In “Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse,” I meet again the hero that I look up to since I was a kid.
Bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into the one and only Spider-Man. When he meets Peter Parker, he soon realizes that there are many others who share his special, high-flying talents. Miles must now use his newfound skills to battle the evil Kingpin, a hulking madman who can open portals to other universes and pull different versions of Spider-Man into our world.
Production company: Columbia Pictures
Cast: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld
Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Geek Rate: Sky god worthy (5 out of 5 stars)
I don’t like Marvel that much, but Spider-Man is one of the two superheroes that I could relate to (the other is The Flash). In “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” I meet again the hero that I look up to since I was a kid: a smart young boy with conflicting ideals and issues with his family coupled with that innocence, a bit of fun side, a kid who is always at awe at being a superhero, sometimes to a fault, with “great power comes great responsibility” be damned.
The introduction of multiple Spider-Man is what makes “Spider-man: Into the Spider-Verse” a cool film. While there’s a shameless tradition in Hollywood for sequels starring superheroes all stuffed in a 2-hour story, this film takes the different route. It laughs at this over stuffing issue, and in a way, it makes fun of itself: introducing a whole bunch of different Spider-Man characters and pointedly putting a stop to that tiring story of Peter Parker repeating itself over and over again while not letting the audience forget about it (in a fun way). The result is nothing short of an amazing ride.
Geek Rate: Sky god Worthy (5 out of 5 stars).
“Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse” is not designed to be just a film catering to fans to get them to watch it (and eventually get their money). It is a film for fans and casual moviegoers, though admittedly, there are scenes that the latter will not be familiar with. There’s a soul in this film and the nod to its original comics story, as well as, the style on which it was animated, celebrates all things the fans love about this superhero.
The Characters
The appearance of multiple Spider-Man in various multiverses is a gift to fans and will entertain both them and casual viewers. It let the audience compare the characters among each other. But don’t worry, the film still focused on Miles Morales so that its story is not all mixed up.
Miles Morales – I’m not a fan of minorities filling up the lead roles in films, and I’m not against it, too, don’t get me wrong. So when they announced that Miles Morales, a black immigrant from Puerto Rico, will become the new Spider-Man, It didn’t elicit anything from me. But his background is a fresh restart button for a Spider-Man story.
Peter Parker – There’s a touch of genius to introduce Peter Parker (the original Spider-Man) in the story. To show his flaws and to make him a mentor of Miles at the same time is a good way of showing the new side of this dynamic between a teacher and a student, all the while dispensing a lesson somewhere in between.
Wilson Fisk/Kingpin – is relatable compared to most villains that we are familiar with. I mean, no one can relate to Thanos or Lord Voldemort. But Fisk, with his background story about losing his family, makes him on the mortal side of things and might even get some sympathy from the audience.
Highlighted Scenes
Top 3: Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider and gains spider-like abilities.
Top 2: All of the different Spider-Man versions meet at the basement of Aunt May’s house.
Top 1: The heroes destroy the collider and return home.
Top Movie Lines
Miles: How am I suppose to save the whole world?
Spider-Man: You can’t think about saving the world. You have to think about saving one person.
“My husband, Peter Parker, was an ordinary person. He always said that it could be anyone behind the mask. He was just a kid who happened to get bit. He didn’t ask for his powers. But he chose to be Spider-Man… My favorite thing about Peter is that he made us each feel powerful. We all have powers of one kind or the other, and in our own way we are all Spider-Man. And we are all counting on you.”
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