Alright folks, let’s do this one last time! My name is Alex Angelopoulos, I was bitten by a radioactive film (Don’t ask!), and for the last (“Let’s see, 2020… minus 2002 is…) eighteen years, I have been the one and only, Friendly Neighborhood Film Nerd!
Hey Everyone! We’re on our second to last stop in this Spider-Man review marathon with only other Oscar winning Spidey venture (outside of Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 for visual effects) with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. As usual, I’m gonna leave you all with an IMDb link for the plot summary although, if I’m being honest, I don’t know if I would even touch it. If you’re going into this movie blind AND for the first time, then you’ll quickly realize how well it actually handles origins and the plot as a whole. Nevertheless, here ye go: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4633694/
Well, now that we’re in the thick of it, THIS MOVIE IS FREAKING INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! There, review’s done. BYE BYE! See ya later.
…oh alright! You know I couldn’t just leave you all hanging on a note like that in a review post right?!?! (I also need to stop defaulting to that ol’ “review’s over” joke but that’s a tangent for another day) There is definitely a reason that it won the Oscar for Best Animated. This film is not only an achievement in the animation genre: I betcha that this film will be remembered as a cinematic landmark for years to come PERIOD! An oh yeah, it is the best Spider-Man movie by far!
Honestly, there’s so many legitimately awesome places that I could start with my appraisal of this film; yet, I feel like there’s no other place to start than the groundbreaking, awesome animation and visuals. No other film in history has tried to for a comic book visual style as ambitious as this and they knocked it out of literally every single ballpark you could ever imagine (which isn’t too hard with how they are all closed at the moment… well that got depressing fast!). There are a bunch of films where people say that old cliche of “You could take any frame from this movie and hang it on your wall from how beautiful it is” and, you’ve guessed it, Into the Spider-Verse (Ah… the beauty of subtitles giving me an excuse to not have to type the full name of a movie every single time…) is one of the best cases of that.
Again, if you haven’t seen this movie yet (as INSANE as that is… I’m not preaching for this movie- YOU’RE PREACHING…), I would highly recommend not looking at anything, because you will be *cough* amazed *cough* by everything you see this from this movie in its gorgeous style littered with tons of awesomely subtle details. Whether it be from the clearly different animation styles of each of the Spider-People (Yup, deal with it English language!), to the minute little text pop-ups of the “clackity clacks” and “bagel!”, all the way down to the iconic, inspiring, and utterly brilliant Leap of Faith scene (where Miles goes finally reaches 24 frames per second after being 12 throughout everything prior… nerdin’ out dude!) all of this makes Into the Spider-Verse easily one of the most visually stunning movies I have ever seen. The fact that this was two of the three directors’ feature directorial debut (being Bob Perischetti and Rodney Rothman- with it being Peter Ramsey’s second) is just, wow… WOW!!!
So all of that was excellence on the visuals side of this inter-dimensional romp, which gets even crazier when you factor in the insane amount of this energy and personality lies within. Quite literally from the opening logos, the filmmakers perfectly establish that distinguishing flare that fuels the entire film its pursuit of what it means to be a *comic book* film. It uses it’s brilliantly unique style to charge through sequences that encapsulate everything you want to see with these colorful characters in rapid-fast motion no matter if it’s a slick escape from Alchemax, or a not-so slick escape from the police with an unconscious Peter B. Parker.
…you know it’s really hard not to go into to too many specifics, when it feels like every single fiber of this movie has awesomeness attached to it… huh… Anyway, even with the immense amounts of pizzazz that this film has, none of it would work if the script were not up to par and well, IT WAS!!! For one, Into the Spider-Verse manages to have an extremely dense and convoluted story/plot, with numerous story elements all vying for screen time and by some miracle, it… all… WORKS! (Take that Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2) Like seriously, the filmmakers were able to make me, the viewer (“No s#$% Sherlock!”), care about everything that they were selling me, while also keeping me invested in the stakes.
Some might think that making nothing boring and everything interesting is easy like a Sunday morning (Duh da duh daaaaa… “That’s why I’m eaaaaaaaaassssaaaay!”…. oh, you were looking at that… ignore this!); yet as someone who knows the trials and tribulations of how hard it is to make a film, the fact that they hit that mark is nothing short of AmAZinG! …had to make the innevitable pun feel a little less painful.
