Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The photo shows a movie director's clapboard at nine o'clock, and a serving of popcorn in a red and white bucket at eight o'clock, all against a white background, with a sign that reads "MOVIE TIME" in red letters across the top;"with" in yellow near the middle; and "Jon Ochiai" in red from the center out to three o'clock. Altogether: "Movie Time with Jon Ochiai." At four o'clock, there are five golden colored stars under the name, and at six o'clock, two golden colored movie tickets that read Admit One. Jon Ochiai is the author of the movie review associated with this branded image.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is astounding stylized state-of-art animation with the look and feel of 3-D Japanese Anime. The animation is visually shadowed and soulful with vibrant pastels. Not just mesmerizing eye-candy, team of Directors – Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman craft a fresh rites of passage narrative of emerging Spider-Man, half-African American Miles Morales, voiced by spirited and smart Shameik Moore. Although in Phil Lord (“The Lego Movie” and “22 Jump Street”) and Rodney Rothman’s screenplay, Miles is one of several ‘Spider-Men’ and ‘Spider-Women’ intersecting in this Marvel superhero, sci-fi, family mashup.

Turns out that villain “Kingpin”, voiced by malevolent Live Schreiber, the blockish hulking bald cartoon figure used his invention – the Super Collider to collapse the multiverse. To what ends? Honestly, I don’t think even Phil and Rodney know. That might be beside the point. Because, “Into the Spider-Verse” is just raucous fun with a warped sense of humor and a big heart.

Directors Bob, Peter and Rodney introduce the Spider-Man in New York that we all know and love: Peter Parker, voiced by whimsical Chris Pine. He’s the guy, who was bitten by the radioactive spider that gave him his amazing strength, agility and ‘spidey sense’ as in sixth sense. After an extended Superhero career of 22 years including his failed marriage to the love of his life Mary Jane, voice by Zoe Kravitz, Spider-Man dies as a Hero, doing what he loves to do: Saving others.

Miles is a teen attending a college prep school on scholarship: The brilliant computer geek, who chills to Post Malone. His Dad Jefferson Davis, voiced by stalwart funny Brian Tyree Henry, is a police officer, who not a big fan of Spider-Man and his “along with great power comes great responsibility” dogma. Somewhat self-absorbed, he unconditionally loves Miles. Jefferson even coerces Miles to say, “I love you, Dad.” – in front of his entire school.

At school Miles is sweet on pretty smart blonde Gwen Stacy, voiced by wonderfully aloof Hailee Steinfeld. Their attraction is mutual. Miles derives security in his relationship with his Uncle Aaron, voiced with street gravitas by Mahershala Ali. Aaron and his brother Jefferson Davis are estranged, given Aaron questionable shady dealings. Yet, Aaron is the cool Uncle, who encourages Miles’s distinct gift as the street tagger of amazing urban spray paint murals. While working one of his masterpieces, Miles is bitten by what looks like a radioactive spider. Consequently, Miles acquires his Spider-Man powers.

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At the same time Miles meets his alter-dimensional persona in older paunchy Peter B. Parker, voiced by funny, mildly cynical Jake Johnson, who teaches Miles the ropes of Spider-Man’s web-slinging. While escaping from Kingpin’s facility and swinging through the snowy forests, Peter and Miles encounter sleek white suited Spider-Gwen – Gwen Stacy (Hailee). Turns out too, that Gwen is the Spider-Woman from yet another dimension. Like Peter, she also needs to return to her home dimension.

So it’s up to Miles, who must wrestle control of Kingpin’s Super Collider, to forge the dimensional pathway back to their respective dimensions. Meanwhile, Miles meets Spider-Men from other dimensions. Black and white Spider-Man Noir, voiced by off-the-wall Nicolas Cage, is from a past dimensional era. There’s Warner Brothers-like cartoon Spider-Ham, voiced by hysterical John Mulaney. Life-size Japanese Anime Peni Parker, voiced by quirky Kimiko Glenn, is from the 31st Century sporting her advanced robotic Spider-Man. As Peter says, “This could literally not get weirder.” Balancing this phase-glitched universe are versions of Spider-Man’s villains: Green Goblin, Scorpion, and a few others that I don’t recognize.

There is a whole lot of nonsense running amok in “Into the Spider-Verse”, yet the directors resonate in asking, “What makes a Hero?” With surprising poignancy, cartoon Spider-Ham tells emerging Hero Miles, “You can’t save everyone.” Otherwise, the great responsibility and power become a curse.

When Miles has doubts that he can become the Hero, Peter tells him, “Take a leap of faith.” Believe in the hero that’s within all of us. Our Heroes arise from our belief from within, and from the love those who believe in us. For Miles that’s the world-weary and wise Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, and brave and compassionate Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen. Radiant Shameik Moore makes us believe that his Miles shall discover his own greater than self within.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is about summoning the Hero within all of us. Even more so than the amazing animation, that narrative makes “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” one of my favorite movies this year.

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