When I watched the first trailer for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse my MARVEL fanboy heart skipped a beat because it finally looked to me that Sony Pictures, who if you do not know owns the Spider-Man license from MARVEL, have finally found the right and the best way to tell stories in that world and after just returning home from seeing the film, I am all a buzzing and a tingle because not only have they indeed found the best way to use the Spider-Verse going forward, but they have made the best Spider-Man film yet.
I am not kidding when I say that either, this is the best Spider-Man film both live action and animated I have watched yet, it is actually rather crazy just how good this film turned out to be on so many levels being someone who knows the Spider-Verse well from comic books, graphic novels to animation and films but it works so well to introduce newcomers to the various characters that the film brings to life with one character in particular, Miles Morales. I am so please and have been hoping for years now that Sony focus on using Miles as their Spider-Man whilst they let MARVEL Studios use Peter Parker for the MCU as he is the perfect choice to build a franchise around which is exactly what they managed to achieve with this film.
I must start though by talking about how impressive and amazing the animation is in this film, it is just stunning and leaps out of the screen at the audience by utilising so many different art styles through out that are so cleverly in tune with the story being told and the characters on screen. I love how Mile’s emotions and thoughts are all enhanced by the visuals around him such as his thoughts becoming comic book speech bubbles all around him and the colour pallet is vibrant and street which is at the core of his personality. I loved all the new looks for iconic characters and villains that using a multiverse so brilliantly allows the artists to go to town with. It is easily one of the best animated films you will see and even more so for a comic book adaptation.
Just as the visuals help tell Mile’s story, the soundtrack is just as vibrant and connected to Miles and I loved it so much that even before the credits had finished, I already had the soundtrack playlist bookmarked ready to play on Spotify before I left the cinema. The music is very much part of what makes up Miles’ character and it punctuates everything about him and how he feels as well as complimenting all the action scenes and epic moments through the story. The synergy between every component of the film is as close to flawless as it is meticulous in the attention to detail for every scene all the way through the film. It just makes this new take on all things Spider-Man so much more fresh modern.
The story itself is truly so well written that it focuses as much on celebrating all things Spider-Man as it does introduce Miles as a new Spider-Man to an audience who may not know him. Miles is just a normal kid at the start of the film who has a clear passion for music and drawing art with graffiti art being his true talent. Miles has all the troubles that a young teenager would have such as going to a school he does not like to struggling to connect with his dad who we saw from the trailer is a straight-shooting Cop which makes Miles’ hobby of tagging streets with his art problematic. Miles is a very popular kid where he lives and watching how he knows everyone and seeing how everyone knows him is quickly contrasted against him at school where he is practically ignored, leaving him feeling isolated as he stays at the school Monday to Friday before going back home. Miles is simply a kid trying to find his way in the world before his life is changed forever.
The story is genius in both using and showing the Multiverse, which thanks to the scheming of King Pin experimenting with a massive Hadron Collider, accidentally breaks through into five parallel dimensions and grabbing the Spider-People from there into Miles’ world. It also brought in a radioactive spider which as you would expect, finds and bites Miles turning him into a Spider-Man of his own. There is just so much fun in having Miles encountering all the different Spider-People from Gwen Stacy as Spider-Woman/Gwen to Spider-Man Noir, voiced incredibly by Nicholas Cage, to Peni Parker and her Spider-Powered Robot to Spider-Ham, the talking pig Spider-hero who is fantastically the most cartoonish of all the heroes. But it is with the middle-aged Peter Parker that Miles has the most time and connection with, excellently voiced by Jake Johnson. This Peter Parker has been a hero for 22 years and has beaten every villain and saved New York in every way possible and is feeling more than just a little burned out by superhero life. We also learn that the hero life has taken a toll on his personal life with him both marrying but then being divorced from Mary Jane. He is reluctant to help train Miles in how to become Spider-Man but soon comes around. Seeing all the different Spider-People together brings some really fun light-hearted moments to the film with some lovely set pieces such as Miles trying to help an unconscious Peter Parker web-sling away from the bad guys. The most fascinating thing is how these very experienced heroes take to Miles who has only just gotten his powers, with the threat of Kingpin breaking all of reality with his actions. They know they not only have to stop him but also get home themselves, but are aware that Miles is just not ready to be Spider-Man enough to help them.
Which is where this film really becomes majestic in its story telling, because with all the noise of having five different Spider-heroes around and the huge threat of Kingpin, the story maintains the heart of the film so sensibly and effortlessly in keeping it centred on what it is really all about, the origin story of Miles Morales. The struggles Miles has with adapting to his powers and accepting the responsibility of what those powers means is a very moving tale to tell. From the moment his world’s Peter Parker makes him promise to put an end to Kingpin’s machine, Miles feels the weight of that burden and with each failed attempt to learn how to use his powers making feel even more isolated around the Spider-Heroes as much as he felt at school. When he tries to reach out to his dad who he knows as a cop has a problem with Spider-Man being a vigilante, he feels he cannot tell him the truth and when a family loss happens and he is prevented by the situation from being there for him, it all takes a toll on this young hero to be. Even the other Spider-People know he is not ready and force him to stay behind as they head off to the big fight with Kingpin.
Miles rising to become the hero he is destined to become is a powerful moment and the story gives him this moment without the clutter or distraction of everything else going on. The audience will feel what Miles is feeling because the writing and animation is so good that you instantly connect with him and understand his emotional state and can both empathise with him and cheer him on throughout. The tone can switch on a dime from light to dark but wise enough never to stray too much into either for too long but never dilutes the deep moments when the story needs Miles to take a moment to be serious which is why Jake Johnson was such brilliant casting for the role of Peter Parker because he can certainly do comedy but when Miles’s own situation begins to snap his character from the funk he is trapped in, they share a real moment that only makes Miles even more of a hero and a true Spider-Man.
It is because it manages to deliver on telling a great origin story for Miles, setting up the multiverse and introducing iconic Spider-Heroes with an amazing voice cast behind them, as well as laying the foundation for Miles’ adventures being Spider-Man that when you take in how great the animation is alongside one of the best film soundtracks in a comic book film and you can see why this film is being so celebrated and rightly so. This really is what Sony Pictures should devote their time in doing for their Spider-Verse license and with their plans scuppered a little following the failed Andrew Garfield era of Spider-Man and Venom doing every it can to not mention or use anything Spider-Man just yet, an animated franchise with the whole Multiverse to dive into and Miles as the main Spider-Man going forward is for me, the best and only way forward. Spider-Man does not have to be Peter Parker and if this film does nothing else then get people to accept Miles Morales as a genuine Spider-Man, then it has done its job.
Thankfully it also does everything else so brilliantly that you should definitely make the time to go see this film this holiday season, you will come out happy and smiling and looking forward to even more animated adventures with Miles. Plus, his suit is legit awesome!
*There are two post credit scenes to stick around for so make sure you stay right to the very end of the credits, it is absolutely worth the wait!*