But “Hey!”, you wanna’ know what isn’t painful? (Holy “Eh” transitions Batman!) The tone and emotional cores of this film absolutely rock! The stamp that Lord and Miller left on this movie as producers and partial co-writer (Did I get that! ‘Cause Phil Lord is also credited for screenplay and story where Miller is not… English is confusing) is undeniably huge in the best way possible. Their signature brand of fast, silly, and self-referential humor is abundant throughout every fiber of this movie, leading to an undeniable bevy of smiles and laughter from beginning to end.
Fortunately, they along with every other filmmaker involved with this masterpiece (no biggy ;)) also know how to balance their comedic sensibilities with so much well-earned empathy, heart, and thematic strength. For as quick as Into the Spider-Verse can be, it knows exactly when to slow it down in order to put the spotlight onto the characters and emotions at hand even if it’s only for a sec. All of that, is wrapped within so many excellent themes and messages that no matter who you are, will make a connection. You name it: believing in yourself is what gives you strength; sometimes you just have to push through the struggles and make a leap of faith; nobody is the only one of who they are; ANYONE CAN WEAR THE MASK; etc. To say that this film is not relevant with its roots of diversity and togetherness *in these times particularly* would be the biggest of my entire life.
And oh yeah, the characters and voice work are off the charts as well! (In any other standard animated movie, this would probably be the first thing I mentioned honestly) Shameik Moore nails the essence of who Miles Morales is as a hip (How do you do fellow kids?), snarky, goofy, yet relatable character. Jake Johnson nails the essence of a Peter Parker who has let life and laziness sink him into a state of mental lows, despite his good-will nature at the end of the day. Chris Pine nails the exact opposite of that with, his character… since, I’m trying to leave this open for new viewers, that is all I’m gonna say. Hailee Steinfeld does what she always does best in her performances as Spider-Gwen, so that’s awesome. Pick an actor/character doesn’t matter who and chances are they have an awesome moment or fit the story.
I mean, what else can I really say at this point? Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is easily the best Spider-Man film (which again, is saying a lot of given how much I love what Raimi with Spider-Man 1 & 2 and what Watts did with Homecoming and uh, the next review ;)), it is one of the best comic-book movies evah, is a landmark feat in cinema easily, and has solidified itself as one of my all-time favorites period. Honestly, I don’t even know if there are any actual negatives for myself.
It might be little too bloated and/or long for some… I don’t care. There is at least one person who thinks the style overtakes the substance… I don’t care. And the presence of Spider-Ham (who is glorious might I add!) could tamper the drama for some… but you’ve guessed it, I DON’T CARE!!! It is a movie that wowed me on my first, to this most recent seventh, and I gurantee that it will continue to wow me for the rest of my life.
Rating: 10/10 and I adore it, it’s brilliant, and it is MIND-BLOWING!!!
…boy do I not when to quit with writing a lot for movies that I’m passionate about. What can I say:
Once again, apologies for a review that is coming out later than intended. Hopefully this is an area I’ll be able to get more consistent with and if you’ve been patient and read through alllllllll of this post, then thank you so much. And to those who have not yet seen Into the Spider-Verse, then I would highly recommend it checking it out whether it be via the convenience of Netflix, or a purchase that it well deserves. Especially right now, this is a movie that has themes and messages that matter now more than ever.
Again, I’ll keep this brief since my purpose is to entertain and give a means to escape the darkness that the world can bring. I love movies, and if reading proof of my love with these reviews helps you get through the day, then I really have succeeded with what I’ve set out to do. So, without further ado: #BlackLivesMatter
Anyway, the last of the review of the Spidey marathon with Spider-Man: Far From Home is on the horizon, so be sure to look out for that. If you enjoyed this review and have a similar passion for Into the Spider-Verse (or for even seeing it), then feel free to let me know about it in the comments below. And as always, I think you should all know who I am at this point…
I’m Alex, your Friendly Neighborhood Film Nerd!!! (WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!)
Also, Spider-Verse 2 HYYYYYYYYYYYYYPE!!!!!!!!! :):):)
Spinning the Cineweb 