Ever since the character’s cinematic debut in 2002, Spider-Man has appeared in six films, with three different actors portraying different iterations of the superhero, along with a spin-off feature film around the superhero’s villain – Venom. While audiences having begun to show fatigue from viewing Spider-Man on film so many times, a new film based on the comic book mythos shows us how a character portrayed on the big screen can be reinvented and can be presented in fresh new ways to the viewer.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, sets itself apart from previous film adaptations, in terms of its style, humour and various characters. The film, unlike other Spider-Man films, follows Miles Morales, a young teenager, who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and gains spider-like abilities. As he learns to make sense of these new found powers, Miles meets other Spider-Men from alternate realities and timelines, who must work together and return to their respective dimensions before it is too late.
Right from the start, Spider-Verse makes it a point to separate itself from other superhero films in general. By being an animated feature and focusing it’s narrative on Miles Morales, rather than Peter Parker, the audiences get the experimental nature of the film, and are introduced to new and interesting characters in the process such as Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, Peni Parker, Spider-Ham and Spider-Noir, while offering a new take on Peter Parker as well.
The film’s primary voice cast consisting of Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Nicolas Cage, Kimiko Glen and John Mulaney, is diverse and accurate, with each cast member voicing their character perfectly and enthusiastically. Moore, Johnson, Steinfeld and Mulaney remain the highlights of the film.
The film’s biggest strength however, lies in it’s stylistic animation, which simulates the look and feel of a comic book. Combining different animation styles for one feature is an extremely hard job, and the results could not have been more impressive. Colorful and eye popping, the film is as aesthetic as it can get and perfectly goes along with the emotional, humorous and action packed story it is trying to tell. A special mention should go to the film’s score, composed by Daniel Pemberton and soundtrack, consisting of artists like Post Malone and Vince Staples.
Spider-Verse is a fresh new take on the Spider-Man mythos, which manages to be emotional and enjoyable and ranks among one of the best Spider-Man films to date. Do watch it on the big screen, be on the lookout for easter eggs and references to previous films and creators of various Spider-Man characters, tributes to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko and stick around for the post credits scene.
Texts of A Pop Culture Buff 