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Published On: Sat, Jan 5th, 2019

‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ is a surprisingly fresh and hilariously funny angle to a storyline we have seen

Whether Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield or currently Tom Holland, one thing was always clear when you went to watch a Spider-Man movie: Spider-Man is Peter Parker, and Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

Even after six films with two reboots, this was a constant in the otherwise confused story of the Spider-Man franchise. With Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, however, the directors upped the ante in a significant way. In this new and hilariously funny version, the friendly neighborhood spider takes on an entirely new form.

In the new Sony Marvel project, in which not one but three directors played a part, stars Miles Morales as the main character. Miles Morales is Spider-Man? How many of them have we got now? To be frank, quite a few – the number of Spider-Man stars is right up there with the number of Bat-Man actors.

However, in the case of Spider-Man: into the Spider-Verse, too many cooks did not spoil the broth. The three directors, Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman managed to create an entirely new take on Spidey and his world. It’s so unique and refreshing that even if you have read every Spider-Man comic on the market, you will still be able to find something new and untold.   

Spidey-fans certainly took to this movie

Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse benefited greatly from rave reviews (the best a Spider-Man movie ever received) and attracted attention with its unusual look. To put it bluntly, the audience loved the movie.

On average, viewers gave the film the rare ‘A+’ CinemaScore rating. No other Spider-Man movie ever reached such a high audience rating. As a result, word of mouth is rampant, and reviews such as this one are not short of praise either.

The film mainly appeals to younger viewers – approximately 59% of weekend viewers in the US and Canada were younger than 25. The next big animated film to hit the big screens is The LEGO Movie 2 that will be released in February. Until then, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will have free rein and could raise $120 to 140 million in North America, which is definitely a success for such a risky project.

But back to the movie itself – What makes this particular Spider-Man film so unique?

The film kicks off with Peter Parker ten years on and is voiced by Jake Johnson – Spidey just loves his job of saving the city and doing his thing.  

In the meantime, Miles Morales is at a new school with high expectations from both teachers and parents alike. The pressure on Miles Morales weighs heavily. Also, the fact that a radioactive spider recently bit him and as a consequence he has developed incredible abilities, does not exactly help the guy.

To make matters worse, the bad guy Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) secretly experiments below the city of New York with a dimensional portal. That the device leads to no good is clear. Only Miles can stop the villain, but how can he do it alone? He’s just a Brooklyn kid and not the shiny superhero Spider-Man everybody knows and loves. But this is just the beginning. The Kingpin’s device unleashes a devastating, reality-warping effect that invites all manner of Spideys from various dimensions into the fray.

This movie is even something if you are new to the franchise

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is based on the Ultimate Spider-Man comic book series, making it a parallel world to the previously known Spider-Man universe. Spider-Man character is created in 1962 by Stan Lee, who passed away recently on November 12, 2018 reported by deadorkicking.com, who got inspired by seeing a spider climb up a wall.

The Marvel Multiverse is not a new for comic enthusiasts, but everyone else, who is not in the know, is thrown into the cold water. Fortunately, this very cleverly construed movie understands the viewer well enough to explain this multiverse, which has been built up over decades.

It is so well done that even newcomers can follow the plot thread well from start to finish. You should do that too because this new Spider-Man movie is something you have not yet seen on the big screen.  

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has its own style  

The movie really is a comic book brought to life and such a refreshing change from the usual Marvel and DC Hero blockbusters. The guys who made this movie managed to create a very own animation style.

The proximity to Spider-Man’s comic heritage is always in the background with the appearance of speech bubbles, spelled out sounds and shading on the characters. There are also individual scenes that are embedded in a comic sequence that break out of the frame shortly after that.

However, don’t mistake the film as being childish. Also, the film manages to enchant the viewer with realistic and impressive pictures. It’s just hugely cool when Spider-Man jumps headlong into the New York night – it just looks stunning.

You get the whole package of action, fun, and drama

The presentation of the many action sequences might take somewhat getting used to, as the eye first has to adapt to the fast picture changes and the bright colors. Once you’ve done that, you can sit back and relax and enjoy the movie. And don’t let the age rating of suitable for children aged six and above scare you off. The fast-paced sequences with pretty rough fights make Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, not the usual children’s film.

Without telling you too much, not all of the characters will survive the adventure unscathed. On top of that, the film deals with serious topics. If you take away the superhero costume, a typical teenage coming-of-age story meticulously lurks underneath the surface, i.e., the fear of failure, the pressure to perform and isolation that even with superpowers cause problems for teenagers.

Fortunately, the film gives the young audience the courage to speak. Everybody knows such fears and even adult superheroes are not prepared for it. We all fail once; it is vital that you get up again afterward. The message is there and beautifully immersed within the film.

It’s really funny

Although Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has these important and dramatic moments, there are plenty of humorous scenes. Similar to Deadpool, Spider-Man often has some pretty awesome quips and jokes. Added to this are slapstick deposits, meta-jokes and pop-cultural anecdotes that repeatedly loosen up the grim story.

There are countless tiny details that you can discover by the way — everything framed by a fantastic soundtrack. The urban sound of musicians like Post Malone or Drake, as well as the varied score of Daniel Pemberton (CODENAME U.N.C.L.E), capture Brooklyn’s vibe and bring it to life.

You certainly get your money’s worth – Spiderman: into the Spider-Verse is not short

At 117 minutes playing time, you got to want to join Miles until the end of his first Spider-Man adventure. However, you will soon discover that the movie is so good that you won’t even notice that you have been laughing and staring in awe for almost two hours. Having said that, the film takes a lot of time to expand on its history and especially on the character of Miles – It really needs to, so that the audience understands what is going on.  

In addition, there are plenty of minor characters equipped with background information that thread into the plot, giving away the clues. You will get to see all of the familiar faces in the form of Mary Jane, Aunt May, Dr. Otto Octavius to Gwen Stacy; all of these well-known characters make an appearance.

After the introductory part, everything starts rolling pretty quickly. The story is never rushed as it unfolds into an action-packed feature with elements that will have you falling off your seat laughing. Phil Lord, who co-wrote the script, delivers magic with his words – one moment, you are laughing and the very next you might find yourself shocked by some unexpected admission on the character’s part.  

Summing everything up

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse proved to be a major blockbuster success just before Christmas. Comic fans appeared in droves to pay tribute to their favorite Marvel action-hero, and they were not disappointed.  

Although the comic vibe and the young hero impression might awaken the intention of a children’s film, you can definitely have fun as an adult as well. There is simply nothing wrong with the movie and the story – frankly, the superhero film industry could see many more such takes on heroes in an often staid and repetitive genre.

Well done Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse for bringing something old and creating something so piquantly fresh and humorous that a movie review cannot stop but heap praise.

Author: Colin Steinway

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