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Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Entry updated 26 August 2024. Tagged: Film.

US animated film (2018). Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Marvel Entertainment. Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman. Written by Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman. The Mike Morales version of Spider-Man (see Superheroes) was created by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, based on the Marvel Comics book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Voice cast includes Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage, Kimiko Glenn, Kathryn Hahn, Brian Tyree Henry, Jake Johnson, Shameik Moore, John Mulaney, Chris Pine, Liev Schreiber, Hailee Steinfeld and Lily Tomlin. 117 minutes. Colour.

The film opens with the Peter Parker Spider-Man (Pine) narrating a brief history of himself, including the media and tie-ins ("I did a Christmas album, I have an excellent theme-song and a so-so popsicle."), reminding us that "there's only one Spider-Man".

We cut to teenager Miles Morales (Moore), who is reacting against being sent to an elite school and against his policeman father, Jefferson Davis (Henry), by hanging out with his more disreputable uncle Aaron Davis (Ali). Together they go to graffiti a derelict subway station, where Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider: his body begins to change, with improved hearing, athleticism and tingly senses, whilst his hands and feet become sticky (see Superpowers); when the latter enables him to walk across walls he has to discard his theory that his body is going through puberty again. He returns to the subway station to find Spider-Man trying to stop the Villain Kingpin and his allies from using the Collider (see Physics) built beneath it – the source of the irradiated spider – to access other Dimensions. Spider-Man warns that activating the Collider would destroy New York; but Kingpin (Schreiber), who is trying to find versions of his dead wife and child, kills him.

As the city mourns the superhero's death, Miles buys a Spider-Man costume (from a shopkeeper played by Stan Lee) and tries to emulate his hero, but does not impress; however, he meets Peter B Parker (Johnson), who was dragged into this dimension when the Collider was briefly activated. Older and more downtrodden than this world's Peter Parker/Spider-Man, he agree with Miles to work together to destroy Kingpin's Collider, but not before Peter B can use it to return home; in the meantime he mentors Miles on being Spider-Man, initially a little half-heartedly. They sneak into Kingpin's laboratory complex, meeting the Scientist behind the Collider, who has realized it might create a Black Hole under Brooklyn: she also informs the glitching Peter B that staying much longer in this dimension will cause him to disintegrate. However, Miles and Peter B realize this is no potential ally when she introduces herself as Doctor Olivia Octavius (Hahn) (that is, a gender-swapped Doctor Octopus); they escape her with the aid of Spider-Woman/Gwen Stacy (Steinfeld), who was also drawn into this dimension.

The trio decide to go to Peter Parker's Aunt May (Tomlin), to discover she is accommodating three more iterations – Spider-Man Noir (Cage), SP//dr (Glenn) and Spider-Ham (Mulaney) (respectively: 1930s noir, future Mecha and anthropomorphized pig versions). Miles feels inadequate compared to the others, so wanders off to brood, only to discovers his uncle is The Prowler and works for Kingpin – who murders him for not killing Miles. The others decide the shocked Miles is not yet ready, and leave him behind whilst they sort out the Collider: Peter B plans to sacrifice himself by staying behind to operate the Collider before destroying it, allowing the others to return to their home dimensions. However, a speech by his father, now grieving for his brother, impels Miles to take the metaphorical and literal leap of faith to truly become Spider-Man. He goes to help the others: as the Collider begins to affect New York there is an impressively animated showdown with Kingpin, Doc Ock and assorted henchmen – they are defeated, the other-dimensional Spider heroes are returned home and the Collider is destroyed.

The plot is relatively simple, but allows the film to focus on its main virtues: the growth of Miles into the role of Spider-Man, the interactions between the different versions of the superhero, and the excellent animation. The first is the emotional core of the movie, the second the source of much of the Humour (which is very good), whilst the third – which stylistically shifts between comic-book and surreal – is what takes the viewer's breath away. Of the Supervillains, though Kingpin is perfectly good as the main antagonist, it is Doc Ock who makes the biggest impression.

The seventh Spider-Man film and the first to be animated, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse deservedly won the 2019 Oscar for best animated feature film, as well as the Hugo and Nebula awards for best dramatic presentation: it is arguably the finest Spider-Man movie. It does not appear to be considered part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The sequel is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023). [SP]

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