Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Truly it's a spectacular time to be a film buff and a superhero fan right now. 

A film with the title Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse shouldn't work. A Spider-Man completely disconnected from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (where something *cough fairly significant cough cough* just happened to that character) shouldn't work. An animated film about multiple spider-people from Sony shouldn't work. An animated Peter "Porker" version of Spider-Man shouldn't work. 

But that's also what a lot of people said about 21 Jump Street. And The Lego Movie.

Certainly Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse works more than just because Phil Lord wrote the screenplay, but it clearly didn't hurt to have someone as witty and well-suited to referential humor. 

But it does remind me of those aforementioned films; an example of something that's firing on all cylinders so effortlessly and consistently that it's really just a wonder to sit back and enjoy the hell out of it. 

And if you would have told me a year ago about this film I'd likely have stated that you were out of your mind. 

If you're worried about this being yet another origin story for our hero, rest assured that...well...it is. But it's so unconventional in how it goes about growing Miles Morales into the newest Spider-Man that you'll barely recognize it as one. Miles is seemingly bitten at random by a radioactive spider, that much is true, but then a portal to other dimensions opens up in his version of New York City. Through that portal come several other Spider-"Men" (more on that later) and they must work to stop Kingpin from opening the portals again. Where Into the Spider-Verse surprises the most is that the core story is a lot less about stopping the bad guy and more focused on the belief that anyone can be a hero. That sentiment isn't necessarily new to these movies either, but after we meet a variety of Spider-Men, including a defeated, overweight, and divorced Peter Parker, you just may begin to believe that being a hero is something worth fighting for. This comes full circle in the film's fantastic (but slightly overlong) conclusion where Peter Parker's mentorship of Miles feels complete in a moment of heroics.

Some jaw-dropping animation. L00k at dos graphix!

Oh Spider-people!
Always tingling about something!

Among the worthwhile story and meaningful sentiments is the film's (and Lord's) signature humor. This is a VERY funny film, one of the funniest of the year in fact and it had my theater in stitches on more than one occasion. To my memory, only one or two jokes fell flat, but that's easily forgivable when some of the others hit so hard. Miles himself is an endearing character thanks to great voicework by Shameik Moore and his interactions with Jake Johnson's Peter Parker tend to be a source of recurring laughs. The laughs are dialed up even further when some additional Spider-"Men" make their appearance through the portal, included a Porky-the-Pig knock-off called Peter Porker (John Mulaney) and a dark/brooding Noir Spider-Man (Nicholas Cage). Cage and Mulaney threaten to take over the film completely when they enter because they're so consistently funny and whoever chose them as the voice actors probably deserves a raise. I only wish that they had entered the film sooner because in retrospect they definitely feel under served by only being in the latter 45 mins of the film.

What initially blew me away about Into the Spider-Verse through the trailers was the animation and its distinct style. Into the Spider-Verse earns insane bonus points here for how creative it is with its animation style and it truly is different than anything you've seen before. There are plenty of comic book elements that make their way into the film and it changes styles at opportune moments either for laughs, effects, or both to great success (stay until after the credits for perhaps the funniest instance of this). With this new animation style comes a bit of a warning from me: don't sit very close to the screen for this one. My friends and I weren't super close (about 3rd row in a theater that starts out pretty far back from the screen to start) but there were still times I had a hard time focusing on what was happening in the more chaotic moments. There's also a weird foreground/background focus issue I noticed, though it seemed to go away later in the film. Think of it like when you take your 3D glasses off -- this was a 2D showing -- and there are multiple "layers". I was getting that effect at times and couldn't quite shake it. Those are a couple minor complaints for a film that strives to go with a new, exciting animation style.

As if Into the Spider-Verse couldn't get any more impressive, it also decides to go for my secret weapon by packing in some phenomenal music pairing. The original score, which is used sparingly, is forgettable (outside of the awesome "theme" for a certain villain) but the soundtrack is full of awesome hip-hop and rap tracks that fit perfectly into this world. The film isn't necessarily timed to the beat of these songs, they just fit so well in the moment that you might believe it is. It's a nice touch that they could have easily forgot about, but it's clear that the goal with this Spider-Man from the get-go was to make it memorable, unique, and subvert expectations. 

Is that Spider-Man wearing...sweatpants?

Into the Spider-Verse is a movie that shouldn't have worked. It should have been an end-of-the-year cash grab on a famous superhero IP that had a handful of laughs and a forgettable origin story. Instead it comes brimming with excitement and exuberance to tell its unique story, make you laugh (a lot), dazzle you with color and animation, and tap your toes to some great music. And it succeeds mightily in each regard.

CONS

• Slightly overlong and it took too long for the other Spider-"Men" to enter the equation
• Peni Parker, the anime Spider-girl with a robot, feels out of place comparatively to the others. She's the weak link
• Handful of instances where I couldn't get used to the layering effect of the animation. It looked like a 3D film without the glasses at a few points
• Mostly forgettable original score

PROS

• It may be "another" origin story for Spider-Man, but does more than enough to distinguish itself
• Several heartfelt, more mature moments that allow it to earn its keep past just being funny
• And yes, it's downright hilarious
• Tons of hidden Easter Eggs throughout that are fun to find
• Stellar voicework from Moore and Johnson and whoever chose Mulaney and Cage for their respective characters deserves a shout-out
• Incredible animation that is consistently creative with itself and delightfully colorful
• Like Black Panther, it has an awesome album to pair with it. Unlike Black Panther, it actually uses these songs in the film and to great effect
• Consistently full of life and you can tell that it strives to be more than what people expected

Rath's Review Score | 9/10