Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

I’m sure we’ve all heard the age-old tale of a teenage boy getting bit by a radioactive spider, and the rest is history. Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse will tell you that story… again! Miles Morales, a half-Puerto Rican and half-African-American kid living in Brooklyn, life is rocked up when he has trouble coping with the changes his new school demands. Add “taking up the mantle of the beloved web-slinging superhero” and suddenly Miles’ world is opened up to all the fun and danger that comes with it. It’s definitely a lot for any kid to deal with on their own (especially one that finds themselves sticking to everything), but worry not because thanks to a rip in the space-time continuum… He isn’t the only spider-bitten hero out there.

‘Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse tells the story we’ve all come to know and love in a fresh and exciting way. A lot of credit goes to the animation brings the story to life by paying homage to its comic book roots and combining it with the chaos that comes with inter-dimensional travel giving a visual experience that is trippy, exciting and exhilarating. The soundtrack and score add to the energy of the story, and in action-filled scenes, elevates it to new heights giving you goose-bumps all over. The entire cast (Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Chris Pine, Hailee Steinfeld, Live Schreiber, Kathryn Hahn, Nicholas Cage, John Mulaney, Kimoko Glenn, Brian Tyree Henry, Mahershala Ali, Luna Lavez, Lily Tomlin, Zoë Kravitz and a few surprises if you stick to the end) all do a phenomenal job in making sure this story hits home, especially in some of the quieter parts of the movie, they do service to the people that help Miles become Spiderman and add to his story, rather than take away from it.

Especially enjoyable is the dynamic that exists between Miles’ and the other spider-heroes (and just when you thought you had enough of hearing someone getting bitten by a spider, be prepared to hear it another 6 times in the same movie). It’s baffling how someone like Humphrey Bogart, a pig, a teenage rock star, a nine-year old girl and her robot would even work, but thanks to a solid script and the terrific talent of the actors: the dialogue carries the spirit of these characters, and the weirdness of the combination makes for fun team-ups in action sequences and perfectly-timed comedy.

The story of Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse will resonate with anyone and is a fitting and touching tribute to the hero that Stan Lee and Steve Ditko created, their legacy living on in his spirit. Go see the movie and leave it with every urgency to find some web-shooters and “thwip” off the next skyscraper in sight.

Laman Ahmed