On film, Spider-Man has a pretty spectacular track record; the character seems to have a remarkable elasticity, boasting the ability to survive several reboots in a row.
After Marvel aced Spidey’s introduction into the MCU with Homecoming, placing him in the role of Iron Man’s disciple and boasting a high-tech suit, it’s difficult to imagine enjoying that damn origin story again.
Into The Spider-Verse is very much aware of the fact that we’ve seen enough radioactive spider-bites to last a lifetime, and responds by giving us several. The film really highlights the fact that Spider-Man’s identity is fluid; he is an archetype, an ageless icon who has held a wide variety of forms over the decades.
On top of Peter Parker and Miles Morales, we meet four other Spider-People from varying alternate universes, some of which are very strange indeed. Like The Lego Movie, Into The Spider-Verse manages to take the medium (in this case, comic books) and use it as a tool to tell a meta-narrative.
The unrestricted world of comics has no single “true story” per superhero, but a diverse ecosystem of stories which can contradict each other to insane degrees; choose your own adventure, and ignore the gatekeepers.
And after so much time spent with different versions of Peter Parker, we were all ready to see Myles Morales put on the spandex, but Spider-Gwen and the other increasingly insane Spider-Persons prove to be insanely likable.
Spider-Ham the anthropomorphic pig inhabits a universe closer to Looney Tunes than the MCU, and Spider-Man Noir (voiced by the ever-entertaining Nicholas Cage) inhabits a pulpy detective comic, devoid of color and warmth. Then there’s Peni Parker, a Japanese schoolgirl armed with a cutesy robot and an adorable anime aesthetic.
They’re thrown together inside a skillfully rendered world that looks like a unique blend of CGI and hand-drawn animation, somehow showcasing the best of both techniques. This is the most beautiful film I’ve seen this year, and I really didn’t think anything could top Isle of Dogs. Each scene is incredibly inventive, visually and narratively, every frame bursting with color and energy.
It’s not even hyperbole to call this Sony animation the best superhero film of the year (and it’s certainly not been a weak year for superhero films). Into The Spider-Verse really brings comic books to life, stylistically and tonally, in a way that no other superhero movie has.
And somehow, the film manages to balance all this kinetic creativity around Miles Morales’ origin story; Morales is an exceedingly likable character, his “Uncle Ben moment” proving even more devastating than the version we’re familiar with. Despite the busy narrative, it’s always crystal clear that this is Miles’ movie – it might occasionally get hijacked by larger-than-life personalities, but it never strays out of his arc.
With this and Venom, Sony managed to conceive two successful cinematic universes in one year, after a series of stillbirths – seriously impressive stuff.
It’s also surprising that this appears to be is the first movie that really pushes CGI animation in a completely new direction; I would have thought Pixar would’ve beaten Sony to this particular punch. Sequels, prequels or spin-offs that emerge from this beautiful, unique film will be more than welcome, as far as I’m concerned.
Spider-Man might be the most overused superhero in a period of intense superhero saturation, but it doesn’t seem to matter; from a pop culture perspective, Spider-Man is immortal.
