Nearly everyone knows the story of Spider-Man by now; he’s super-intelligent, gets nervous around his love-interest and is bitten by a radioactive spider – but that’s not this film. Actually? Hang on! Okay so all that does still happen, however there’s so much more to this web-slinging story, for a start its not about Peter Parker, but Miles Morales and the journey in taking up the mantel of becoming a hero. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse breaks up the superhero routine that’s come to be expected and gives it a fresh injection for a whole new take.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures © 2018 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Miles Morales (in sticking with alliteration) is a young teenager, whose exceptionally smart (keeping with the PP theme), his parents are alive (not in keeping with PP theme), and though they dote on him, they push him to exceed more than Miles wants to be pushed. Miles’ relationship with his dad – who hates Spider-Man and has no qualms in embarrassing his son – provides Miles his first personal conflict; that of a child pulling away from a parent. It’s all very teenage exploration of boundaries, and it’s nice to have this inserted into the storyline.
On a night of traversing abandoned subway tunnels, as you do, Miles gets bitten by a radioactive spider, and becomes…….well, not quite Spider-Man, for he still has his training wheels on, but he does have all his powers and maybe a little something extra. The sequence of Miles learning his powers is fabulously written, and is gag-filled throughout, especially when combined with being the awkward new kid at school.
Needing help with his gifts, it’s lucky that Miles stumbles comes across the one and only Spider-Man – okay…….was the original one and only. But this Spider-Man aka Peter Parker, has no time for personal introductions as he fights his arch-nemesis Kingpin, who in typical villain protocol has built a machine that threatens the destruction of everything. However, when the film later reveals Kingpin’s reasons for doing so, it makes him somewhat pitiable – one of the many nice changes to the franchise universe. But either way Spider-Man always wins the day, doesn’t he? Maybe not, as suddenly Miles is left being the one and only Spider-Man. What?! There’s more of them??
Joining Miles in the start of his adventure comes an older Peter B. Parker (aka Spider-Man) but from a totally different universe; one where he’s out on his luck, has grown a little potbelly and likes to do things his way. He tries his best to mentor Miles, but Peter B’s exuberance for his career as a web-slinger has diminished, and this plays nicely against Miles’ new exploration, high anxiety and hopelessness as a crime-fighter. The problem is Miles doesn’t know where he fits; being torn between wanting to do the right thing and the pressures of living up to the name of being Spider-Man.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures © 2018 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Rarely do voice actors in animations stand out so far as to make you feel their characters are real living breathing people. But the uber talented Shameik Moore, who voices Miles Morales, transports you into a Spider-Man world – where you forget our own and instead; laugh at a version that has Miles stuck holding pigeons; nod in agreement (or not) as he sulks from his dad; and feeling, (oh so relatable to those teenage years) way out of his comfort zone – not forgetting the whole lot of crazy that comes with a super-powered world. Then there’s Jake Johnson who does a great job as the slightly dishevelled Peter B. Parker, his attitude injecting a sense of freshness to an old and yet beloved character. There’s also the genius surprise of Nicholas Cage’s character, the actor being so well-suited to the role that I wouldn’t mind more. There are of course other voices you instantly recognise, but some may come as a shock when looking at the long list of voice credits, and what a list it is.
Courtesy of Sony Pictures © 2018 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Having carved its own path in subverting away from the usual plotlines, it’s only fitting that the film’s animation does the same with a next-generation upgrade. The stylings merging a love and homage of Spider-Man’s comic-book origins, with its two-dimensional brightness and frame screening, whilst rendering the images with a 3D aspect. The result is a sensation of being on the ride with Spider-Man; his perspective and jolt-jumping action becoming your own, while avoiding any motion-sickness with a smooth and steady hand in the transitioning of each frame.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is possibly the best adaptation to have been done of Spider-Man, in particular for its unique concept, while still recognising enough of its original material to effectively spin it on its head – making the jokes land that much harder. The film also pays its respect to the many different versions of Spider-Man through a montage of merchandise, comic books, cartoons, films, remakes and they even mention Spider-Man’s dark phase of Jazz dancing – yes it happened (looking at you Toby, why? Just Why?!). The film successfully pulling off its new take on an old hero, while still have the uplifting and moralistic tone we expect from a Spider-man film, with it being as funny as it is heart-warming.
Director & Writer: Rodney Rothman
Other notable works:
- Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping 2016
Director: Bob Persichetti
Other notable works:
- The Little Prince 2015
Director: Peter Ramsey
Other notable works:
- Rise of the Guardians 2012
Writer: Phil Lord
Other notable works:
- The Lego Batman Movie 2017
- The Last Man on Earth 2015-2018
- The Lego Movie 2014
- How I Met Your Mother 2005-2014
Based on Marvel’s Spider-Man comics.
