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.
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