by Zach Smith-Michaels
When this film was announced, I smelled a foul aroma of desperation from Sony. They had “teamed up” with Marvel for Spider-Man: Homecoming. Spider Verse seemed like a cynical cash grab. Now that I have AMC Movie Stubs, there’s really no reason not to see any movie. When I heard that Phil Lord & Chris Miller (Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street) were involved, I found a little optimism, and after watching the film I was not disappointed.
I can boldly say that I’ve never seen a film quite like this. The animation in this film is quite stellar. It felt like I was reading a comic book, and seeing this in IMAX 3D only enhanced that feeling. The animators of this film had such a fantastic vision, and incredible creativity…but who cares right? Is there actually a story here?
The fear with a film about multiple universe’s is always an unfocused plot. This film features multiple Spider-People from other dimensions, but the focus is masterfully kept on our protagonist Miles Morales. Miles was a very well realized character, who balances many complicated relationships. This is a beautiful movie for children to see. Spider-Verse isn’t afraid to address real-life issues. Family being a big one. The complicated relationship between Miles and his two father figures: His real dad, and his morally ambiguous uncle. These characters (in this animated film) felt so real, and so human!
We sure have seen a lot of Peter Parker’s, huh? You can take your pick of Maguire, Garfield, or Holland, but at the end of the day they’re all pretty similar. Jake Johnson voices a very different Peter Parker. He’s older, world weary, and an accurate update of what this character would be. What a unique take!
This film was so funny, but that never overshadowed the plot. When this film needed to get dark, it went all in, but not in a way that will take kids out of the movie. This is a great film to watch with the family!
I could prattle on about the other character, the sympathetic villain, the solid score, but I really think that you have to see this one for yourself. This film is worth your time, and it just may be the best Spider-Man movie ever.