SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is absolutely phenomenal. Believe every bit of superlative hype and buzz you’ve heard. Visually stunning, laugh-out-loud hilarious, surprisingly moving and full of heart, it’s one of the most euphoric cinematic experiences you’ll have all year.
We're all well acquainted with Spider-Man's origin by now: Peter Parker gets bitten by a radioactive spider, Uncle Ben dies, with great power comes great responsibility, etc etc. And the last thing we want is another Spider-Man origin story. And that's something INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE addresses head on... before proceeding to give us no less than 7 Spider-Man origin stories. Right from the opening seconds of the film, as we get yet another (truncated) retelling of the classic origin, the film's rich vein of razor sharp humor comes into play, as we get a rapid-fire selection of dynamite sight gags riffing off various iconic visuals from previous Spider-Man movies. And from there things are further turned on their head as we're introduced to a hero in Miles Morales who is at a glance very different from Peter Parker. But, as the unfolding story powerfully argues, there are certain themes that resonate for the Spider-Man myth regardless of who is under the mask.
INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE does more to capture in a nutshell the enduring power of the Spider-Man concept and the appeal of the character than the 6 live action films (and 2 additional live action films where he appeared) managed in the preceding 16 years... and it does it with Miles Morales in the lead role! It's a bold move, but it helps that Miles is instantly engaging, with Shameik Moore (a likeable presence in any other project I've seen him in) giving Miles an easy charm that makes it hard not to root for him. The idea of a bright black kid struggling to fit in at an elitist (mostly white) prep school that he got into by scholarship is an effective update of Peter Parker's isolation for being a nerd. And while it isn't brought too much to the fore, it is a powerful statement that a mixed-race black/Hispanic teenager (complete with a racially diverse family unit surrounding him) can take on the iconic mantle of Spider-Man and become the hero of New York. Part of the problem I've had with previous adaptations is the need to infantilise Peter Parker, making him younger and younger in order to recapture that potency of the initial premise, which resulted in franchises that felt backwards looking. With Miles at the helm, it feels like we're looking forward, with a Spider-Man that embodies the spirit of the modern New York City. No, it's not my Spider-Man, but it's a Spider-Man for a whole new generation of kids, and that makes me happy.
But here's the beautiful thing. I can have my cake and eat it, as this film incidentally also has one of the best ever portrayals of Peter Parker's Spider-Man. That's the wonderful thing about the parallel universe conceit the story is built upon. We have this bracing new universe (seemingly based on the Ultimate universe of the comics), but then our familiar comics universe is also out there somewhere, and in that Peter Parker has been through all the adventures we know him for. He's been through 22 years of it in fact, and has been left beaten down and jaded by the emotional toll all those years of great responsibility have taken on him. Voiced with weary humor by Jake Johnson of NEW GIRL fame, this Spidey's sarcasm and quips mask palpable pain and sadness, someone who's been put through the ringer. It might seem like a departure from what we're used to for Spider-Man, but weirdly this felt more like "my" Spider-Man than any cinematic take thus far. Remember, I first got into Spider-Man comics in the 90s, so for me Peter Parker was a married guy in his 30s from the start, and the comics' subsequent attempts at de-aging or removing of his history hurt my engagement more than helped.
And that's the thing so many people get wrong about Spider-Man that INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE gets right. Peter Parker was a great character because he grew with us, we got to see him go from adolescence to adulthood in the public eye, the comics a document of his amazing life. And rather than trying to recapture the early stages of that journey, this film is brave enough to let him age, and introduce something Marvel has always been less comfortable with than comics rival DC: legacy. Miles is the new generation, and seeing how Peter sees himself in him and reluctantly finds his cynicism thawing as he can't help but guide the nascent Spider-Man to his potential is poignant viewing.
But of course there's more than just Miles and Peter, though those ae the two rendered in most detail. We get Spider-Gwen. We get Spider-Man Noir. We get Peni Parker. In a particularly hilarious flourish, we get Spider-Ham, a cartoon talking pig. And though these iterations are more broadly drawn, their respective flourishes touched on more briefly, they are all still compelling screen presences and an immensely entertaining bunch, and you're left feeling like you could watch a solo film starring any of them.
The villain side is pretty great, too, and more densely packed with familiar baddies than the marketing will have you believe. I'll keep most of them a surprise, but I will say that Prowler comes across as more fearsome a foe than he ever has in the comics (complete with an absolute banger of a theme that plays and catches the breath in your chest whenever he appears). And then there's The Kingpin. Funny that in a year where we get two separate but respectively enjoyable takes on Spider-Man (three if you count the video game), we also get two separate but respectively enjoyable takes on one of his greatest foes (three if you count the video game). Vincent D'Onofrio's superlative take still has the edge, but I did appreciate this highly stylised take, looking like a Bill Sienkiewicz pinup brought to motion. And rather than just being a one-note monster, he too gets human motivation to make us understand his actions.
All this praise and I haven't even touched on the fact that, even if the plot wasn't marvelous (which it clearly is), the film just looks breathtaking. The animation is 3D, but manages to capture a 2D comic book quality, including clever touches like sound effects, captions and thought bubbles. It's the kind of gimmickry I find off-putting when a live action movie attempts it, but in this context it works a charm. The whole aesthetic feels like nothing you've ever seen before, allowing for hyper-kinetic action that captures the thrill, chaos and pure joy of swinging and spiraling through the air better than any live action movie could. And it's also worth noting that no other Spider-Man film (perhaps no other superhero film, period) has so astutely and evocatively captured the spirit of modern-day New York. One of the big parts of Spider-Man's appeal from his inception was that he was injected into the real life NYC rather than Gotham or Metropolis, and that is really got across potently here in a way I can't think any previous film compares... with only HOMECOMING maybe coming close
I laughed until it hurt at multiple points throughout this film, and at other points I found myself close to having a lump in my throat. But my most frequent emotional reaction was surely the big dumb grin of pure delight I had, letting the experience of watching this extravaganza wash over me, soaking in the earnest love for the character and mythos. My childhood love of Spider-Man has been reinvigorated by the experience of watching this film. And I know that it's going to make new fans out of a whole bunch of today's kids.
SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is not just the best animated film of the year and the best Spider-Man film ever, but up there with the best films of any kind in 2018, and an instant entry into the all-time top tier of superhero movies. I thought AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR would be unchallenged in the “film of the year” stakes... and it’s still probably my fave of 2018. But this got really close, way closer than I expected. A must-see movie.
10/10