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

Mitchell

Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, Zoe Kravitz, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, and Liev Schreiber. Written by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman. Directed by Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman.

There’s a lot to spoil about Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, so what I’ll say here will not tell you much about it. Still, I think it’s safe to offer a few thoughts in the interest of convincing you it’s worth checking out.

I kept saying holy moly. Leave your pessimism at the box office and meet Spidey where he is: at the crossroads of multiple universes, animated unlike any concept you have about what a comic book superhero movie looks like.

The story may sound like typical teen-angst fodder but it stands out because of what’s going on as the film tells it: multiculturalism, hyper-surreal visuals, and plenty of humor. I can’t believe the filmmakers get away with some of their bizarre decisions, but they get away with them all because once the movie establishes itself as a story where anything can happen, anything happens.

Audaciously imaginative and one of the best movies I’ve seen this year. Kid-friendly. Just go.

8/10
81/100

3 thoughts on “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

  1. I saw this recently, and I have mixed feelings about it. I really liked the way the film integrates a comic book feel–e.g., writing out sound effects like “Whoosh!” This filmmaking, in general, was enjoyable, and the film kept my attention for the most part.

    But why the mixed feelings? Overall, parallel universe type of stories are a bit of a turnoff to me, especially bringing different incarnations of the Spider-man character. Combining this with a progressive, multicultural and gender vibe maybe also didn’t help. It’s weird because I’m all for seeing more people of color and women in prominent roles, but doing this with the Spider-man character rubbed me the wrong way. Besides this the story was just OK, as well.

    1. I thought the animation by itself would do it for you, no matter what your comic book prejudices were. I boldly proclaimed to Penny that I thought you would like it. 🙂 That’ll teach ME.

      1. Actually, I would say the animation/filmmaking made me like this film in spite of the problems I had with it. The things I had problems with basically prevented me from really liking the film. I think your prediction was basically accurate.

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