Let me preface this review by offering Sony kudos for finally making a Spider-Man film that (a) didn’t involve Tobey Maguire, (b) wasn’t incredibly convoluted, and (c) focused on one supervillain (or making Spider-Man the villain?!). Interestingly, it required an animated version of Spider-Man for Sony to finally discover the secret Marvel formula for creating perfect superhero movies.
And perfect it is! Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse is one of the best movies Netflix has to offer, and I know that I’m really late to jump on the bandwagon, as the film was released in 2018. However, I really love the film’s soundtrack and decided to watch purely based off the hit single “Sunflower” that recently topped the Billboard Hot 100. Thankfully, my initial expectations were met and I even found myself thinking: this is actually a really cool movie!
Let’s start by addressing the fact that the film’s basic message centered around the idea that, yes, anyone can be Spider-Man. This leads us to the main protagonist, Miles Morales, who is coincidentally bitten by a radioactive spider that gives him awesome superpowers including, but not limited to, enhanced strength, enhanced agility, and invisibility! It seems like his powers are very similar to Spider-Man’s, but with a tremendous upgrade. Those evil scientists must really be experimenting with that radioactive spider technology.
Of course, Miles accidentally stumbles upon the real Spider-Man during an intense battle with Kingpin, the main antagonist of the film. Sadly, this leads to an unfortunate accident (which I won’t spoil) that devastates the entire city. Yet, at the same time, during the battle, several portals to alternate dimensions were also opened (which was kind of confusing). Enter a lazier version of Peter Parker/Spiderman (who is not a hero?), Spider-Woman, Peni Parker, Film-Noir Spiderman, and, uh, Spider-Ham?
However, these alternative versions of Spider-Man are having a hard time being outside of their established universes. They continue to experience a bizarre glitch that threatens their very existence. Thus, they must somehow return to their own worlds, and the only way to do that is to re-activate Kingpin’s machine that caused all the problems in the first place.
Which begs the question of why Kingpin wanted to open a portal to these alternate dimensions in the first place? Surely his intention was not to bring other versions of his mortal enemy into the same world? Well, it turns out that Kingpin has a bit of a soft side. You see, his wife and son tragically died in a car accident one night after witnessing him fighting Spider-Man. Now, he has decided to invest in the technology that would allow him to hopefully reunite with his family from a parallel reality (or something to that effect). Of course, our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man discovers this plot and immediately intervenes because he knows that the device could potentially destroy all of New York City.
So, that’s a problem.
Additionally, the film tackles a smaller subplot concerning Miles Morales as he tries to figure out how to control his newfound abilities. Of course, watching Miles try to master his new Spidey powers provides several hilarious moments in the film. It’s also quite charming to watch all of Miles’ new mentors attempt to provide assistance in rather unhelpful ways. Thankfully, Miles proves himself perfectly capable on his own and takes that first leap (literally) into his new life as a bonafide superhero.
Now united together, our new Spider heroes take on Kingpin once again in an epic climactic battle sequence that completely blew my mind. I’m talking Doctor Strange-esque levels of weirdness. Apparently, opening alternate dimensions is some trippy business, and I couldn’t begin to describe in words what exactly happened, let alone how it looked on screen. I mostly remember our heroes jumping between floating skyscrapers and dodging parallel universe-style traffic. I will say that I greatly enjoyed the new versions of Dr. Octopus and the Green Goblin who somehow became Kingpin’s sidekicks despite the fact that they’re both capable of taking on the mantle of the main baddie.
Of course, after a thorough beating from Kingpin, Miles is able to save his new friends and safely return them to their own respective realities. He also manages to stop the machine and bring Kingpin to justice with the help of his father (because we needed a feel-good moment after that action). In the end, Miles seems to have finally found his place in the world, patrolling the streets as the new Spider-Man (with a much cooler suit). Ultimately, I really loved the creative aspect of this film, putting a different spin on the classic Spider-Man story we all know and love. Also, the animation in the film was incredibly impressive, and I found myself clapping at the end while offering a hearty “well-done” to the big executives at Sony. Perhaps I can forgive them for taking Tom Holland’s Spider-Man out of the Marvel Universe (but not really, because that sucks).
Well, at least Noir Spider-Man remains the coolest guy ever.
