Cinephile No. 772 “Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse”
Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME
Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Writers: Phil Lord, Rodney Rothman, Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld
Plot: “Teen Miles Morales becomes Spider-Man of his reality, crossing his path with five counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities.” -IMDB
Review: When the first trailer was released for “Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse,” I will admit that I felt over and underwhelmed at the same time. My initial reaction had me begging for some patience inside the Marvel Universe. I dreamed of a world where everything inside the Marvel Cinematic Universe would soon get the animated treatment and be forced to stand alongside their live-action box office brethren. The thought of this plan disappointed and scared me.
Then the Oscars happened and this film I had written off won best-animated feature. Critics and the movie-going public had spoken. This was a picture I had to see in person. I needed to judge for myself despite my reservations.
Almost instantly, I was in love with this movie thanks to its unique and beautiful animation style. Seriously, I have never seen an animated film that looked this cool, hip and cutting edge. From there, I fell in love with its creative retelling of one of the best-known superhero stories in all of comic book land. Focused on a teenage kid named Miles Morales from a bi-racial family, Miles stumbles across his powers early. It isn’t until a trip through the multi-verse and the “death” of another Spider-man that Miles begins to understand the world he has entered.
Beyond the plotline, this movie is really funny and genuine. It possesses an ability to leave a permanent smile on your face. It features plenty of twists and turns, as well as familiar motivations found in the world of Spider-man; a love interest and death as a motivator. It also has an uncanny ability to appeal to both kids and adults; not something that is easy to pull off.
In the end, this film introduces a new breed of superhero and serves as a representative to a community of people who need to see themselves in the content they consume. On a personal note, this is my favorite Marvel film so far. For me, it is a lesson to never judge a trailer too harshly.
Be good to each other,
Nathan
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