Sony has a complicated history with Spiderman. After falling at the final hurdle in Sam Raimi's trilogy with Spiderman 3 and then crashing their own Spiderman cinematic universe before it had even begun in The Amazing Spiderman 2, they reluctantly lent the character back to Marvel Studios. It would be easy to accuse Sony of mishandling this beloved hero over the years, almost as though they didn't know what to do with the character. That is certainly not the case with Into the Spiderverse. This film is clearly a labour of love for Spiderman and strikes the perfect balance between appreciating the old and explore the new.
When young Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) finds out he has gained spider-powers, he seeks the advice of Peter Parker (Jake Johnson) to show him the webs. Yet when Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) opens a portal to several other dimensions, Miles must ditch the training and think on his feet to help send his new friends home.
It's a phrase thrown around a lot when discussing superhero movies, but this film genuinely looks like it has jumped out of the pages of a comicbook. Scratch that, this film is a moving comicbook. Into the Spiderverse brings those old pages to life in a way that I have never seen before. The style of the animation is totally original. An almost unnatural mixture of 3D images moving and existing in 2D plains that works so well it's a wonder nobody has thought to do this before. Vibrant explosions of primary colours, zippy movements straight out the cartoon and the genius incorporation of comicbook conventions. This film to a bold swing by committing so hard to it's concept, but it is more impressive that it completely sticks the landing.
The frenetic world created within the animation is the perfect playground to explore the movie's narrative. We get to experience parts of the Spiderman universe never seen before on the big screen. Shameik Moore brings Miles Morales to life brilliantly. He's uber charming and likable, whilst still having that nervousness and dorkiness that embodies Spiderman. The movie's sheer craziness could have easily stolen the limelight from him, but this is very much Mile's story and it's all the better for it. The rest of the Spider-gang all shine too. Jake Johnson turns out to be a really good Spiderman and his arc from the world-weary guy with a beer-belly swinging round in sweatpants to role model for Miles is really satisfying. In fact, there are a tonne of satisfying character moments throughout, some of which are purely having the characters around. Spiderman-Noir is played superbly by a very deadpan Nic Cage and John Mullany as Peter Porker (The Spectacular Spiderham) might be the single best piece of casting in the history of cinema.
Whilst the film never stops covering new ground, it is constantly loyal to everything you love about your favourite web-slinger. There are some new and innovative interpretations of most of Spidey's rogues' gallery. The suits and gadgets are all present and just as you remember them. There are plenty of deep cut references to creators and characters alike (including a beautiful Stan Lee and Steve Ditko tribute) that will have fans smirking throughout. It all feels like classic Spiderman. And whilst the film is constantly pushing the boundaries in new directions, you feel like your in safe hands.
As you might expect from a screenplay produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street), this film is also a romp. Considering the wealth of characters and animative techniques on display, it's so tightly paced that the nearly 2-hour runtime simply 'thwips' by. The comedy is ingenious - delightfully self-aware and playful. Yet, the meta jokes fit so well into the story and world created in this film they almost lose their meta-ness.
It's too soon to tell right now, but I have a sneaky suspicion that in a few years time this will be remembered as the definitive cinematic depiction of Spiderman. After three iterations in under a decade, Into the Spiderverse achieves the unthinkable of reinvigourating the character for both new and old audiences. Every aspect of the film; the plethora of wild and wacky characters on show, the stunning style of the animation and the 'wink and nod' humour are entirely fresh and original. I can guarantee that you've never seen anything like this before and when you come out of it, you'll be mighty glad you have.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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