2018 Film Review: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Directed by: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Written by: Phil Lord,  Rodney Rothman
Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld
IMDb Link

Every time I think I feel the effects of "superhero fatigue" there comes along a film that's great enough to make me forget about it and fall in love with the idea all over again.

In a continuity all to its own that evokes similarities to the Peter Parker story of the Raimi Spider-Man films, Into the Spider-Verse follows Miles Morales (Moore), a high school kid with that all too familiar backstory involving being bitten by a radioactive spider. Morales is a kid who has grown up admiring Spider-Man and what he does; Miles' whole idea of what it means to be a hero is shaped by Spider-Man, and his world comes crashing down when Spider-Man, our Peter Parker (Chris Pine), is killed in front of him. Then the film starts to get a little weird with it when it introduces Peter B. Parker (Johnson), a Spider-Man from another universe, and Spider-Gwen (Steinfeld), a Gwen Stacy from another universe, and Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), a Peter Parker from yet another universe where he's set in the 1930s, and SP//dr (Kimiko Glenn), a girl named Peni Parker who pilots a mech powered by the radioactive spider, and Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), a pig from a universe filled with talking animals named Peter Porker. They've all been thrown in to Miles' world, and they need to get home before they disintegrate from being out of their universe for too long. It's weird, and silly, and funny, and, with development, a little heart-breaking, and it all works despite such obvious tonal differences between each of these characters. None of the Spiders match each other's art style or background; Ham is as Looney as it gets, Spider-Noir is excessively self-serious, and Peni feels like something out of a fever dream. All of these things feel like they should clash, but instead, the writers and animators have managed to craft something that blends these stark differences in a way that makes them all charming enough to be worth their own movies and still not get in the way of the Miles at the centre of it all.

Despite wild differences between them, the writers found perfect common ground for each of the characters in the comedy each can bring to the table; the film is self-aware enough to make something like Noir's serious nature a joke unto itself, playing with the fact that his whole world is black and white, so he doesn't understand a Rubik's Cube, or making his onomatopoeias more "gritty" for a quick laugh. It's light, and charming, and seemingly effortless, with the film timing every laugh perfectly and never stepping on the important moments to do so. More to the point, it's self aware without being obnoxious, acknowledging the insane nature of the plot but also not dwelling on it, even having Miles guess Peter B.'s origin to point out that multiverse stuff is fairly old hat in comic book stories, and softly jabbing at Ham when he makes a direct Looney Tunes reference. It's the most bizarre, yet near-perfectly executed balancing act of tone, style, comedy, heart, and weaving these things together without them working against each other.

That said, as good as the writing is, it's made that much better, and in turn makes that much better, by the animation. This film looks spectacular, with key frames as if they were lifted directly from comics, incredibly fluid movement punctuated by fast gags, and the best visual representation of the Spidey sense ever put to screen. It builds perfectly off of the foundation of the writing, weaving the differing styles of the characters in ways that you don't clash when you would expect them to. More than just mixing together, the action scenes are especially good at showing off how the dynamics of the different animation styles play off each other, with Ham bouncing all of the place and Peni getting anime-inspired transition, Noir moving like water and punctuating his fights with edgy flares of black ink, and the three 'normal' Spiders moving through it all with a look that can only be described as "the most comic book-y". It's a visual marvel that has to be seen to be believed, to be experienced on the big screen, so I highly recommend you do if you get the chance, this film is masterful in its animation.

The Short Version: Into the Spider-Verse has a truly incredible visual dynamic that's unmatched in both its comic book style and its commitment to weaving clashing styles together in a way that's insanely eye-popping. All this supports a story that is equal parts insane, hilarious and heart-warming. This is one of the best movies of the year.

Rating: 9/10

Published December 10th, 2018