Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Starring Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Liev Schreiber

Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, & Rodney Rothman

The Story:
Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is an ordinary teenager, going to school and being supported by his loving parents and uncle, who also enjoys graffiti.  One day he goes with his Uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali) to an abandoned subway station so he can draw, and he's bit by a radioactive spider.  He soon experiencing strange happenings to his body, and when he encounters Spider-Man (Chris Pine), they share a connection and he knows that he too is a Spider-Man.

Miles learns that the evil Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) is building a super-collider to bring an alternate universe version of his family to his universe, and threatens to send New York into a black hole.  When the collider turns on, several universes of Spider-Men travel through the portal to Miles' world.  Included is an older, jaded Spider-Man (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy - known as Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Noir (Nicolas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn), and Spider-Ham (John Mulaney).  Miles learns that he has to send them back to their respective universes because their bodies aren't adjusting to being in one universe together, and set out to stop Kingpin and destroy the collider - but first Miles has to learn everything it means to be a Spider-Man, and none of them think he's up for the task.

The Synopsis:
As a comic book fanatic, I can never get enough of superhero movies, especially Marvel.  While for many the superhero origin movie has become stale and outdated, "Into the Spider-Verse" finds a way to make an origin story completely unique, exhilarating, exciting, fascinating, beautiful, poignant, humorous, and action-packed.  Of course, being an animated film helps in that fact due to it not being restrained by the rules of natural order or too much CGI, and the three directors use this to their full advantage to give us a completely spell-binding film that's a perfect balance of everything that makes a superhero origin story so great.

Miles Morales was created in 2011 to serve as a different Spider-Man, a young man who's a mixture of African American and Puerto Rican who served as an inspiration for those who previously never saw themselves in comics before.  He's street smart and headstrong, and holds a strong bond to his family.  Fans have been pining for a Morales-centered film, and there's been hints of it before (such as Donald Glover playing his uncle in "Spider-Man: Homecoming"), but we never got his story - until now.  While the film probably would've been mediocre or traditional if told in the traditional way, being set to animation really opened the doors for Miles' story to be told in a completely fantastical, whimsical way while keeping it grounded in the firm foundation of family.

The animation in the film is groundbreaking and revolutionary, one that really hasn't been seen on the big screen before.  It was like watching the panels of a comic come to life, the style being used amazingly to get its point across - there's even panels and dialogue bubbles that fully immerse you in the experience.  It also adds a psychedelic sense especially with the dizzying battle scenes that will have you in wide-eyed wonder as you move your head from one side of the screen to the next, hoping to not miss a beat - but for a film like this, it's impossible to catch everything in one viewing, and thankfully you won't mind sitting through it again.  And again.  And again.  It's just that good.

Besides the animation, the film heralds some amazing voice talents, especially "Dope" star Shameik Moore as Morales, who portrays him as a mixture of streetwise charm and naïvety that makes him all the more endearing and easy to root for.  As he trains with an alternate version of Spider-Man, he learns what powers he has (and doesn't have), and struggles to use them to their full ability.  Jake Johnson voices the aged, more saddened Peter Parker extremely well, using his natural sarcastic tone to his full advantage.  Hailee Steinfeld gives Gwen Stacy a strong, independent feel, while Nicolas Cage was practically born to voice Spider-Noir, a detective Spider-Man from the gritty 30s who's black and white and sees the world as such.  Brian Tyree Henry, Mahershala Ali, Lily Tomlin, Liev Schreiber, Zoe Kravitz, Chris Pine and Kathryn Hahn also add credence to the film, but the scene stealer is easily comedian John Mulaney, who voices Peter Porker - a.k.a. Spider-Ham - and as his name entails, hams it up in every scene he's in.

The music is electric and is a perfect component to the action taking place on screen.  It's a vibrant blend of rap and rock that keeps the blood flowing as you watch the excitement taking place, and especially the score is downright chilling - especially when it comes to one of Kingpin's henchmen, which when he's on screen, offers a guttural vibrancy that actually makes you terrified of him as well.

While the story is rather simple - get the Spider-Men to their respective universes and also come to terms with your newfound powers and abilities - the film gets an added depth with how the story progresses.  Miles isn't immediately an all-star Spider-Man, and it seems that he might not be cut out for the gig.  This is where "Into the Spider-Verse" isn't afraid to offer some self-defecating humor by introducing each universe's Spider-Man as their own origin story, and each offer Miles their own advice as to how to come to terms with who he is, in ways that we all saw coming.  We also see the strong family dynamic between Miles and his police officer father, and also with his more morally ambiguous uncle that adds a deeper heart to the film.  There were some truly shocking moments and surprises as well, and a plethora of Easter Eggs to the history of Spider-Man that definitely warrants repeat viewings.

Then there's that Stan Lee cameo, all the more poignant since it was released after his death, and the cameo itself was more than just that here, serving as the icing on the cake for a truly revolutionary, memorable Spider-Man film - and the best so far.

The Summary:
Vivid animations, compelling characters, perfect blend of mythos and humor, a heartfelt story, and dizzying action, "Into the Spider-Verse" manages to excel at everything while offering nothing to chance, providing a groundbreaking film that's easily the best of all universes.

The Score: A+