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Since Spider-Man finally took his place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s opened up all kinds of new adventures for the web-slinging teen hero. And now his stylish animated adventure, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, introduces even more possibilities in all new dimensions.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse follows the unexpected adventures of Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), a teenage kid who feels out of place at his New York City prep school. When he’s bitten by a radioactive spider, he finds that he suddenly has strange new powers—the same powers as the city’s famous vigilante Spider-Man (voiced by Chris Pine). But when Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) kills Spider-Man in an attempt to open a portal, Miles finds himself attempting to stop Kingpin with the help of a number of other superheroes who have been brought in from other dimensions.
Don’t let the colorful animation fool you; this isn’t just a watered-down superhero cartoon for kids. While it’s certainly appropriate for young viewers—and even my six-year-old daughter, who doesn’t typically show an interest in superhero movies, enjoyed it—the layered story and eye-catching animation will appeal to grown-up viewers, too.
Kids will love Miles—the anxious, insecure kid who’s struggling to get accustomed to his powers and find his place in the action. He’s a lovable character who grows into a flawed but strong young hero. And he’s joined by an intriguing band of quirky heroes, too—from dark and moody Spider-Man Noir (voiced by Nicolas Cage) to cartoony pig Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), whose goofiness brings plenty of laughs.
But, at the same time, this is also a story about the responsibilities of being a superhero—and the sacrifice and loss, too. Each character brings a different perspective—and they offer plenty of potential for sequels.
The animation, meanwhile, definitely takes some getting used to—and, until then, it can be a bit disorienting. It looks like a comic book in motion: the same vibrant colors, the same drawing style, even the same text boxes. The drawing has the same colorful dots that you find in comics, and the background images are often blurred. Each character even has his or her own color palette and animation style. It’s all perfect for the comic book superhero subject matter—but it doesn’t look or feel or move like the average movie. But the same thing that makes it strange and disorienting also makes it a fascinating film.
Just as Spider-Man’s co-creator, the late Stan Lee, always sought to redefine traditional comics, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse offers a new take on the typical superhero movie. And this twist on the web-slinging teen’s story promises to grow into an entertaining new cinematic universe of its own.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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