Why I love Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse
Spider verse is a film that I absolutely love. Is it the best Spiderman film? I'm not sure. It's a difficult battle between this, and Spiderman 2. But that's not what this review is about. It's not about my "rating", "ranking" or whether this the "best Spiderman movie."
This film opens with an immersive and loud title sequence. Then the film shows you the life of the Peter Parker, in many glimpses. This sets up the tone of the film, the breathtaking animation style, and has many easter eggs to the Raimi films. The film wastes no time in setting up Miles as a protagonist. It sets up what kind of person he is, his interests, and his fears, and his relationship with people he cares about. He feels like a real kid, he feels like me.
We learn about his, and his father's conflicting thoughts on Spiderman. There are minor set ups, that we understand the relevance of later in the film, such as Gwen, Uncle Aaron saying he used to "work as an engineer" underground when taking Miles to paint. (he works there as Prowler for Kingpin, we learn this when a battle takes place there)
After Miles gets powers, and wastes no time to really get us, and him to know that, he meets an unfamiliar situation where he's thrusted into action. When he becomes a little hopeful on learning that the Spiderman of his world will help him with his newfound powers.
But that hope soon comes to an end, when Kingpin fucking slams Spidey to his death. Miles is even more scared now. He's in a new school, doesn't have friends, feels like an outsider, and now, the man who could've helped him figure this out, is no more.
He's all alone now. Miles is a teenager, and at that age, even the slightest of emotions feel like the "end of the world." We're still growing up, and learning all the bad and good things about life. So, imagine, being a teenager with personal fears and insecurities, and now, being thrusted with the responsibility to fill the shoes of "SPIDERMAN."
This is the internal conflict of our protagonist. In every situation, Miles is trying to prove himself. He's trying to be Spiderman, the best he can be. And this works, not only because it's relatable, especially for teenagers, but also in terms of screenwriting because this leads Miles to take active decisions, making him a character that pushes the plot forward, while also giving us a look into what kind of person he is.
Peter B. Parker is another great character. He could've been the same as the Peter who died, but no. The writers are smart to give us the exact opposite. Making Miles' struggle even more difficult. Peter's a man who has seen it all. He has lived the glorious life, but has also lived through the dark stuff. He lost Aunt May, and separated from the love of his life, Mary Jane. He's lonely and depressed, and we can empathise with that.
The beauty of the relationship between Peter and Miles works because both of them are flawed "people." I think that's important. People. They're not vessels to move the plot forward, they're not these perfect icons. They're imperfect, make mistakes, have fears, and that's what makes them feel, "real." Not "realistic" for the sake of grittiness, but realistic for the sake of feeling 'human.'
Peter helps Miles find himself, and his inner potential. And in the process, Peter's ability to empower is something he realises he himself has. Both of them help each other become better people. It also works to show how they impact each other's life.
Now, the villain Kingpin, isn't the best villain of all time. But he works for this particular movie. I have a belief, (that I'm ready to be challenged) that one of the important ways to craft a memorable villain, is -
1. Make him/her truly evil, and hatable, or
2. Give him/her a distinguishable personality, or
3. Give them an understandable motivation (possibly empathetic)
Kingpin works because firstly, he's so fucking big, and heartless. He shoots Uncle Aaron, and feels nothing. And his BIG physical presence gives every scene with him in it, a sense of terror. But he's also empathetic, as we learn that the so-called "plot" of the movie, stems from an emotional reason. Despite me personally loving multiverse shit, it can be disinteresting to others.
But this works so well because we learn that Kingpin is doing this, just because he wants his dead family back. It made me care for him. Internally, he's just a man who lost his loved ones, and wishes them back, and uses his power and resources to do so. It gives him depth, but this doesn't also make him, less menacing.
The soundtrack of the film is unforgettable. Each and every type of song has personality, and it only accentuates what kind of people the characters are, making it feel like they're bursting out of the comic book pages, into our world.
Spider verse is also probably the best looking movie ever. Due to my jackass internet, the film loaded a couple times for me. But the thing is, every frame it loaded on, contained a masterpiece of artwork. Also, I think one of the real heroes of this film, are the artists at work. They made me realise that Spiderman is one of those characters that work best in animation. Characters made complicated facial expressions, that I've seen actual people make, and it feels completely authentic.
The phrase, "comic book come to life" is something I wish wasn't overused, because it fits perfectly for this film. Every, frame is filled with personality, style, colour and flare. Brooklyn feels like a character in the film. It feels like a place Miles grew up in. You can clearly tell how much effort was put it into the film. Not one frame, I repeat, not a single frame is wasted.
Screenplay wise, it's done extremely well. Miles faces struggles, has an emotional low point, and rises. The low point was so beautiful and emotional. Miles and his father have a moment of reconciliation after Aaron's death. I felt so much, even though Miles never said one word throughout the entire scene. Even the animation subtly communicates Miles' struggle. In most animated movies we see, the frame rate is at 24 frames per second, so the movement of the characters feels smooth and life like. This is called as animating "on ones."
But Spider verse, does something a little different. Since Miles is learning to be Spider-man in this film, you see him trying to swing and bumping around here and there. In these moments, Miles is animated "on twos" which makes his movements feel more crispy and crunchy. And later on in the film when he has embraced who he is, he's then animated "on ones." These little details matter as they play a role in the storytelling.
This is when the film really explores the consequences of being "Spiderman." Being a superhero has it's merits. You get to have all these cool superpowers, get to save people and feel like a hero. But it comes with it's demerits as well. Your personal life can get affected, and the people you love enter danger territory.
I love how the different Spidermen and Spider-women all talk about who they lost. It really highlights the fact that every one of them have had to face sacrifice, and consequence for being a superhero. It unites all the Spider-people in a way, beyond their superpowers. It unites them through their shared pain.
Characters' deaths aren't treated as a "plot point." It feels like a necessary evil that makes the characters grow as people. To realise the harsh reality of life. You just gotta accept it, and keep moving forward. It really shows how the creators truly care about, and truly understand the "essence" of the character of Spiderman.
The "what's up danger" scene, always gives me goosebumps. It's the moment where music, animation, colour, lighting, all come together to create a scene that stays with you. It's the culmination of Miles' struggle. He can be Spiderman. His own Spiderman. And, as it has already been pointed out by many, the shot of him taking a leap of faith, is flipped to show him thematically rising. This is great visual storytelling.
The so-called "final battle" works because, not only does it have a burst of colour and comic book-y goodness, but it has internal stakes present throughout. We know what this means to the characters we've now grown to care for, and how they've grown as individuals themselves.
Miles' final move against Kingpin is so satisfying. He uses his Uncle's words to save the day. Showing that no matter he died, he's still living inside the hearts of Miles, and his father Jefferson. It shows to us the importance of people in our lives, and how they can affect our beliefs.
Spiderman into the Spider-verse is a film that asks the question, "Who can be Spiderman?" and through the use of it's complex characters, medium of telling it's story, it also answers this question.
Anyone can be Spider-Man.
Even you.
Thank Your for Reading
I hope you liked this blog review, please make sure to comment about your thoughts on the film, or on how I could possibly improve. Also follow my YouTube Channel "Detox with P-Talks Official" where I analyse movies and do other movie related content along with short films, etc.
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