Leading Up to No Way Home: Day ? – Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse

Finally, here we are – my favorite Spider-Man movie and one of my top ten movies of all time. This is the pièce de résistance of animation and Spider-Man movies, in my opinion. I’ve been looking forward to writing about this movie for some time now, so let’s get into it. (Also, if you’re wondering where the Amazing Spider-Man breakdown is, I posted a quick summary on Twitter – @jacktalksmovies – give it a follow and a read.)

Jack’s Score – 100/100 | Rotten Tomatoes – 97% | Audience – 93% | IMDb – 8.4/10

First off, I want to talk about the animation style. This movie’s animation is so beautiful and unique and I love the style’s homage to comic art. Additionally, one of my favorite facts about this movie is that Miles is animated at half the frame rate as the other characters as he learns to navigate his powers, and once he understands them, he’s animated at a full frame rate – subtly hinting to the audience his inexperience, and then realized potential. On top of that, the way shots are set up really help to aid in the story telling. For instance when Miles first looks at the Spidey suit in the glass case, his eyeline reflects short of the mask. Then, when he returns, his face fits the mask.

Then shots like the one I used as the cover image have deeper meaning embedded in the script. To emphasize his growth as a hero, the shot is listed as “Miles isn’t falling through the frame. He’s RISING.”

Finally another way the animation is used for storytelling is a series of acrobatics that Miles performs in the final battle. Gwen and Peter can’t figure out where he learned it from, but he picked it up from watching the Peter Parker from his universe. It’s a great way to show the audience that Miles has learned from them all without explicitly saying it.

Next, the characters are all spectacular. Every main character has their own baggage that they learn to deal with through their arcs. Obviously, Miles learns how to be a hero and grow into the mantle of Spider-Man. Gwen learns to open herself up to others and not let the death of her Peter define her. Most compellingly, Peter B. Parker learns to stop being afraid of life’s next adventures through having to confront his own mortality in the death of the other Peter, seeing his ability to be a parent and mentor through his bond with Miles, and learning from himself that it all comes down to a “leap of faith.”

Jake Johnson really sells his performance as Peter B. Parker. He puts so much emotion into his recap as a hero and his pitfalls in his personal life. His growth feels really genuine and the concept of him wanting to stay behind out of fear of what is waiting for him back in his dimension is awesome to see. It pays off in a great way as he falls back into the collider with a small smile on his face as he comes to terms with his journey and the fact that he’s leaving this universe in capable hands. Johnson’s chemistry with Shameik Moore makes their bond as mentor/mentee truly believable and he perfectly walks the line of goofiness and seriousness in his delivery that makes this movie work.

Another great part of this movie is the villains. Kingpin’s motivation and desperation to bring back his family is something that helps relate to his character more than a bank robbery or general gang activity. It would have been just as easy for the writers to find a financial reason for Fisk to be doing this, but it was a much better decision to connect it to his family. The way he’s drawn is also very fun, as he is comically hulking and often takes up the entire frame. This choice really helps to convey his presence and power.

We also get Miles’ Uncle Aaron, who is secretly the Prowler. His fighting style and the score that is put behind his scenes is so vivid and emphasizes the frightfulness and danger of his character. He is also very compelling as simply Miles’ uncle. This is a man that Miles feels he can turn to and truly connect with. Their interactions feel so genuine to an uncle/nephew relationship. I think that its funny, but believable that he takes Miles to a place where he did villain work to throw up some art. Then the sequence where he has Miles on the roof of Aunt May’s house and refuses to hurt him is a great way for Miles to learn the downfalls of hero work. His death was done in a way that hits those emotional beats strongly for both Miles and his dad. As a hero and as a son, it helps Miles to grow.

Spider-Man Noir is my favorite comic relief character, and nearly all of his jokes land for me. Personally, I think that Peni Parker and Spider-Ham are somewhat underdeveloped as characters and as a result a handful of their moments fall flat for me, like the death of Peni’s robot. That’s a very small critique in an otherwise perfect movie though.

Overall the comedy in this movie is excellent. The movies self-awareness and ability to have fun with itself and the character of Spider-Man make it stand-out from it’s live action counterparts. It’s references to the Raimi films and the fun it pokes at the infamous Spider-Man 3 dance sequence connect the audience to the creative team as real fans of the character and movies. Another bit I love that come from this creative team is the way they designed Miles’ store-bought costume – namely the nose holes, which was very nostalgic of a Spider-Man costume I had as a kid.

This is a movie that I must have seen upwards of seven or eight times, and it gets better with every watch. I think that everyone should see this movie as the pinnacle of storytelling and a true representation of the Spider-Man idea that anyone can wear the mask. I can’t wait for the return of these characters and actors in the upcoming sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse (Part One), expected to release October 7, 2022.

“That’s all it is Miles… a leap of faith.” -Peter B. Parker

#Marvel #MilesMorales #SpiderMan