SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE

This was a small screen rewatch for me, having seen it in the cinema when it first came out.

It has to be the most visually impressive work of animation I’ve experienced, especially in the way it manages to combine 3D computer animation and traditional 2D comic book art. 

As someone who enjoyed reading comic books back in the 1960s (admittedly DC rather than Marvel) I was really into this. 

First time around it took me a while to get to grips with the key fact that this Spider-Man story is not taking place on this Earth but on one in which Peter Parker/ Spider-Man is not the main protagonist and indeed dies halfway through.  

(This time around I did spot the occasional clue that this is not our Earth, such as the NYPD becoming the PDNY).

Instead we follow the coming of age of a certain  Miles Morales who also gets bitten by a radioactive spider (what are the odds?)

The main villain of the piece is Kingpin whose plan is to use a Super Collider to pull versions of his dead wife and son into this world from other dimensions/universes.  This runs the risk of degrading reality in this world but Kingpin doesn’t give a hoot.

Pulled into this world from other dimensions are no less than five Spider-People.

One of these, and the most important to the story, is Peter B. Parker, an older version of Spider-Man who has let himself run to flab.

Then there’s Spider-Woman / Gwen Stacey who becomes more of a friend to Miles than a love interest.

These are joined by Spider-Man Noir (a Philip Marlowe-type variant), Spider-Ham (a cartoon pig variant) and Peni Parker, a futuristic teenager who has a psychic link to a radioactive spider.

These last three introduce some humour into proceedings.  A co-writer for the screenplay for this film is Phil Lord who co-wrote ‘The Lego Movie’ and one can definitely see some similarities between the two movies.  Spider-Man Noir for example reminded me of the Lego version of Batman.

All five characters are going to die unless they can be returned to their home universes.  The obvious person to help them do this is Miles but is he up to the task?

Well, of course he eventually proves that he is, and it’s a fun ride.

Amongst all the harum-scarum there are some effective quiet scenes, either between Miles and his dad, or between Miles and his uncle. (Miles’ mum takes a backseat)

Miles has a difficult relationship with his dad. The latter is a police officer who finds it difficult to express his feelings, and is maybe overprotective. The fact that he disapproves of Spider-Man of course makes it more difficult for Miles to confide in him.

So instead Miles likes to hang out with Uncle Aaron, who’s a rebellious figure who any teenager can warm to.  Miles and his uncle have a very close connection, which makes the revelation late in the story that the latter is also The Prowler, a henchman of Kingpin, a devastating one.

The other significant relationship is between Miles and Peter B Parker, who acts as a mentor to Miles.  In his world he and Mary Jane had divorced, and he had become worn out and disillusioned but by the end of the film the act of helping Miles has restored some optimism and he goes home determined to turn his life around.

It’s a well nigh flawless film, setting a very high standard for the inevitable sequels to match.