished episodes, which make a far stronger impression in monochrome than they do in the “true-hue” recolouring.
Certain shots are clearly tailored to black and white, and it really does add to the effectiveness of the overall homage – at times, mimicking the style of a classic Hollywood film with startling authenticity.
The colour version of the show does have its moments too, with the digital recolouring bringing out some vivid hues that are occasionally striking. But generally, it can’t help sapping Spider-Noir of a core part of its identity.
Don’t believe us? Spider-Noir stars Nicolas Cage and Li Jun Li have also voiced support for the black and white version (although they did add that the show can be enjoyed in either format, naturally).
“We shot the show so that both my performance and the cinematography were designed for the black and white format,” said Cage. “However, we knew we could also colourise it to give it an older Edward Hopper-like feeling.”
Li commented: “I’m really thrilled, and honestly appreciative, that Spider-Noir fans are so passionate about seeing the show in black and white, because that is very much how the series was conceived visually.
“Darran Tiernan, our DP [director of photography], worked tirelessly to create that authentic noir language through the camera and the lighting, and I’m really excited for audiences to see how stunning his work is.”
She added: “There are also so many visual nods throughout the series that I think cinephiles will really appreciate.”
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Spider-Noir is available to stream on Prime Video from Wednesday 27 May 2026. Sign up for Amazon Prime for £8.99 a month.
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