Another You | Review - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales. My man.

From the very moment he debuted in August of 2011 after the demise of the Marvel Ultimate Peter Parker I was bought in. “We could have something here,” I said. A young, infectious protagonist with a dynamic and relatable background. Born and raised in Brooklyn by a Hispanic mother and Black father; bilingual and artistically talented. All I had to do was wait for Miles to get his shine.

And I waited. And I waited. And then we got a weird Moody Teen Dream Spidey. So, I waited some more. Then we got a really good movie again with Donald Glover, but still no Miles. More waiting. Then! We got a superb video game with Miles as the protagonist. Was my patience about to be rewarded?

"My Spin-off Sense is tingling!"

As expected! Or maybe not. Studios have been so gun-shy since we started this hero kick fifteen years ago to even consider telling a story with anything other than the established (often Caucasian) characters. Nevermind that there are literally dozens of different Spider-Men and Batmen and Supermen of every possible color and origin. If his name isn’t Pete or Bruce or Kal, we’re not putting him on screen! That rule appears to be changing.

In Miles Morales’ New York there is no Spider-Man. At least, there wasn’t. One night after tagging up an abandoned metro station with his Uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali), Miles (Shameik Moore) is bitten by a very peculiar looking spider. Miles thinks nothing of it until later in the week when he’s sweating profusely, running on walls and getting his hands stuck in classmates’ hair. Soon he is seeking counsel from the only person with the knowledge to guide him through his new life: Peter Parker.

The hook here, of course, is that there isn’t supposed to be a Peter Parker in Miles’ world. This Pete (Jake Johnson) is one of many Spider-folk to be flung Samurai Jack-style into the Universe our protagonist occupies. This includes his classmate Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn), Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), and Spider-Ham (John Mulaney). Each of these characters have their own unique speech, color scheme and theme. If you were to close your eyes while the movie played, you would immediately know who was where, which is no easy task even in an animated feature.

The Squad is not gathered by choice. Wilson Fisk has created a supercollider not unlike the Large Hadron and stationed it directly beneath Brooklyn. His first test run ripped all the heroes from their homes and now they have to use it to get back but stop the machine before it destroys the city entirely. You know. The usual.

That’s about all that’s usual. My good friend and writing partner Lunchbox saw this movie before I did and told me two things. Firstly, that this movie was made for me. (Can confirm. Insert ‘finally good food’ meme here.) Secondly, that there would never be another studio film that looked like this. I can confirm that to. Even if you don’t like any version of Spider-Man and detest seeing yet another hero flick taking up space at the box office this movie should get high marks simply because of how dynamic and ambitious its action is. Into the Spider-Verse has better set pieces than anything Disney has produced in the last five years. I don’t mean to just pick on them. They just happen to be the best example, producing bloated CG dumps. This film is also computer-generated. The big advantage of animation is that the characters can move lithely through the environment as opposed to a Justice League where physical actors must be superimposed into the world around them. This is why a 2D-animated feature, when it happens, will make oodles of money.

Miles Morales is the perfect protagonist. What works about him is what works about so many others navigating the Hero’s Journey. He is just a guy. Peter B. is the most experienced Spider-Man. Spider-Gwen is the most physically gifted. Peni is a genius computer and robotics expert. Spidey Noir is gray, and Spider-Ham is a cartoon pig. These heroes all have something that makes them suited specifically for their on-brand Spider Powers. Miles is unique in his own way, but not as a hero. He obtained his powers entirely by coincidence. Even the big “bite” scene was played off as a gag with Miles calmly swatting the bug away. He’s in over his head. But he’s Spider-Man so he tries anyway which is why we still love the character decades later.

Peter B. Parker is a neat spin on the character I grew up with. Brilliant but lazy; competent but clumsy. He’s been web-slinging for twenty-two years and obviously knows what he’s doing. He’s also unmotivated and pretty bad at communicating. Despite this he agrees to guide Miles through his growing pains. Even in a cloud of ambivalence, Pete’s heart shines through. It’s the one thing that can never change no matter how many Spidey films get made.

Can’t state enough how well Gwen was written also. Last time we saw Gwen in a movie, it was a bad one mostly and she was good but shoehorned into the Supportive Girlfriend role where she just didn’t have much to do. No such fate here. Gwen is the hero of her own Universe; tall, strong and smart in her own right. The friendship she starts with Miles is warm and genuine without any pretense on either side. Male-female friendships are amongst my favorite to see portrayed and seeing one so well down here took me from liking to loving this movie.

