Spider-Man: Into The Spiderverse- The Outstanding Film Of The Year
If I’m completely honest, a Sony animated adaption of ‘Spiderverse’ is the last film that I'd expect to be the near-perfect superhero film of the year. Such a crazy, risky and unconventional approach to a superhero film that becomes an amazing example of how to create beauty out of the familiar. It’s a homage to Spider-Man through and through, but it’s also a homage to superheroes in general, a homage to individuality and an exploration of what it means to be a hero. I adored every second I spent with this film and it blew me away from an artistic perspective but also the perspective of someone who holds comics really close to their heart.
The art direction and design of this film are phenomenal, audiences will be amazed by the thought and ambition that went into every frame. The film takes the approach of recreating classic comic book style animation, with a grain over the film that never feels distracting. It proves that beautiful animation isn’t photorealistic or how many hairs you can spot on a characters head, it is creating an impression through a definite and precise style. The use of classic thought bubbles and fight effects just seem to work in this universe, the energy is never lost to experiment with its style as each decision is thorough and serves a purpose. The character designs are individual, distinct and amazingly fit the character they are depicting, it is borderline expressionism with some of its depictions of iconic villains. It is a very Meta film with hundreds of references and subtle animation quirks slotted into every moment, it never hits you over the head with references and Easter eggs that don’t add to the plot, instead putting care into it for those who care whilst watching. The stylistic editing really stands out, with the use of comic divides and transitions being sparingly and always serving a purpose. That is the most admirable part of the art direction, the amount of meticulous care that has gone into it so that every frame serves a purpose.
Not only is this film beautiful in its design, but it is also full of some beautiful and genius writing. There is a lot to balance in its initial concept, the introduction of Miles Morales and his family, an established villain and threat as well as plenty of other Spider-People to develop and introduce. Somehow each element is given the attention it deserves, the pacing is so well done as you are never wanting to move on from a moment. There isn’t a feeling of wanting to advance from specific interactions or characters because they are all so interesting and likeable. Each character gets a really fulfilling arc in the end, some of the arcs obviously more complex than others but they all link really well together from a character standpoint. My personal surprising highlight character has to be Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, the older out of prime Spider-Man who's character is embedded with sadness that is utilised both for comedy and some of the most effective emotional moments. The ending feels so satisfying with a really fulfilling end that ends on a poignant moment for the themes presented.
Of course, it’s no good having amazingly written characters if you don’t have a brilliant cast. Shameik Moore as Miles Morales is some pitch-perfect casting, he manages to balance that high school awkwardness of Holland’s Spider-Man whilst maintaining a complex and interesting character of his own. His relationship with his father and uncle is uniquely complicated and really compelling, forming the emotional core for Morales’ character. his uncle voiced by the formidable Mahershala Ali and his dad Bryan Tyree Henry give the most nuanced performances of the film, Henry being the absolute standout in one particularly well-performed scene. The Kingpin has always been a fascinating character and Liev Shrieber evokes the perfect amount of pathos and hatred, his character has a lot of time dedicated to him that I didn’t expect but definitely paid off on a thematic level. In an already packed film, it does almost make me want the writers to explore the side villains with as much complexity as Kingpin but ultimately that is impossible, instead, we get some incredible villain action scenes.
The other two ‘main’ Spider-People are given the treatment they needed with superb performances from Jake Johnson and Hailee Steinfeld, they are distinctly fun with a well-rounded character that is communicated purely through the delivery of certain lines. Their delivery feels fun and energetic with an improvised style because of how natural they perform each line. The cast is rounded out by 3 bizarre and experimental characters of Nicholas Cage as Spider-Noir, John Mulaney as Spider-Ham and Kimiko Glenn as Peni Parker. These are definitely the most fun characters in the film, the number of jokes and bizarre comedy that comes from playing with the bizarre concepts of all the characters. They were so fun that I can’t help but want more in an already packed film, in fact I counted, and every single Cage delivery made me laugh.
I haven’t been left speechless in the cinema for a long time and I think this film is really special. As a fan of these characters, it is incredibly satisfying, I came out of ‘Spiderverse’ immediately wanting to see it again. Of course, no film is perfect, it hits a few snags with a couple of plot elements, but it manages to stay focused on what it needs to stay focused on. This film also marks the first Marvel film to be released after Stan Lee’s death and I couldn’t think of a more perfect film to hold that spot. His cameo brought tears to my eye and without spoiling the film itself is an incredible tribute to the character of Spider-Man and what Marvel have accomplished with this character. You can tell Phil Lord’s experience on writing ‘The Lego Movie’ that he understands how to summarise why people love such iconic things. This film teaches the audiences that there are a million universes whereinin one of them you could be Spider-Man, but that shouldn’t mean you don’t try to be the hero in the universe you are in currently. And if you’ve seen the film, you will know that no one sums it up better than Stan. Please go see this film, or if you have spread the word about it as I think Spider-Verse could be a big game changer for years to come.