Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
Anyone can wear the mask. P.s: please wear a mask.
I did not want to believe the hype. A decade after Marvel rejuvenated this era of the superhero genre with the release of Iron Man, and I thought I had reached the point of superhero fatigue. Then I started to see tweets calling Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse the best movie of 2018, and I was intrigued, but pretty sure that was an extreme overreaction by a handful of people. Then I saw it in a sold-out theater over a week after it came out, and I was convinced it was indeed the best movie of 2018.
Part of my belief that Into the Spider-Verse was the best movie of 2018 has to do with the fact that it was a weak movie year. It would not have been a top-three movie in 2017 or 2019, but 2018 was rough; I mean, Green Book won Best Picture, which tells you everything you need to know. But beyond that, Into the Spider-Verse is just an incredibly fun film. It most accurately fits the definition of “Comfort Cinema.” I remember having a rough week a few weeks after seeing it for the first time and went to the theater by myself to watch it again. Instant mental health booster. I understand some might share my apprehension of yet another superhero movie, but I promise it is so much more, and I could not recommend it more.
I know some other people are turned off by the fact that it is an animated movie, and they think it is only for kids, which is very misguided and unfortunate at this point. There are just so many examples of phenomenal animated shows or movies that can be enjoyed by adults. Some of the best movies I have watched this year have come from Studio Ghibli. Persepolis is an underrated gem. I would argue that Bojack Horseman is the best show over the last six years. The point is that there is a solid history of great animated content that can be enjoyed by all, so it seems dumb to write something off just because it is animated.
Now that I got my impassioned plea for giving this movie a chance out of the way, I can get into talking about the movie. The Peter Parker Spider-Man tale has been told countless times, but the Miles Morales story was much more recently. The idea for Miles first took shape around the time of the 2008 presidential election. With the idea of having this country’s first black president, creators thought it might be a good time for a black Spider-Man. Miles’s appearance was heavily influenced by Donald Glover’s appearance in Spider-Man pajamas in a 2010 episode of Community. There was also a fan petition to have Glover play Morales in The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012. Glover was eventually cast as Morales in the Ultimate Spider-Man and as Aaron Davis in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Into the Spider-Verse included an easter egg celebrating Glover’s influence on the character.
The plot of the movie follows a similar theme as every other Spider-Man film. Miles is a high school student in Brooklyn; he does graffiti with his uncle Aaron, he gets bit by a spider, and you get the point. Things take a turn when he spots Peter Parker and a multiverse contraption that ends up bringing five other characters with spider powers. Peter Parker ends up dying, and it is up to Miles and the rest of the spider people to get them back to their own universe and destroy the contraption.
All of those other characters are extremely delightful. Peter B. Parker is the Spider-Man that shows that not everything is perfect all the time, but it is crucial to keep fighting. Gwen Stacy is a great character and, like Miles, is the sort of representation in comic book movies that doesn’t feel forced at all. She is a woman superhero, and they acknowledge that, but it is not her defining characteristic like it is in the girl power moment in Endgame or the end of the new Charlie’s Angels. I want all the characters to get their own spin-off movies, but a Gwen Stacy one would be the best. Similar to how you saw kids with Black Panther or Miles Morales action figures, it could be the same thing if Sony goes forward with the rumored Gwen Stacy movie.
The three secondary spider creatures are delightful in their own right. Love seeing an Asian actress voice an Asian character in Peni Parker. It is an incredibly low bar, and hopefully, we’ll get to the point where it is not a mini celebration each time a movie doesn’t whitewash Asian characters. Still, until then, I am celebrating this casting. Spider-Man Noir might be my favorite character in the whole movie. It is so dramatic and over the top, and Nicolas Cage is the perfect person to play the role. I love everything with John Mulaney in it, so of course, I love Spider-Ham.
I initially feared that I was going to end up writing 2,000 words just on the soundtrack. It is outstanding and tailor-made for me. It is hard to fathom that we got this and the Black Panther album in the same year. I like the Black Panther album more personally — I will never go against Kendrick Lamar and Anderson Paak on the same project. Plus, the Black Panther album had bigger hits outside the film like All The Stars, King’s Dead, and Paramedic. It also introduced me to Jorja Smith’s music.
However, it was incredibly underwhelming when watching the movie. I believe Opps was the only song played during the film if we’re not counting Kendrick and SZA during the credits. I believe Into the Spider-Verse used five or six songs in the movie itself, not to mention the songs used in the credits. The What’s Up Danger scene is perfect. I love Amine, Cordae, and Denzel Curry getting some shine on the album. The Juice WRLD scene hit hard before his death and hits even harder now. Start a Riot is the best hype song in the world right now. It is all just so perfect, and I am so glad they were able to incorporate so much of it into the film. Swae Lee is the real winner here by getting on both soundtracks.
Speaking of “What’s Up Danger,” it is time to talk about one of my favorite shots in recent memory.
I mean, come on. Look at how perfect this is. It is all exquisite, from the beautiful skyline, to the slow build of “What’s Up Danger”, to the untied Jordan 1’s. Quick aside — we all agree the Jordan 1 is objectively the coolest shoe on the planet, right? An honorable mention for the Jordan 11’s. They make the shoes look so cool in this movie that I have seriously considered buying them on multiple occasions, despite the hefty price tag.
I have seen this film at least five times, and I still get chills watching this whole scene. It is the culmination of everything Miles has gone through. Going to a new school, having a strenuous relationship with his dad, his uncle literally trying to murder him, and having all the other spider people doubt him. His leap of faith shows he is ready for this great responsibility — I’m sorry, I had to do it once.
There are so many more incredible parts of this movie. The aesthetics of the animation in the final fight scene are so overwhelming and perfect. The memes born out of it, and the pointing meme in the end credit, is a huge part of the popularity of the film. All of the easter eggs are phenomenal and super well crafted. My favorite is Stephen Curry as a golfer in this universe. The Stan Lee cameo and quote at the end were both very well-placed and still make me emotional when watching it. I am very excited to see what they do with the sequel scheduled to come out on October 7th, 2022.
Next week I am changing things up a bit by looking at two Sam Levinson projects — Assassination Nation, which is now streaming on Hulu, and season one of Euphoria on HBO and HBO Max.