The Amazing Spider-People: Into the Spider-Verse Spices Up a Multi-Franchise Character

Over the weekend, I got the chance to see an early showing of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the first movie in Sony's new animated Spider-Man film series. Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman, the film focuses on how multiple people who hold the mantle of Spider-Man in different universes are forced out of their respective universes by a threat to all of reality, and must work together to stop the destruction of everything. However, in our main reality where the film centers itself, Peter Parker is not our main Spider-Man - the mantle is held by a newcomer, teenager Miles Morales.

Morales, voiced by Shameik Moore, makes an amazing theatrical debut in the film, as the viewer gets to follow his story in becoming the Spider-Man of his reality. His character was designed to be relatable to everybody, from the music that he listens to, to the school that he attends to, to the connections he cherishes, and everything in between. Morales is a very well realized character that will ease those who are nervous about a non-Peter Parker Spider-Man. Those fans are pleased as well along the way, as the Peter Parker of another dimension, voiced by Jake Johnson, makes a great mentor and an interesting take on the already overdone character. Parker adds a dimension of well-timed humor that always hits its mark, but very much rewards those who know the deep lineage of the character. An ensemble of characters adds to the humor and emotion along the way, but to give many more examples reveals too much of the magic that this film brings to the crowded Spidey-table.

A part of that magic has to be the animation style. This film shows how underrated Sony Animation is (thank you The Emoji Movie), because it truly gives off the feel that this is actually a comic book. From faded in lines giving the impression of a misprinted comic to a shallow focus that keeps your attention on certain characters, every part of the film prides itself on making sure that you think of it as the video version of a comic. It really does wonders for the audience and it helps the creators to go bigger than your expectations with the narrative, allowing for bold choices that makes the film even more outstanding.

Speaking of expectations, yes, there is a Stan Lee cameo. It will sadly be one of the last, but the directors really took it to heart. They use his teachings, along with their personal mastery of the source material, to centralize the message around the fact that anybody can be a hero in a way that you'd expect only Lee or the co-creator, Steve Ditko, could do. It shifts the focus from any old adaptation to a true swan song to the creators, which makes the pathos of the film even deeper. It works really well, and will make any true fan reflect on Lee and Ditko's legacy.

With all of these components combined, Sony has come to the table with what I would consider the best Spider-Man film, if not the best comic book movie ever. No part of the experience was dull, every choice added something to the film, and the message is made extremely easy for anybody to relate to. It's the most true reflection of the goals of the creators, and really goes to show the power of animated superhero films, which are normally overlooked to big live action adaptations, which can fall short due to bad CGI.

This film doesn't disspoint like that, and is easily a Good Good film. Do yourself a favor, and go see Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.