Fresh take on a classic Marvel movie

It’s the end of an era, friends. I’ve reveled in my title as “The Laziest Film Reviewer” for close to a year now. Watching Netflix films or just reviewing old films I found in the library is my niche. So, I’ve got to confess…I went to the movie theater last week. That’s a new record for me because I also went earlier this month to see “Mary Poppins Returns.” (I think I gave it an 8/10. Go watch my baby, Lin Manuel-Miranda, be adorable for two hours).

Anyways, let’s get into it! My first review of the semester is of the new animated feature, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) has a great family, but his relationship with his dad (Brian Tyree Henry) is getting murky. Miles’ father is a police officer and doesn’t approve of the town vigilante, Spider-Man, whom Miles secretly admires. Miles connects more with his uncle, Aaron (Mahershala Ali), who’s estranged to their family, so Miles must visit him in secret. Aaron takes Miles to an abandoned subway station where they put a throw-up of one of Miles’ pieces. As they’re about to leave, Miles hangs back to take a picture of their work, and a spider bites him on the hand.

Miles doesn’t think anything of the spider bite until the next day when his hands start sticking to everything. Returning to the subway station, Miles happens upon a battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin. Spider-Man’s attempts to stop the Kingpin from firing a particle accelerator end in an explosion that gravely injures him. When Miles tries to help him, Spider-Man gives him a USB that has the codes to disarm the accelerator and urges him to leave before the Kingpin arrives. From a distance, Miles witnesses his murder before escaping. Now seemingly alone in his mission to save the world, Miles visits Peter’s grave hoping to find answers. He does find something there…another Peter Parker.

If you guys know me personally, you know I don’t like Marvel movies. I will go on record saying that this is not only the best Marvel movie I’ve ever seen, but also the best animated movie I’ve ever seen. With “Coco” as one of my favorite movies, that’s a big claim!

This movie was a delight to behold. I had a huge grin on my face for most of it. The only times I wasn’t grinning ear-to-ear was when something sad was happening, and oh, do the sad parts hit home. If you’re a fan of the 90s-skater-graffiti aesthetic and comic book art, watch this movie! Every frame is designed to look like the frame of a comic book, and my little nerd heart that has a soft spot for film tech was made so happy by it. My biggest gripe with Marvel movies is that I don’t find the “funny moments” funny. I find them stupid. “Into the Spider-Verse”’s comedic moments were well-timed, and I found most of them to be very entertaining.

Another thing I truly loved about this film was the diversity of the characters and voice cast. Miles is the first nonwhite Spider-Man, being half Puerto-Rican, half African-American. I rarely see Afro-Latinos represented in film at all, so to have one as the main character of a movie was awesome. This film also did well ensuring that the characters were voiced by actors of that same identity. My favorite performances were those of Shameik Moore, Mahershala Ali and (surprisingly) Nicolas Cage. He really embodied Humphrey Bogart in his portrayal of Spider-Man Noir.

All-in-all, if you’re a fan of Marvel, Spider Man, cool animation or, you know, just life in general, I think you would benefit from seeing “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

Rating: 9/10