Review Summary: Ambitious, bold, and one of the most impressive animated efforts I've seen in years.
Since its' inception a little over a decade ago, Sony Pictures Animation has been a commercially-successful studio. However, they haven't produced anything truly original or groundbreaking. In the meantime, they also haven't really wowed critics with their films either. And, they almost never get into the awards season conversation (Surf's Up was an Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature in 2007, but they haven't returned to the category since). Last year, they got some of the worst reviews of 2017 for The Emoji Movie.
With Spider-Verse, however, winds of change are in the air at Sony. They've created a film that feels fresh, creative and groundbreaking in its' animation quality. Now, yes, it is without a doubt, a superhero movie. However, it goes places where other superhero films haven't been brave enough to go before. In the meantime, in its storytelling and its execution, Spider-Verse succeeds in tugging on the heartstrings and bringing a true sense of suspense and grit to Miles Morales' origin story. It will get Sony Animation back into the Oscar race, and may very well give it its' first win.
Let's start with the animation. One of the film's boldest choices was to use a 3D/2D combination. The computer-animated backdrop is stunning enough. But it's the inversion of 2D touches that give Into the Spider-Verse its' unique look. The way the characters move and speak give off (at least for the most part) a vibe that feels like a comic book coming to life on the big screen. There's also a few interesting effects that feel like nothing I've ever seen in animation. Now, there are some brief moments where out-of-focus characters and elements seem a bit blurry. But, they are few and far in between.
The film also uses this effect for tongue-in-cheek references to pop culture. It all begins with the Columbia Pictures logo, which glitches into famous different versions of the torch lady from the 80's and 90's. With that and a stirring beginning, you get the feeling you're about to watch something special. There's also uncanny references to previous Spider-Man movies, including an obvious stab at the critically-reviled Spider Man 3. It's super fun and hysterical to watch, and warrants multiple viewings to pick up on all the hidden Easter eggs.
The voice acting is strong too. Shameik Moore proves to be an inspired choice for Miles Morales. The Dope and The Get Down actor brings a convincing teenage spirit, with a believable portrayal of Miles' insecurity and enthusiasm. Oscar winner Mahershala Ali and Brian Tyree Henry also give strong performances as Miles' Uncle Aaron and father, Jefferson. As an older, slightly out-of-shape Peter Parker, Jake Johnson (Jurassic World) provides some of the film's best lines.
As for the rest of the Spider gang introduced, Hailee Steinfeld (she has two movies this December, this and Bumblebee) voices Gwen Stacy and ends up having nice chemistry with Moore's character. She gets the most to do out of the rest of the bunch. Nicolas Cage was perfect casting for Spider Man Noir, with a few memorable gags. In the meantime, John Mulaney steals the show as Spider-Ham (who seems be a homage to Looney Tunes). I honestly would have loved to have seen just a bit more from all three, as well as Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn, though she's given the best emotional moment out of all four late in the film).
Made even more emotional by his (unfortunate) passing last month, Stan Lee is given perhaps his best cameo yet. I won't spoil it, but its' definitely among the most memorable moments in the entire film. The comic book legend is given a silent "in memoriam" of sorts mid-way through the credits, which was greeted with applause at the screening I attended.
As for the villain, Liev Schreibner is pitch-perfect as crime boss The Kingpin. But Kingpin is definitely one of the better-developed villains in recent memory for a superhero flick. Thanks to a couple of flashbacks, you honestly understand where he's coming from in what seems to be an insane idea otherwise. In smaller roles, Zoe Kravitz, Lily Tomlin, Oscar Isaac, Kathryn Hahn and Chris Pine provide a strong moment or two here and there.
Meanwhile, the story itself has more emotional layers than you might would expect. Spider-Man Noir mentions at one point that Miles' backstory is "hardcore", and he's right. This is a movie that doesn't pull any punches on the emotional front. There are some very effective emotional moments, and there's a couple of genuine surprises that work well. In the meantime, the film avoids the trap of becoming unfocused. With six versions of Spider-Man, the filmmakers stay focused on Miles and his journey to becoming his dimension's new web-slinger. The soundtrack (mostly hip-hop) works very well for Miles and his environment. At the same time, thankfully, the hip-hop tones are not overused.
On the downside, there isn't much. With the focus purely on Miles, I did find some of the Spider characters to be a tad underutilized. That might have been intentional, but I did leave the screening wanting to hear a little bit more from Spider Man-Noir and Spider-Ham (maybe we'll see more of them in the sequel). Also, a few of the action scenes do run a little long and slow down the pace just a tad. However, these action scenes are spectacular and truly defy the laws of physics for animation in some ways.
Let's face it, there's been one Spider-Man movie too many over the past two decades. There's already been three live-action versions of the character. And older audiences seem tired of seeing the character on the big screen. So, how do you make a franchise fresh again? Well, you need the right filmmakers. Ultimately, I believe Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The LEGO Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) succeeded in rising to that challenge. In terms of creativity and energy, they don't play it safe. They slam their foot on the gas and pretty much never let go (except for a handful of moments where the film does wisely slow down and reflect).
As producers (and co-screenwriters here), the duo's tongue-in-cheek sense of humor is present, but there's also a strong character story here too. In a vein similar to Tobey Maguire's version of the character, Miles Morales takes a little bit to grow into his new superpowers. And we also get a relatable coming-of-age story that feels authentic and real instead of sappy and rushed. The family dynamic is convincing, and it's nice to have an animated film with a loving, two-parent family.
In the end, Spider-Verse may be the best Spider-Man movie since Spider-Man 2 (in fact, it may match that movie). An impressive animated thrill ride with humor, wit, heart, more guts than many superhero flicks, and one of the best films of the year.
My Score: 9.0/10
Content Concerns for Family Viewing: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is rated PG for "frenetic sequences of animated action violence, thematic elements, and mild language". I will say this movie is intense at times for a PG film, and may prove to be too much for ages 7 or 8 and under (depending especially on how kids can handle superhero action). There are a handful of long battle scenes involving punches, kicks, body slams, injuries and sometimes scary villains. A few loud and bombastic explosions occur too. A couple characters are seen with gashes on their face (but just about no blood). There are a couple of surprising deaths (one character is shot with a gun). Some slapstick Looney Tunes style violence courtesy of Spider-Ham.
Someone says "h---" once. Besides that and some mild name-calling ("hobo"), I didn't recall any language in the film. Miles excuses his onset of "Spider sense" as puberty, without going into detail about what actually happens. Miles does do a little bit of illegal activity with his uncle, and he also runs away from school and his parents.
