Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Review)

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse is an absolute triumph.

Even as a die-hard comic book geek, I had no idea that Into the Spider-Verse was the Spider-man movie I had been waiting all my life to see. I had high expectations for this film, but it managed to exceed them all, which is saying something considering how many good super hero movies have come out in recent memory. The thing is that this might just be the best one of the year…

Into the Spider-Verse introduces Miles Morales to the big screen. For those of you who might not be comic savvy, Miles Morales replaced Peter Parker in an alternate universe after his untimely (and incredibly emotional) death. Since then he’s come to fame as one of the premier minority superheroes in comics. In the film, he’s played by Shameik Moore, who brings the character to life beautifully. Miles is bi-racial, the son of a police officer and a nurse in Brooklyn, and a perfect example of diversity in comics. The film finds Miles faced with the age-old bit of wisdom, “with great power comes great responsibility,” after discovering new powers of his own just in time for the death of his universe’s Peter Parker. Without a mentor to show him the ways of Spider-Man, things aren’t looking good for Miles, that is until five other Spider-Men (Spider-People… Spider-Beings? Yeah, that’s it) show up to teach him the ropes.

Front and center in Into the Spider-Verse are Moore and Jake Johnson, who plays an alternate-Earth version of Peter Parker who is thrown into Miles’ universe. The two are absolutely perfect in their roles as two of the premiere Spider-Men from comics come to the big screen and the chemistry is palpable between them as they trade quips back and forth. They’re joined by an incredibly talented voice cast, featuring the likes of Nicolas Cage (making this the second animated comic book movie he’s lent his voice to this year), Hailee Steinfeld, John Mulaney, and Kimiko Glenn, as the other Spider-People who find themselves stuck in Miles’ dimensions. Of course, there are plenty of other recognizable actors who lend their voices to the film, but it would take way too long to mention everyone in the cast who deserves it. So, for the sake of simplicity, let me just say that the voice cast of Into the Spider-Verse is one of the most impressive I’ve heard from an animated film all year.

I’ve seen quite a few animated movies this year, but none of them come close to the quality and creativity featured in Into the Spider-Verse. Miles is a character that is familiar and yet completely new at the same time. He’s a young minority in New York that loves graphic design and slapping stickers he draws around the city. The animation reflects this with vivid splashes of color that give it a sort of neon graffitti feeling while also taking inspiration from its comic book origins of the character by incorporating paneling as well as thought and speech bubbles at certain points. In a way, this is a film that embodies the very essence of a comic come to life, and that is something that really made this film something special for me as a comic book geek. It created a sense of nostalgia whithout seeming like too much of a gimmick. While these styalistic choices are noticable, they’re never overwhelming and flow perfectly with the pace of the film, making Into the Spider-Verse one of the most impressive visual stories of the year.

Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman pen one of the most impressive superhero movie scripts I’ve had the pleasure of watching. Thanks to them Into the Spider-Verse manages to capture the very essence of the characters that comic book geeks know and love so well. It features quip-filled scenes that are side-splitting but don’t under value the emotional queues that this film manages to hit consistently. After all, this is a movie about believing in yourself. It features a firm moral in Miles journey that is universal without being cliche. Lord and Rothman focus on the fact that Miles is not only a fledgling hero, but also just a kid who has no idea what he’s doing. It’s that uncertainty that can be crippling for kids (and I assume super-heroes in training). While so many movies might preach that you should “just believe in yourself,” Into the Spider-Verse doesn’t treat the world like an after school special. Its message is that you never know what you’re capable of until you take that leap of faith. In other words, it’s not so much believing in yourself, but having faith.

Into the Spider-Verse is a late addition to 2018’s line up of movies, but I’m glad that the year seems to have saved the best for last. It’s quite literally the perfect family film. Don’t have a family? No worries, because it manages to do just fine as a solo flick. Hard core comic fans will love it for remaining faithful to the essence of it’s source material while still giving us something new and unexpected. Since it’s an alternate universe, it’s allowed to take some liberties with character designs and even some orgins (this is especially true with the villains). Casual fans will love it because it keeps things simple and straight forward, meaning you don’t even have to know who Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen or any of the other more obscure characters that pop up in the film are.

Long story short, Into the Spider-Verse is a must-see movie. Don’t think, do. Don’t walk, run. Oh, and be sure to stay after the credits, because it will definitely be worth it.