One of my biggest, most enduring criticisms of hero movies across the board is that none of the fights are creative enough. The DCEU has been especially guilty of this, having the most diverse cast of characters and powers ever assembled and resigning to having them punch and kick and jump fifty feet in the air. Some of that is fine but if you have a Big Fish Guy you would think he would, I don’t know, use water somehow or swing the trident he carries everywhere? No such thing happens. In Spider-Verse, it isn’t enough for the Spider-folk to use their spider powers. They fight in correspondence to the Universe they came from. Spider-Man Noir is a tavern brawler. Peni utilizes her technology. Spider-Ham uses the power of Chuck Jones slapstick. It all makes sense. It all looks great. It all makes this not like any movie you’ve seen.

My rating scheme varies as does everyone’s. I don’t rate specifically on how “good” a movie is because apart from egregious errors, what makes a movie good or not is totally subjective. I rate based upon how well the movie delivered its message or accomplished its goal, if there is one. Spider-Verse isn’t the perfect movie but is the perfect genre movie. A new standard for comic book fare. Even better than Logan which is simply one of the best movies overall, I’ve ever seen. That’s why I’m giving this the highest of marks. This flick demands to be seen as big and loud as possible. Spidey is my favorite hero and he’s the one we need right now.

Ace work to all involved! High Five!

5 Stars out of 5

Stray Thoughts

- I chuckled when I saw that Brooklyn in the Spider-Verse is gentrified just like in real life.

- “Is that a coffee shop or a disco?”

- Jefferson tells Miles that he passed the entrance exam to Visions Academy just like everyone else. Miles notes that he only got in because he won a lottery which is, in fact, exactly how it works. It’s the little things in a screenplay.

- Spider-Verse is a textbook example of writing a female protagonist and letting her fully engage with the story. Too often they’re only given busy work but even Aunt May had purpose despite her very short time on screen.

Everyone has to earn something in this movie. Miles has to earn his powers. Peter B. has to earn his student. The Spider-Pals have to earn their way back home. Jefferson Davis, a police officer, has to earn the trust of his son Miles. Best part of the above scenarios is the earnest development. Every character feels real and genuine. Miles is a teenager but isn’t flippant with his parents. They respect his budding agency, and never once do you question that Miles and his dad love each other, despite their disagreements over vigilantism and the new charter school he has enrolled in. They oppose each other without despising one another – imagine that. I would have liked to see more interaction between Miles and his mom, Rio, or just more of her in general. The movie ran out of real estate but that’s what sequels are for.

Miles even gets his tragic death moment. Yes, it’s his uncle who gets got; no, not in the way you think. Aaron Davis moonlights as Prowler. He’s an enforcer for the Kingpin. When Miles reveals himself, Aaron refuses to follow through on the order to kill him and is promptly shot and killed by Fisk. It is at this point that Miles must come to terms with his shortcomings as a Spider-Man. The mantle carries weight and he just isn’t ready to take it on. Multiple people in the previous scene tell him multiple times to leave the battlefield. Not in a funny, “Oh what are you doing here” way. In a serious “Dude, you’re gonna get hurt” way. Very reminiscent of the first Incredibles as Helen instructs her kids to use their powers to protect themselves. “These people will kill you.” A real tension in an otherwise joyous, fun movie.

This version of Fisk was my favorite so far. He’s still the Kingpin: Crime Boss Supreme of New York. He only has an interest in the multiverse because of the one thing his vast fortune cannot buy. Fisk blames Spider-Man for the loss of his wife and son. Since their death, he’s been searching for a way to find alternate versions of them that are still living to make things right. Right being a relative term. This is a very morbid idea. I was pleased to see Kingpin get a more human motivation outside of wanting ULTIMATE POWER; yet, all the same he is still very clearly an evil dude.

Oh, a fun fact for the road: Paul Soles – Canadian actor and the original voice of Spider-Man – reprised his role for one-time only. And he did it for the meme! Will gladly accept more stingers if they’re as good as this one.

Every Frame a Painting | Review - ROMA

This movie won’t speak the same to everyone if it does at all. The one thing it will do for everyone is wipe the palate clean. For the last year or so plus there have been no shortage of movies taking place in or around Mexico, but they have all featured in some way a gang of a cartel or a kingpin. It’s very avant-garde in subscription TV services to frame a drug lord’s story as some rags-to-riches come-up. (Boy, do I have words about that.) There’s none of that here. And if I didn’t tell you that the movie takes place in Mexico City circa 1970 you probably would never know by just watching. That is the place, and this is the story.

