You know the story, teenager gets bitten by a radioactive spider, gets powers, swings through buildings, defeats the bad guy usually a scientist with some tech and powers of an animal (a goblin, an octopus, a lizard, an eel or a vulture) and rescues the girl. We've all seen it, there's been six Spider-Man movies, so you might wonder why a seventh one that's animated?
Well, its because Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse isn't just another Spider-Man movie. This one, has the guts to go into exploring a multi verse, bringing not only one iteration of Spider-Man into the screen but six of them!
Is it confusing?
Not at all. From the second the movie starts, the concept of a multi verse is explained from the Columbia Pictures logo, Lady Columbia is seen in different versions, what would she look like in different universes and from there its one crazy adventure. A familiar story, told through a kaleidoscope of colors and styles. The out of this world animation alone makes it worth seeing on the big screen.
We all know Peter Parker, but this is not his story. This is the story of Miles Morales, is an Afro-Latino teenager (said to have taken inspiration from Former US President Barack Obama and rapper, actor Donald Glover) who is struggling to fit in his new school and expressing his true identity and passion to his parents, you know, your typical teenager.
That soon changes when he is bit by a radioactive spider and starts discovering that he has powers- yes, you might think you know where this is going but this is where things get weird fast. You see, other Spider-Men from other universes start showing up.
This is after a super collider attracts these other Spider-Men from other universes to Miles' own universe. Now, they have to team up, get back to their own homes and destroy the collider before it causes unspeakable damage to possibly more than one universe.
The first time I got really excited about "Into the Spider-Verse" was when I saw the trailer on the big screen, like "Woah!" it was incredible!
The colors, the details, each Spider-Man was rendered in a different style to indicate that they were from another universe. The unique use of comic book style sound effects which were incorporated into the animation was a great nod to the origins of these films.
I got even more excited to see the movie when the raves and positive reviews started coming in. It has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes (the most of any Spider-Man movie, ever) and it even already bagged its first award- Best Animated Feature for the New York Critics Circe and the film was also recently nominated for Best Animated Feature in the Golden Globes.
When I finally saw the film in a press screening I was not disappointed. I was completely drawn in! The all too familiar story but told in such a daring and refreshing way it was all brand new!
I for one, loved how real Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) was, he was such a realistic teenager, even he is a super hero and in a sense Spider-Man, I love how we see that he is still vulnerable enough to want to stay with his parents when he is afraid. That fact that he gave his father a hug, because he is still a teenager after all.
That dramatic behind the door scene that father and son shared had me crying buckets.
Also shout out to the team for giving Miles such a cool personality. From his secret hobby to his "choice" of not wanting to tie his shoe lace XD
Without giving anything away one of the main crush my heart moments was Jake Johnson's Peter B. Parker / Spider-Man, who is an older, not so ideal version of the character. He stands in as a reluctant teacher to Miles and despite his sarcastic humor, there is a lot that is going on behind his unshaven look and Dad-bod.
Loved, loved, loved ever time Nicholas Cage's (yup, you read that right) Spider-Man Noir was on screen and that's all I'm saying.
In this day and age, where pop culture has made 'hero' such a common place word, "Into the Spider-Verse" takes the hero concept and re-introduces it in such a way that says that "anybody can wear the mask and that we are all Spider-Man"
and even if most super heroes live a lonely life, the film says that we are never truly alone because in some alternate universe is some version of ourselves (could be a boy, a girl, a pig, any other animal, of different age, race, shape and size) and that thought, no matter how inconceivable, can make the world a less lonely place to live in.
9.5/10 - do not miss this in cinemas next week!
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is in cinemas December 12.
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