Spider-Man:
Into the Spider-Verse (2018): Written by Phil Lord
and Rodney Rothman, directed by Rodney Rothman, Peter Ramsey, and Bob
Persichetti. Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Chris
Pine, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Live Schreiber, Luna
Lauren Velez, John Mulaney, and the one, the only, Nicolas Cage. Running
Time: 117 minutes. Based on the comics
created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.
Rating:
4/4
It
stands to figure that 2018, a year filled with the unexpected in just about
every walk of life, would have one more shocker for us up its sleeve. In the midst of a particularly packed awards
season crush- including releases from the Coen Brothers, Damien Chazelle,
Steve McQueen, Alfonso Cuaron, Barry Jenkins, and even freaking Orson Welles-
the team that brought us The Lego Movie managed to sneak into theaters with a new Spider-Man movie. And not just any old Spider-Man movie; after
years of mediocrity dogging this particular franchise, they hit us with what is
not only the best animated movie of the year, but one of the best movies of the
year period, easily the best Spider-Man film since Spider-Man 2, and quite possibly the only movie that could potentially
unseat Black Panther for the mantel
of the year’s most meaningful superhero hit.
Let’s
go back and start at the beginning, though.
This is the story of Miles Morales, a teenager living in Brooklyn
just trying to get by with school, family, and life. From the start, we know this is a world where
a Peter Parker Spider-Man already exists, and apparently has for some
time. Miles doesn't address that fact much, since
his Dad is a cop who doesn’t approve of vigilantism, but as it is, a world of adventure,
danger, and saving people seems pretty far from his mind. Until, that is, a series of unusual events- including,
of course, a radioactive spider-bite- turn his world upside down, and he finds
himself developing powers he doesn’t understand.
After
he happens to be present for a freak experiment by the main villain, Kingpin,
that tears open a rift between dimensions and kills the “original” Spider-Man,
he finds himself carrying the burden of the Spider-Man mantle on his own, wanting
to avenge Parker and stop Kingpin, but with no idea how to go about it and whom
he can trust with his secret.
And
that’s…right about where my plot summation will have to stop, because this is
where the many surprise twists and turns the film has up its sleeve start to
hit hard and fast, and I already worry I’ve given away too much of the game by
describing the opening, brief as it is.
Much like The Lego Movie
before it, this is a film that thrives on subverting expectations in pretty
amazing ways even while the broad arches of the story closely adhere to the
classical Hero’s Journey narrative. Also
like The Lego Movie, it uses a truly
unique and staggeringly beautiful animated style to convey both the beauty and
strangeness of its world, riding its capacity for visual panache for all its
worth.
The
movie deliberately creates a “textured” look to its images, covering mono-color
surfaces with dots to make it look like your old comics sprang to life and
jumped onto the screen. There is literally
nothing else like it, at least not that I’ve seen, and Sony Animation is
already trying to patent the technique. This
is the most perfect marriage of cinematic form to the classical American comics
style yet to hit the big screen, and that in itself may end up being just as
impactful long-term as the fact that this is also the first Spider-Man movie to
feature a non-white Spider-Man.
The
“comic book” effect is enhanced by the added use of print-style thought bubbles
for Miles once he starts developing his powers.
Not only does this give his moments of internal monologue a striking visual
flair that is hard to pull off in any medium, it also lets the filmmakers use
even these pieces of the film to further break the fourth wall and provide
color commentary on Miles’ emotional state at a given moment. They are also used to create some of the film’s
funniest punchlines.
Oh
yeah, I haven’t yet mentioned; this movie is freaking hilarious, with a sense
of self-awareness and humor that most other comic book movies (and, hell, even
a lot of today’s “comedies”) try and fail to attain. But then, what else could you possibly expect
from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller? There
is quite a lot of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool in how the older Spider-Man (Jake
Johnson) mixes his innate desire to do good with a brisk tongue-in-cheekness,
and a little pessimistic streak to boot (minus, you know, the profuse swearing
and dick jokes). No other film this year
made me laugh as openly, loudly, and often in a movie theater as this one did. On that note, to the people who sat next to
me in the theater, should you ever read this; I’m so, so sorry.
What
makes it an all-time great, though, is how far the film succeeds in going
beyond being just chuckles and pretty visuals.
The broad story is, essentially, the Hero’s Journey, but like Black Panther, it does it about as
perfectly as possible, with a thoroughly believable, sympathetic, and enjoyable
main character surrounded by a dynamite cast, none of whom are weak links. Thanks to Shameik Moore, Miles Morales has
finally reached the popular consciousness in a big way. The same goes for Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen
Stacy, a character who has already made such an impact that she is likely to
get her own spinoff. Mahershala Ali as
Miles’ uncle and Bryan Tyree Henry as his police-officer father round out the
dynamics of the movie in important ways too.
In
fact, the relationship between Miles and his Dad deserves special mention. As satisfying and enjoyable as the
development of Miles and Gwen’s rapport was, I found his complex, and all too
real, interactions with his loving-yet-demanding father to be the movie’s true beating
heart. Neither of Miles’ parents are
dead, or absent, or deadbeat; both are present and loving, and Miles knows this
deep enough to appreciate it. Even
still, life as a teen is rough, and as he mixes regular teenage angst with the
travails of being a hero pursued by a murderous mob boss, it’s no wonder he can’t
bring himself to open up to his parents.
Like everything else in the movie, the way this is handled and pays off
is spectacularly satisfying, and will jerk quite a few tears out of some
audience members.
This
is the closest thing to a flawless movie I’ve seen all year. Yes, I realize that’s a pretty big,
provocative thing to say about any film, but I stand by it. It pushes the bounds of animation, it has
amazing voice work supplementing an excellent script and a clear sense of
purpose, and it features possibly the best soundtrack and score of the entire
year. It has humor, action, and
heart. It made me feel invigorated to
get out and go on living both times I saw it, as the greatest of art tends to
do. With movies like this, I’ll happily
continue to go right back to the beginning, time and time again.
-Noah Franc
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