READY for something really different?
Now … close your eyes and listen with your heart as I’m going to tell you the tale of teenage Miles Morales, the ancient hero of the fully-animated, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and it’s a wild tale.
Are you ready?
Here comes the official synopsis:
“Bitten by a radioactive spider, teenager Miles Morales suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into Spider-Man. He must now use his newfound skills to battle the Kingpin, a hulking madman who can open portals to other dimensions.”
And this all happens in—you guessed it—New York City.
But not quite the “Big Apple” that you and I so dearly love as we are quickly introduced to a “multiverse” or in this case a “Spider-Verse” filled with dozens (and then lots more) super spider-endowed superheroes.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is owned by Sony Pictures and although the “real” Spider-Man is currently part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this cartoon version only has the tacit approval of the folks at Marvel Studios.
Yes, it is a bit complicated but Sony, albeit in animated form, has created a “living” and breathing world for Miles Morales.
Although the Sony big wigs once considered bring back Tobey Maguire (from 2002’s “Spider-Man”) to take the reins, it instead selected Jake Johnson (“Jurassic World”) to lend his vocal talents as the original Spider-Man … a middle-aged Peter Parker who gets sucked into the world of Miles Morales who, by the by, was also was bitten by a radioactive spider but is endowed with slightly different super spider powers unlike the Spider-Man we know and love.
One new talent Morales possesses is to become invisible when under tremendous stress and boy, does he have a lot of that, including an overbearing father who is also one of NYC Police Forces’ finest and all the “pressure” of high school that a 16-year-old can manage.
After the Brooklyn-native is himself being bitten by that self, same radioactive spider, Morales walks down into the city’s subway, only to witness
Spider-Man, pulled right off the pages of Marvel Comics, battling a hulking misshapen version of the Green Goblin.
After leaping away from the Goblin, Parker quickly takes the youngster under his tutelage, gives him his first “web shooter” which allows the newly costumed hero to swing from one New York City high rise to another.
But Peter Parker is not alone in this brave new world as a plethora of central-focused Spider-People start showing up.
Breaking through the dimensional barrier is “Spider-Gwen” (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) who is not only a rock star but another world’s superheroine, patterned after Parker’s first “true love”, Gwen Stacy, who perished during a fevered battle with the Goblin; Spider-Man Noir (voiced by Nicholas Cage) a brooding 1930’s black and white hued hero and even the cartoonish “Spider-Ham (voiced by comedian John Mulaney) a talking cartoon pig who is also …
Well, you know!
As the film progresses, we see Morales coming more and more into his own, becoming the Spider-Man he always dreamed of—for you see in the “world” of Miles Morales, there are only the comic book versions of Spider-Man.
Not the “flesh and blood” type.
Now he is what he has always dreamed of becoming.
Even the recently departed Stan “The Man” Lee, the creator of Spider-Man and all that he/she/it inhabits has an animated role and voice in this “Spider-Verse”.
One can only hope he was shown an advance copy of this film before his untimely death last Nov. 12.
Just about every villain Spider-Man has ever faced is in this film with kudos for the trio of animation directors, Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman for landing the talents of the great Liev Schreiber (“X-Men Origins: Wolverine”) as the voice
behind The Kingpin.
The casting is superb, the animation flawless and only a pity “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is a cartoon and not a real-life adventure to savor.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is terrific!
A great action flick for the entire family and with the most vibrant presentation of New York City you could ever want.
Okay, you can open your eyes now.
So what do you think?
Yes, yes, I fully agree, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” will probably go down as THE best Spider-Man film (or cartoon) ever!
‘Nuff said!
