In the late 70’s, the tagline for the upcoming film “Superman: The Movie” was simply, “You’ll believe a man can fly.” Now, four decades later, the superhero genre has been twisted around and contorted in numerous ways to continuously recapture audience’s attentions. Serious dramas (“X-Men,” “Logan”) have shared screens with wacky comedies (“Deadpool,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”), with Marvel Studios dipping their toes into various genres within the MCU. But no superhero film before has captivated audiences like “Into the Spider-Verse.”
This animated spectacle comes from Sony Pictures Animation, who haven’t made an objectively good film since 2009’s “Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs.” After years of “Hotel Transylvania” and other lackluster projects, Sony and directors Bob Persichetti (“The Little Prince”), Peter Ramsey (“Rise of the Guardians”) and Rodney Rothman (“22 Jump Street,” “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”) have given audiences a visually stunning world to explore.
Every frame pops with color and creative designs. The world Miles Morales inhabits is bright, vibrant and simply incredible to behold. It’s the kind of film that begs to be bought on Blu-Ray and paused at every moment to savor he crisp details present thanks to the wonderfully unique style. It’s something that must be seen to be truly appreciated.
With camerawork that seems to float through each sequence, everything comes together visually in a way that feels like a comic book leaping onto the big screen, in as literal of a sense as possible. It feels as though zero compromises were made visually, even establishing slightly differing styles for each of the five Spider-People.
There are five Spider-People, by the way, all crossing into Miles Morales’s world. He’s a young kid, voiced excellently by Shameik Moore (“Dope,” “The Get Down”), who is instantly likable and charming. He admires Spider-Man and has very specific opinions about his school and home life. In a year where even some of the best characters in film have felt compromised at least a bit, it’s incredibly refreshing to see that one of the most fleshed out characters of the year is not only animated, but a superhero as well.
The rest of the voice cast, without spoiling anything, all exceed expectations. Jake Johnson (“New Girl,” “Let’s Be Cops”), Hailee Steinfeld (“The Edge of Seventeen,” “Bumblebee”), Nicolas Cage (“National Treasure,” “Kick-Ass”), Kimiko Glenn (“Orange is the New Black,” “Like Father”), John Mulaney (“Big Mouth,” “Oh Hello”), Brian Tyree Henry (“Widows,” “If Beale Street Could Talk”), Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight,” “Luke Cage”), Liev Schreiber (“Spotlight,” “Scream (1996)”), Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie,” “I Heart Huckabees”), and Lauren Vélez (“Oz,” “Dexter”) are the definition of a star-studded cast, and the excellent writing from Phil Lord and Rothman give them ample room to deliver some truly wonderful material.
So, what else is there? Because there have been gorgeous animated movies before (albeit none that have looked like this). There have been unique superhero origins, likable characters, good casts, and well written stories before. Not only does “Spider-Verse” manage to combine all those elements, but it does so without skipping a beat. Rarely, if ever, do things pause for a moment, letting the pace zip along throughout the film, constantly surprising and entertaining audiences with the next unique idea.
Because at the end of the day, while it is extremely weird and extremely funny, “Spider-Verse” treats it events with seriousness. Things may be weird, but they’re real to these characters, and because the writing and voice work are so good, it’s easy to believe this world and events are serious. It’s been so long since a movie hasn’t needed audiences to “suspend their disbelief” because it’s so excellent at worldbuilding on its own.
“Spider-Verse” also knows exactly where its heart is at, and it never loses a grip on its events because of it. Miles is the core of this story, and while the danger may be large, the scope never drifts outside of him. It’s so unabashedly joyous without ever letting the focus slip away. It’s sweet without every losing its silly. It’s serious without ever losing its sense of humor. It’s a perfect balance.
This is a movie that understands the boxes it has to check to be a superhero movie, but isn’t content with simply putting out surface level work. The level of detail and wit in the storytelling is as intricate as the visuals, and the story goes to places both unexpected and perfectly logical. Constantly flipping through various narrative threads with ease, there simply hasn’t been an animated film this inventive since the original “Toy Story,” or as narratively complex since “Wall-E.” It teaches the hard, thoughtful and ingeniously delivered lessons, and adults may find themselves walking away with as much to think about as the kids. Maybe even more.
There’s even a level to the film wherein it feels like a direct response to the naysayers of animation, the people who believe because something is animated, its inherently inferior or only for kids. Not only are there jokes that directly address this topic, but back to the stories complexities, it feels like the film is never satisfied with “good enough,” crafting a film that is for everyone, yet spits in the face of the “animation is just for kids” chunk of its crowd.
“Into the Spider-Verse” has delivered something fans of the animation medium and superhero films have desired for so long: innovation and creativity. But more than that, it’s a film that is delightful on almost every level. Whether you’re a superhero fan or not, “Into the Spider-Verse” is for you. It’s, quite simply, an excellent film in all regards. It’s spectacular. It’s amazing. It’s an achievement in film making, one of the best animated films of the decade and undoubtedly one of the best movies of the year. 5/5
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