[Review] Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: No More "Great Power, Great Responsibility"!
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the third Spider-Man-related film this year, and unequivocally the best!
When I first heard about Sony's plan for an animated Spider-Man film, I didn't have high expectations. It seemed unrelated to the live-action movies and sounded like just another animated comic book adaptation, not enough to truly grab my attention. However, after seeing the production details, the trailers featuring multiple Spider-Men, and the overwhelmingly positive reviews from foreign critics, this movie immediately shot to the top of my must-watch list. The result? Not only did the film not disappoint, but it has become my most memorable and favorite Spider-Man movie to date. In the sixteen years since 2002, we've seen six Spider-Man films, featuring three different versions of Peter Parker. While each version varied in age and portrayal, they were always Peter Parker, always the character who lost Uncle Ben. The greatest success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse might just be its decision to feature Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) as the protagonist. This character has only been in the comics for just over seven years, and the average moviegoer might know nothing about him, which brings a huge wave of freshness to the audience.
Like the several Spider-Man films starring Peter Parker, this movie centers on the protagonist gaining superpowers, becoming Spider-Man, and finding his place. However, in this film, Miles Morales exists in a world where Spider-Man already exists. What he has to do is not just be an ordinary Spider-Man, but a Spider-Man who can both live up to the public's expectations and forge his own path. This kind of transformation and pressure is something previous Spider-Men in movies haven't experienced. Although Miles Morales is an Afro-Latino superhero, the film doesn't overtly emphasize race, instead treating him as a typical teenager and focusing on his growth and feelings during his journey. This approach likely makes the film more accessible while avoiding being labeled as "politically correct" or lauded solely for featuring a Black character, as some other recent films have been.
Beyond having Miles Morales as the protagonist, another major difference between this film and previous Spider-Man iterations is the introduction of the "Spider-Verse" and multiple versions of Spider-Man. The film opens with the familiar Peter Parker, even incorporating some well-known scenes that seem to have come directly from previous Spider-Man movies, which I'm sure audiences found incredibly comforting. However, as I mentioned earlier, this film does not star Peter Parker, and he even says in the movie: "Don't tell me, 'With great power comes great responsibility'!" This seems to be the production team playfully mocking themselves while simultaneously declaring that this film is unlike previous Spider-Man movies. This film no longer solely revolves around a hero's responsibility; instead, it explores the growth of a teenager, a theme perfectly suited for an animated film. In the movie, when Miles Morales first gains his superpowers and is panicked, he blames everything on the changes of adolescence. While audiences know his superpowers aren't due to puberty, his experiences with facing change, losing himself, self-doubt, and strained family relationships are indeed very similar to those of adolescence. As the plot progresses, multiple versions of Spider-Man appear, and when they encourage Miles Morales later on, they all state that they too experienced these changes and understand his feelings. This feels like an encouragement to the children and teenagers watching the film, reminding them that everyone goes through puberty and that they are not alone. I believe the film's production team is also encouraging the audience to emerge from their cocoons, like Miles Morales does in a scene, and become stronger, more mature, and better versions of themselves.
Beyond the plot, the film's visual style and action sequences are exceptionally well done. The animation style is incredibly unique, featuring both 3D animation and certain frames that cleverly mimic comic book panels and art styles. I particularly loved the film's realistic portrayal of New York's cityscape and streets, as well as the different art styles used to present the various versions of Spider-Man. For instance, when depicting Peni Parker (voiced by Kimiko Glenn), the production team used a flatter art style closer to Japanese animation; when portraying Spider-Man Noir (voiced by Nicolas Cage), the production team not only used black and white but also created a "grainy" texture, giving it a distinctly 1930s feel. Additionally, because this is an animated film, it could portray villains like Kingpin (voiced by Liev Schreiber—I had just watched Vincent D'Onofrio's brilliant portrayal of this character in the Daredevil series that day!) and Green Goblin (voiced by Jorma Taccone) more accurately to their comic book origins and with more fantastical elements, without needing to be overly realistic. Similarly, the film's animated nature also allowed for more daring action and fight sequences, as well as camera angles and movements that would be difficult to achieve in live-action films.
As an animated film, I believe Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will undoubtedly satisfy children, teenagers, and comic book fans alike. However, I wonder if adult audiences will also enjoy this more youth-oriented Spider-Man film? Regardless, I believe all audiences will deeply miss Stan Lee, the father of Marvel, when they see his cameo and the film's tribute to him at the end.