Allan Watched "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
Holy shit.
Gut Feeling
So there is this feeling of dread that I get when I go to see something that so many people I respect not just love, but openly obsess over. I walked into the theater of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse excited but also really nervous. What if I don’t like it? What if I don’t like the animation? What if I have to be that guy who takes something everyone loves and just tears it down? Am I losing touch with my inner child if I don’t love it?
Well about seven minutes in those feelings were ditched, and I spent the next two hours elbow deep in a large bucket of popcorn, staring wide-eyed at this comic book coming to life in animation that is at such a high level, it will likely change animated movies forever. I felt free of the burdens of the world and was mystified by this universe that was exploding in front of my eyes, captivated by every strand of color that shot across the screen. Into the Spider-Verse wasn’t just fun. It wasn’t just a good. It was my absolute favorite movie released in 2018, and I don’t think anything else came close.
High Concept Fun
Listen, it’s been another tough year for our world, and a lot of the best movies of 2018 tackle serious topics that we as a society need to continue to process and work on. Those movies are important, and move the conversation forward (hopefully) so we can exist better on this planet together. But damn, was it fun for a couple of hours to just live in this made-up world where the highest concern was getting these Spider-people (and pig) back to their respective universes.
I Need More Of Each Spidey
Sony is really lucky that this film was made, effectively saving their Sony Marvel Universe and rejuvenating the Spider-Man series under their umbrella. With Homecoming being so good, it just shined a light on how badly Sony messed things up, and even though Venom was passable, there is no way that character was going to carry the weight of this cinematic world. But now, they have so many avenues to bring in large audiences by displaying all of the characters we are now introduced to. Let’s go one by one:
Miles Morales / Spider-Man - Having just finished the Spider-Man PS4 game (my favorite game of the year), I was pumped for more Miles. Shameik Moore brings the right energy to Miles, and making his origin story the thread that is pulled through this film works so well as a jumping off point for the other Spideys. You can build around Miles, and he is the star Sony needed.
Peter B. Parker / Spider-Man - Oh Jake Johnson. I don’t care if he basically plays the same character in everything, including this version of Spider-Man, because dammit it works. Seeing a Spider-Man who’s going through some shit was a nice touch, and his arc as a mentor to Miles is touching. Peter B. delivers the most laughs in this very funny film, and you could easily make a movie based on this Spider-Man.
Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman - Why does representation and diversity matter in all aspects of life/business/art? Imagine this movie without this version of Gwen Stacy. If it wasn’t for producer Christina Steinberg, Gwen would’ve been an after thought since the writers decided to not make her a love interest. But lead writer Phil Lord has been very open about that fact that Steinberg worked with the all-male writing team to keep Gwen in this film, and it is a better movie because of it. Gwen, voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, is a badass, and has a skillset that would be exciting to see in her own film. It is also really nice to see Gwen Stacy as something other than a love interest destined for, well, death.
Peter Porker / Spider-Ham - I WILL NOT REST UNTIL THERE IS A SPIDER-HAM MOVIE WITH JOHN MULANEY! I WILL TWEET SONY EVERYDAY UNTIL IT HAPPENS! GIVE ME MORE SPIDER-HAM!
Peni Parker / SP//dr - If there is one Spidey in this film that would make the best spin-off movie, it is probably Peni Parker. Kimiko Glenn does a great job as Peni, and I wish there was more action that included her.
Peter Parker / Spider-Man Noir - Sneaky sneaky Nicholas Cage. Look at you making your way back into our hearts as the super funny Spider-Man Noir. This is the least likely Spidey to get his own film, but I think you can mix him into anything and it would work.
Random Thoughts
Kathryn Hahn, one of the most underappreciated comedic actors ever, is so good as Liv Octavius. This is dope version of Doc Ock and was the best villain of the film by far.
Liev Schreiber voices a really complex version of King Pin, the central villain of this film. His last battle with Miles is badass.
If I have one complaint, it is that there is not enough combat. You have these awesome characters who all do unique things, but we don’t see a ton of it. We cover a lot of ground in this film, as you would expect with so many characters, but I left that final battle wishing there were more before it.
I’m not animator, so I can’t speak to the technique or approach of how this film was made, but if the goal was to make it feel like an actual comic book, they nailed it. The art is so complex and is like nothing I’ve ever seen. We are ready for more animated superhero films like this.
To the point above, 142 animators were used on this film. Wowza.
But really, this film needed about 7x more John Mulaney.
There are two post credit scenes, like most Marvel movies, so sit tight in the theater until the end. Fun Spider-Man song at the end too.
I do not see how this doesn’t win every best animated film this winter.
Quick Hits:
How many times have I seen this movie?
First time!
Where was I watching it?
In theaters with Kellye. She ate a lot of my popcorn, but we had a nice corner section so no-one was near us to make noise or chew too loud. Kellye left the film relieved that I did not squeaky laugh once in the film, although I was close.
Favorite Trivia About The Movie
That’s a lot of animators.
Favorite part
“You have money right? I’m not very liquid right now,” and “Save it for Comic-Con.”
Least favorite part
MORE PETER PORKER!
Would I recommend this movie?
What are you doing just sitting here and reading this? Go see this damn movie.
So What Does Allan Give It?
Two Gold Thumbs Up! Overall, a score of 97. This is my favorite film of 2018. Excelsior.