ROMA takes place in Roma: specifically, it takes place in the urban, middle-class Mexico City neighborhood of the same name. The subject of the film is a well-to-do family compromised of a doctor, a scientist, their four children and the maternal grandmother. Their story is seen through the eyes of the live-in maids that share their large home; the chief POV is that of Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a young servant from a poor village outside the city.

ROMA at the core is a slice-of-life showcase. It is the very definition of “arthouse” right down to being filmed in black-and-white. Alfonso Cuaron – who made one of my all-time favorites, Children of Men (oh, and some flick called Gravity if you’ve heard of that) – pulled double duty as director and cinematographer. He was asked why, in an interview, why his longtime DP “Chivo” Lubzeki wasn’t involved with his most personal project to date. It was simply a matter of time. Chivo didn’t have time in his life to professionally devote himself to what quickly ballooned into a mammoth shooting schedule. 108 filming days. All of them earned.

Another point of the above conversation with Alfonso is how many conventions he had to forgo in order to make this movie. Using non-actors and large, outdoor locations and indoor sets with complex blocking. The result, whether intended or not, is a Rockwell come to life. There are many shots that bleed on for thirty seconds or more. A clear message from the director saying, “Sketch this now.” Everything from the framing to the sound design was scripted meticulously, lovingly, by Alfonso and it’s apparent from the opening frames.

No doubt you’ve heard the old phrase “It takes a village to raise a child.” ROMA is that phrase expanded into an austere epic. It’s an ode from the director to the women that helped raise him. The powerful, miraculous women breaking their backs, sometimes literally, to keep their families and themselves together. This includes the mother of the young family who we see suffering through a quiet, but dramatic separation. It affects her, the kids, and the adults caring for them, as the home deteriorates physically and emotionally.

The kids are sweet, if a little rambunctious. Three boys and one girl move through the house like a whirlwind. The youngest is a boy named Pepe. He’s adorable and whatever feelings you have about kids in film, this little guy is a marvel. His running thread is recalling past adventures from when he was “older.” Once a fighter pilot; later as a ship’s captain. You could either pass it off as nonsensical child’s speak or headcanon him, as I do, as a primordial guardian. His was a delightful presence.

We even see Cleo begin a romance of her own. It goes well enough – until it doesn’t. And soon Cleo finds herself alone just like her boss. This is as close to a subplot as we get in this movie free of classic A-to-B storytelling as this young servant girl’s personal story is superimposed onto a period of political upheaval in Mexico City. A clash between students and city officials that leads to a tragedy and one of the most arresting sequences I’ve seen in a movie this year. Later, when we see Cleo coming to terms with the events, is the best example of this film’s artistry. 

Funny that my favorite shot is also the least complicated, but I think it works precisely for that reason. It’s Cleo sitting in her room – centered in the frame – as a storm of sadness cascades down her face. A brutal combination of Postpartum Depression and PTSD. Brilliantly acted; thoughtfully composed; gorgeous in subject, concept and execution. This frame alone could see Alfonso get his first Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

Purely from a standpoint of technical prowess this movie is flawlessly done. We don’t grade on technique alone here, though. The question as always is, who is the movie for? Undoubtably, the movie is for the film buffs who wouldn't even step sideways near a multipliex. It’s also for the director himself who draws heavily from his own upbringing in his native Mexico. The good thing, though, about Netflix distributing this movie is that everyone has a chance to see it. Everyone should see it.

This is a story for everyone who thinks of a certain group of people in a certain type of way. The citizens of Central America who have been described as invaders and criminals and rapists. They are…wait for it…none of these things. They’re parents. They’re cousins. They’re mother. They have families. They hold parties. They dance and eat and drink together. At one point in the movie during Christmas festivities a section of forest is set ablaze by an errant fireworks display. The. Entire. Village. Leaves the party to go fight the fire. This is a community effort. In front of and behind the camera.

These are people. Just like you. Just like me. They don’t want to take your jobs or your Michigan summer homes. They want a quiet life, a safe future for their kids and a chance to listen to their records in peace. A family comes in all sizes. That’s the thesis of ROMA. The children have their mother, yes. They also have their grandmother and their driver and the two maids who bathe and feed them.

A distraught Sofia stumbles into the house and tells Cleo that they are alone. “No matter what they say, women are always alone.” But that isn’t true. The women have each other. And that’s the way it should be.

4.75 Stars out of 5