Review: Spider-Verse is one of the best superhero movies yet
Miles Morales, who made his debut in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe comics in 2011, came to the big screen December 15. Sony Animation’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse explores the origin of the Afro-Latino hero, bringing his story to fans old and new— and it’s is all the rage. With its blend of CGI and 2-D animation, brilliant interweaving of themes into a new perspective on the hero we all love, it’s no wonder that it has achieved so much success.
The web-slinging flick filled with an array of multiple Spider-People (and one pig) has a 97 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. Our own state has recognized the artistic merit of this movie, as it was awarded Best Feature of 2018 by the Utah Film Critics Association and recently won the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature.
Miles (Shameik Moore) is grappling with the struggle of being a young teen boy suddenly given new powers that are beyond his control. His hopes of having his dimensions’ Peter Parker mentor him are crushed when Peter dies, and the torch of Spider-responsibility is passed onto him all too soon. Miles isn’t completely alone; villain Kingpin’s portal releases a slew of other Spider-heroes from the multiverse into his universe. Peter B. Parker is one of the them, a character who’s struggling with motivation and being the man his MJ needed, destroying their relationship. Over time, he begrudgingly begins to help Miles understand his own powers.
Along with his newfound abilities, Miles also has to rise to the lofty role of Spider-Man and fulfill his own expectations and responsibilities. It’s a difficult position to be in while trying to stop Kingpin’s devious plans and help his friends return to their respective dimensions.
The moment Miles learns to come to terms with who he is and what he must do leads to what will be an iconic movie scene for years to come. Miles, in a leap of faith, lets himself fall from the tall buildings of New York City. The city is a beautiful backdrop for Miles taking control of his own fall, fears and powers, all set to the fitting song “What’s Up Danger” by Blackway and Black Caviar.
That’s what makes this movie stand out—animation that rivals any other film. Directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman took huge risks in the way they wanted to create the film—and it all paid off. The movie’s bright colors, lower frame rate and elimination of motion blur creates the effect of comics jumping right off of the theater screen.
Variation in movements allows emotions to be clearly conveyed and helps represent the different personalities of the characters. Chris Miller, one of the film’s producers, said, “We wanted someone to be able to freeze any frame of the movie and have it look so good, they’d want to frame it and hang it on the wall.”
The world’s reactions to the film have made Miller’s hope come true. Not only has it been receiving praise from critics and reviewers, but the movie has grossed over $200 million worldwide on a $90 million production budget.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’s unique comic-like animation and skillful storytelling creates a fresh feel to the Spider-Man story that’s been told so many times before.. Throughout his struggles, Miles truly earns his title and makes the role of Spider-Man completely his own. Miles is a hero to admire, and Spider-Verse a film to admire.
Did you love the movie as much as we did? Leave your comments below.