I’m not sure if you were paying attention, but 2018 was more or less the year of Spider-Man. We had so much awesomeness come out on so many fronts, it was almost hard to keep up with it all. Gaming saw what is being labeled as the best superhero game created with Marvel’s Spider-Man on the PlayStation 4. It was my personal Game of the Year and I had an absolute blast playing it (I’ll be reviewing it on my gaming site, FutureMonkeys.com soon!). We also got to experience more Spider-Man in the MCU with Avengers: Infinity War, which spoilers, was an emotional train wreck. In the comic world, we saw Spider-Geddon happen. A hyped up storyline that featured numerous Spidey’s from various times and universes. Which ultimately got you warmed up for the grand finale in December when Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out in theaters. We got to watch it a few days after Christmas and absolutely fell in love. With the Blu-ray coming out March 18th (you know I’m getting that steelbook! Pretty mad it’s not 4K though), I figured it’s good a time as any to review it here.
Into the Spider-Verse was quite possibly one of, if not, the best film adaptation of Spider-Man to ever come out. With a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and hopefully a matching Oscar to go next to it, it makes me so happy to see it being recognized for what it was able to deliver. Usually with animated movies, you go in expecting to be entertained, but that’s about it. Into the Spider-Verse managed to not only do that, but it took you on a roller coaster of emotions and then left you at the station, begging to go on the ride again.
The first thing you’ll notice is the art style. And rightfully so, because the geniuses at Imageworks Managed to craft a hybrid of art styles. I knew it was unique to the point where I had never seen anything like it before, but it turns out that’s an understatement. After reading this article from Polygon with Patrick O’Keefe, one of the film’s two Art Directors, it’s clear that you have every right to be thoroughly impressed with the visuals you experience with Into the Spider-Verse.
Into the Spider-Verse managed to take you on a roller coaster of emotions and then left you at the station, begging to go on the ride again.
Add in the music which is an entire other level of immersion, and it creates a package that is beyond anything I could’ve expected. Speaking of music, the soundtrack and Daniel Pemberton’s score have been in my ears since we watched the movie. Let me just say, What’s Up, Danger? and The Prowler have been on repeat numerous times. I can never listen to them just once.
As far as the story goes, there’s almost too much to praise. You’d think with it being a Spider-Man movie, they would focus on Peter Parker. Lots of fans know there are different Spideys from different universes, but the one most renowned person who is typically behind the mask is Peter Parker. But not here.
While Parker is a huge part of the film, he’s not the focus. Miles Morales, a teenager from Brooklyn, is the headliner and wow is it refreshing. He’s been in and out of the comics since 2011, but this is the first time we see him on the big screen. With an African American father and a Puerto Rican mother, Miles steps into the shoes of Spider-Man in his own way, and with his own style. As his character evolves throughout the movie, I can only imagine the eyes of kids who are not the same color as typical superheroes, seeing themselves as such an iconic character they know and love. This is not the first time Spider-Man has been half hispanic. Miguel O’Hara, who is half Mexican, was a futuristic Spider-Man in Spider-Man 2099. But that debuted in the comics back in 1992. 2019 is different times. Where the world, and especially children of color, can benefit from seeing a Spider-Man that they can relate to so closely. As a hispanic nerd dad to bi-racial nerd kids, I hope you understand how great this is to see. I was almost in tears coming out of the theatre and coming to this realization.
Ok, back to the story. Into the Spider-Verse follows so many characters that find themselves intertwined, it can leave your head spinning. But in the middle of it all, holding it all together, is the origin story of Miles. I know, “origin story” is not something you want anymore. At this point, with so many superhero movies out now, we’ve grown tired of seeing the same origin stories over and over. But this is far from your typical “here’s how it happened” plot line.
The way the story is all laid out and how it unweaves itself will leave you laughing, crying, and cheering, almost all at the same time. At one point it got so down that my kid turned to me and said he doesn’t think he wants to watch it anymore. And I can understand, after seeing what I won’t spoil. But the story keeps on going and redeems itself, making you realize that even when you feel like you don’t want to go on, like you can’t go on, there’s always reason to. That there’s something you have to push through in order to see the sun shining again. By the end of the movie he told me it still made him sad, but with everything else that happened he wound up really liking it. I’m glad he was able to see it how I did, and walked out with positive thinking. But it should show how much of an emotional ride the film takes you on. As a kid, you go in expecting a Spider-Man cartoon. But you come out with so much more, as if you’ve just been loaded with the responsibility of having to understand how the world works. And we all know about Spidey and responsibility.
I’m actually kind of jealous kids today have such a superhero to look up to.
Look, I don’t think I need to explain myself any more here. It’s pretty obvious where I stand on how much I liked this movie. The visuals, the music, the story, the characters. It’s all meshed together in such a way that it will leave you feeling like no other animated movie has made you feel before. Yes, I may be somewhat bias, seeing as how I come from a nerdy, superhero loving background. Maybe someone who isn’t into the genre as much but still wants to watch it won’t come out feeling the same way. But personally, there’s too much here to love and enjoy. The plot is easily my favorite origin story I’ve ever watched, and the visuals that deliver it are groundbreakingly unique. If Miles Morales was a real person, I can only imagine him being proud watching this, as the movie as a whole seems to be the embodiment of his character. I’m actually kind of jealous kids today have such a superhero to look up to.
