Logan Sork Film Reviews
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
When I heard that there was an animated Spider-Man film coming to theatres, I wasn’t really that excited. Animation has never really been one of my favorite genres and there have been animated superhero films being released straight to DVD for many years now, so why put this thing on the big screen? Boy was I wrong to judge this movie. Not only is this my favorite animated films of this year, it may be one of my favorites period. It has a unique animation style that I’ve never really seen before which helps to elevate its great characters and action scenes. But what really makes the film great is its inspiring message of optimism and what it truly means to be a hero.
Spider- Man: Into the Spider-verse is directed by Peter Ramsey, Robert Persichetti Jr. and Rodney Rotham. The film tells the story of Miles Morales (Shemeik Moore), teenage boy who feels out of place both at the prep-school his father sent him to and in his own home life as he looks more to his criminal uncle (Mahershala Ali) rather than his cop father. One night, Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider and receives the same powers as the hero Spider-Man. He witnesses the death of Spider-Man as he fails to stop the crime lord Kingpin (Leiv Schreiber) from using a device that causes multiple portals to different dimensions to open. In the aftermath, Miles encounters another Spider-Man (Jake Johnson) from a different dimension and learns that there are multiple spider-people who have crossed over from their dimensions. Vowing to avenge Spider-Man, Miles must team up with the other heroes in order to stop Kingpin from using the device again, all while learning what it really means to be Spider-Man.
The animation style in this film is truly unique as it is both new and somehow similar to what we are used to seeing. It is almost like a hybrid between traditional hand drawn animation and modern computer animation. The cross between the two makes for a truly unique viewing experience that may take some time to getting used to, but once you’re used to it you’ll almost wish that more animated films used this style. And while it is highly stylized, you almost feel as if you’re still looking into a real world, there were a couple of moments where it genuinely felt like I was watching a live action film rather than an animated one. This unique style of animation helps to make the action sequences all the more spectacular, as it utilizes it’s eyepopping visuals to achieve action sequences beyond the limits of live-action films. And while the animation style is quick, it also takes its time to focus on the smaller moments, resulting in a fil that feels perfectly balanced in terms of action moments and emotional ones.
The cast and characters are also excellent. Miles is your typical youth who aspires to do great things with his newfound abilities, and he’s also someone who struggles with a lot of personal issues. Whether it’s his rocky relationship with his father or his hard times at a school he doesn’t really like, the film takes time to explore these struggles and helps flesh out Miles as a heroic, yet down to earth person. The traditional young, optimistic Peter Parker you’re used to is replaced by a snarky, mid-life crisis Peter. This results in plenty of comedic and surprisingly emotional moments as we see our traditional hero down on his luck. Because of the multiple dimensions involved, the supporting cast comes in all shapes and sizes, from a noir inspired spider-man to Spider-Ham: a talking pig. Each character is given some extra personality by the animation as they each have their own unique style. For example, one character may have an anime inspired look, while the pig resembles that of a looney toons cartoon. The diversity of the characters shows that just about anyone can be a hero, no matter where they come from.
Which brings me to my favorite element of the film and that is the overall message of heroism and optimism that it presents. Most superhero films focus on the action and not the character’s journey, with Spider-Verse it’s almost the opposite. While it defiantly doesn’t skip on the action, the main focus is on Miles and his journey to learn what it truly means to be a hero. He doesn’t just get bit by a spider, slap on a suit and go off saving people, instead he makes a lot of mistakes and must learn from them. There are several points throughout the film where Miles fails, but he keeps getting up every single time. This is a message that should appeal to just about everyone on the earth, because no matter how hard things become, true heroes get up no matter what.
This film was truly amazing, not only is it a fantastic animated film but a fantastic film period. Its inspiring message is propped up by an amazing visual style, great action scenes and plenty of fun characters to make this movie worth a watch, even if you’re not well versed in the Spider-Man mythos.
9.5/10