There have been six feature films based on the Marvel's Spider-Man since the film franchise launched in 2002. That doesn't count Tom Holland's portrayal of the web-slinging hero in "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War."
You could combine all the creativity in those movies and not have a Spider-Man film as entertaining, original and Marvel-ous as "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." It took a floundering franchise and turned it into a production full of life.
Loyal Marvel Comics readers will know the "Spider-Verse" is a storyline that examines what happens when a collection of Spider characters from alternate universes come together. For those who are not up on the Marvel lore, the film does a masterful job of quickly providing origin stories while making fun of how Spider-Man movies always have to have an origin story.
With great plots comes great responsibility.
Six different characters share a similar radioactive spider origin, but they are wildly different in every other aspect. Spider-Man (voiced by Jake Johnson) from this Earth is pulled into a parallel Earth where graffiti artist Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is the one who had the nasty battle with the spider.
The other Spider-people include: Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), the anime-version Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn), the black-and-white Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage) and the cartoonish Spider-Ham (John Mulaney). Their mission is to stop Wilson Fisk (Liev Schreiber) before he destroys all their worlds.
All this sounds like it could be fodder for a live-action film, but there's no way to create the visual fireworks presented by directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman. Their vision is part-psychedelic and part visual madness presented with such intense color they may have accidentally created new hues in the process.
The closest comparison is to the 1966 "Batman" TV series, where the laws of network shows were rejected. The way the creators used odd camera angles, bold colors and on-screen animation to tell tales of Batman and Robin that were serious and funny at the same time was mind-blowing. Take that innovation and magnify it a million times, and that is the impact of the look and writing of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."
The cinematography is so astounding it would be enough to recommend seeing the movie. But, what is equally as brilliant is the script by Phil Lord ("Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs") and Rothman ("22 Jump Street"). The bright and smart dialogue harkens back to the beginnings of Marvel Comics. At the same time, the writers filled the movie with hilarious moments that keep reminding the audience that movies based on comic books don't have to be somber.
Lord hasn't forgotten the true believers. There are so many Easter eggs that a single viewing will not be enough. Those elements range from some names of those who have been responsible for the Spider-Man comics to a direct punch in the face to the franchise history. Don't leave the theater as soon as the credits start or you will miss one of the best moments in the film.
Rounding out the near-flawless work is the voice casting. Moore provides just the right rhythms to make Morales believable both as a graffiti artist and hero-in-training. Johnson uses a slight renegade tone in his voice that has been a trademark of Parker. And Nicolas Cage is perfect as Spider-Man Noir.
The "Spider-Man" film franchise had fallen into an uninspired spiral with its good vs. evil focus. With each movie, the elements that made Peter Parker so intriguing were being lost. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" has rekindled the original glory and presented it a way that is so visually explosive, a pair of sunglasses should be provided with each ticket.
