There is something so bold and positive about Into the Spider-verse that it gives viewers hope and a sense of lightness that is almost rare in recent superhero films.
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We’ve seen many film adaptations of comic books but it’s safe to say that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse is not like any of those. The film gives the phrase “comic book made to film” a whole new literal meaning. The out-of-the-ordinary animation (set at a frame-rate of 12 images per second) makes you feel like you’re watching a comic book being flipped real fast.
Miles Morales, a 16-year old teenager who resides in Brooklyn is bitten by a radioactive spider, giving him superhero powers. Sure, this is the usual Spider-Man origin we’re used to but Miles Morales isn’t Peter Parker. He’s a whole new other person altogether. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse not only gives us a new Spider-Man, it also opens up a world where there’s plausibility of a universe with more than one web-slinging superhero. Namely, an older version of Peter Parker's Spidey from a different dimension (Jake Johnson), a black and white Spider-Noir voiced by Nicolas Cage, Hailee Steinfeld’s Spider-Gwen, an anime-like counterpart named Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) and last but definitely not least, a Spider-Ham voiced by John Mulaney.
Miles steps up to the mantle after he witnesses the untimely fate of his world's Peter Parker's Spider-Man at the hands of Kingpin. Kingpin is also responsible for the arrival of the various Spider-Men/Woman/Animal in their world. The storyline is as clear cut as any other action film you’d see but where Into the Spider-verse is different is its smart and witty dialogue, all thanks to the creative works of writers Phil Lord and Rodney Rodman. The film is almost as self-aware as Deadpool breaking the fourth wall in his films.
There is something so bold and positive about Into the Spider-verse that it gives viewers hope and a sense of lightness that is almost rare in recent superhero films. This is most evident in a scene where Johnson’s older Peter says this to a young Miles (Shameik Moore), “What makes you different is what makes you Spider-Man."
Like all Marvel films, this one doesn’t shy away from the Easter eggs and post credit scenes, so be sure to stay till the end if you’d like a surprise treat. Also present is a very relevant Stan Lee cameo, now seen to be more impactful after his recent untimely passing.
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