In many ways, I feel as if this is the comic-based movie I’ve been waiting for my whole life – and didn’t even know it. Since the release of X-Men in 2000, we’ve been so bombarded with faux-high concepts and wannabe edginess from our superheroes that I almost forgot that they’re, above all, supposed to be fun. Into the Spider-Verse changes all that. This isn’t a movie based on a comic book character, this is a comic book come to life – filled to the brim with excitement and visual flair that the rest of the genre sorely lacks.
The plot could get a bit convoluted if you let it (or analyze it too hard), but let’s keep it fun. Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) is trying to open a portal to the multiverse with the help of Dr. Octopus (Kathryn Hahn) and a crew of well-known villains. During an attempt at the experimental procedure, Spider-Man (Chris Pine) is inadvertently exposed to the portal, which brings multiple Spider-People into “our” world. Witnessing all this is Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) a high school student who has recently been bitten by his own radioactive spider, and is only beginning to (very awkwardly) understand his powers. Torches are passed, and off to the adventure we go.
Forgive my rather brisk synopsis, but half the fun is seeing everything unfold for Miles and being with him every step of the wild ride he’s about to undertake. His is quite a journey, and unlike many genre movies, he stumbles and falls nearly the whole way. Of course, he comes around in the end, realizing his true potential when he’s needed most, but it takes him some time to get there. It’s easier to identify with Miles more than others who’ve dawned the mask because, while he embraces the idea of being Spider-Man, he’s kind of terrible at it for most of the time. He has the heart but not the control, and it takes the wise words of a disgruntled Spider-Man from another universe (Jake Johnson) to make him get over his fear in time for the third act finale. Into the Spider-Verse is well paced in this way. The filmmakers and writers are well aware we already know the story of Peter Parker and Spider-Man so they don’t insult us with it. Instead, they give us a new origin story for a new Spider-Man in a clever, funny, and, most importantly, fan-appreciative way.
The story is great, but what really sells Into the Spider-Verse is the visuals. This is truly a living, breathing comic book in the best possible sense. Cross-hatching and dot matrix coloring, aside boxes, and even the old “Comics Code Authority” seal of approval to start the film off are great touches. There are so many cool tricks – right down to background and foreground elements seeming blurred and having an offset appearance, just like old comics do. In an industry dedicated to the development of more and more “realistic” CGI, and an ever-increasing homogenized “look” to animated children’s fare, Into the Spider-Verse is an enormous breath of fresh air. It looks so much different from what we’ve been conditioned to accept as quality animation that it can’t help but stand out on that basis alone. And, it’s a better, more accurate, and loving interpretation of comic books that we’ve ever seen. I’m not sure anything more needs to be said about its amazing sense of style.
Into the Spider-Verse loses some steam in the second half due to the introduction of several other Spider-Beings (all of which are great, especially Nicholas Cage’s Spider-Man Noir) but not nearly enough to stall the sense of fun and adventure. Miles Morales is still the focus, but I wish the filmmakers could have figured out a better way to keep him in the spotlight while still maintaining the development of the secondary Spiders. The final showdown lasts a bit too long, and the attempt at humanizing Kingpin’s motives falls flat, but these are minor complaints. Into the Spider-Verse raises the bar for what an animated film is capable of, and, sadly, shows us what’s been missing from comic book movies for almost 20 years.
P.S. Stay all the way through the credits.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.