I’m going to ask you to follow me closely on this one. We’re currently on the third wave of live-action Spider-Man franchises. The follow-up to the brand new Spider-Kid’s adventure with the space Avengers continues next year in Spider-Man: Far From Home. With each of these franchises, we’ve seen three different actors take on the role of Peter Parker…
Now, it’s time for someone other than Peter Parker to take on the mantle of Spider-Man. Mostly…
Miles Morales lives a standard life of study, teenage awkwardness and avoiding his stern cop father. He lives in a world where there is already a Spider-Man, but through a tragic turn of events, he goes through his own origin story and becomes Spider-Man. Though, something in his reality isn’t quite right because of a recent disaster created by the Kingpin. As Miles struggles to deal with his newfound powers, he is joined by several variations of Spider-Men/Women/Creatures from other dimensions.
So basically, in the midst of so many reboots and countless Uncle Ben deaths, we get a cartoon that stands somewhere in the middle and references each of these movies (mostly in jest).
This project was co-written and produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller soon after their dismissal from Solo: A Star Wars Story. They must have taken their pent up energy and thrown it on screen here. Everything from the animation, the humor and the character development shines and feels genuine.
For those who may not be familiar with Miles Morales, he was introduced in the comics in 2011 and has long been a fan favorite among comic fans ever since. While we may not see Miles’ story for a while in live-action, somehow what we have here is higher quality than Spider-Man has been in a decade.
This movie tells the origin story for Miles but also delves into a bonkers plot that could have easily been its sequel. Thankfully, the heart of the story is Miles and his relationship to his family. If it weren’t for Sam Raimi and what he delivered with his Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007), this movie would convince me that any future adventure of Spider-Man is meant to stay animated for the best possible way to tell his story.
The most notable part of this movie is the cel-shaded animation style that is ripped right from the pages of a comic book. The animation isn’t the CG style we’re used to in typical Pixar/Disney movies, and has a rough, even blurry look to it. Though, it fits the reality and characters within. Because of this medium, it gets away with an inner voice (also shown on screen) and visual sound effects.
Because of the experience, you’ll be chuckling throughout the movie. With exception of some really forced instances, it’s all due to the the purposeful sight gags combined with genuine comedy. This isn’t a movie that relies on one-liners that undercut emotional moments. Instead, it focuses on humor when it needs to be funny, but also knows when to say when and let you grasp what is happening on screen.
While it’s a great ride, that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. In fact, it comes dangerously close to crossing the line into Lego Batman/Deadpool 2 territory by being so self referential. Those movies were a glut of easter eggs and trying to reach a 19 joke-per-minute quota, and they fell under their own weight. Spider-Verse by its nature is a meta look at the history of the character, but manages to pull it back to Miles’ personal story before it’s too late.
Also, while the movie is meant to be stuffed with alternate reality heroes, there are some inclusions that got way too much screen time. Keeping the focus on Miles, Peter Parker and Spider-Gwen would have been sufficient enough. Though kids are sure to get a kick out of the aggravatingly out-of-place Spider-Ham.
I walked into Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with little more than apathy. I walked out having seen the best Marvel-associated production in years. I could easily recommend this to kids who love comic book movies as well as adults who grew up with a love for the character. The movie says nothing in the end, but it’s a really fun ride to take. B+
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