Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse...
"Okay, let's do this one last time, yeah? For real this time. This is it. My name is Miles Morales. I was bitten by a radioactive spider. And for like two days, I've been the one and only Spider-Man. I think you know the rest. I finished my essay. Saved a bunch of people. Got hit by a drone. I did this with my dad. Met my roommate finally. Slapped a sticker where my Dad's never gonna find it. And when I feel alone, like no one understands what I'm going through, I remember my friends who get it. I never thought I'd be able to do any of this stuff. But I can. Anyone can wear the mask. You could wear the mask. If you didn't know that before, I hope you do now. 'Cause I'm Spider-Man. And I'm not the only one. Not by a long shot."
- Miles Morales (Into The Spiderverse)
Over the weekend I had the esteemed honor of watching Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse and when I say I finished that movie feeling a sense of pride... I would be lying if I said otherwise. Before I fangirl over the art, I just need to talk about what inspired this entry: The writing. This movie had some of the most realistic situational writing that I've seen in a cartoon in a longtime. Especially Peter B. Parker. Especially him. All of him. All of that.
As the ending credits rolled, I thought: This right here is why we write. This is why we create. To hopefully someday give someone the feeling this movie just gave me.
As for the animation, just for the fact that they had the audacity to animate Peter Parker's abysmal dancing from Spiderman 3... I was sold after that. This movie could have been every bit the cash grab (Which is the same thing I thought about The Lego Movie so the fact that the same team produced this gem was not lost on me) and kids woulda begged their parents for the toys. Kids would have wanted everything from this movie... No one would have bat an eyelash, but from a creative standpoint, this movie gave us style and substance that will not go forgotten by me. It was like watching a comic come to life. They explained exactly how they did it, but I'm not known for this kind of art so I'm not gonna act like I could replicate this style of artistry. I despise so much when people critique a Warhol whilst drawing stick figures. I refuse to feed into that kind of behavior.
Miles made this movie. I liked that he was a graffiti artist and a damn good one at that. He got selected from a lottery of students to go to this exclusive school and in the eyes of his parents, it's a big deal. In his eyes, not so much. He woulda been fine at his original school. I could not for the life of me figure out why I was so gaga over Miles until...
Remember a few years ago when I was super duper mega excited over a movie called Dope?
Shameik Moore, the same guy who plays Malcolm, is the voice behind Miles! OMC! I'm so glad he didn't fade into obscurity after Dope. I mean, I wasn't exactly checking for him like I said I would but still, because of him, Dope was one of those movies man... It made me feel because for me, it was the swan song of the black nerd. And as a black nerd, it was beautiful to see... I still have some of the soundtrack on a loop.
Speaking of the soundtrack, the music in this movie fits so well... ugh! The production. There's a part in the beginning where Miles is singing along to one of the songs but he doesn't quite know all the words yet and I couldn't stop laughing because that's what I do... Mumble/hum 'til I get to the part I know. Imma need some of those tunes, man.
I just... This movie has me hyped for my future. It's that kinda good. It made me think about what it truly is to be a hero. I'm always saying keep going even if you have to stand alone but this movie made me feel that even the impossible is possible if you just get back up. It's only over when you stop getting back up.
Outside of his touching, beautifully voiced cameo, there are little Stan Lee's planted throughout movie and no, that's not a fact I know on my own accord. I learned this while researching the movie because after I finished, I honestly felt as if I needed more... so of course I looked for little Stan Lee's cuz I'm that fan *laughs* There's a video on Youtube walking you through them tho'.
I just... I dunno. This movie takes the simplest of dialogue and gives it weight. There's a sense of gravity to every line in this thing. Even the comedy. Like, when Peter and Miles entered the villain cafeteria, someone said "Spiderman?" but it wasn't until they noticed he had a bagel that they cared. Someone shouted: "He's got a bagel!" So Peter and Miles sprint the length of the cafeteria and when they get out, Miles tosses the bagel (cuz Peter hands it to him before the chaos) and it hits one of the scientists in the head. Above his head in tiny white letters you see BAGEL! I cracked up. The attention to detail... Insane.
I watch a lot of movies. I watch a lot of superhero movies. I don't unpack feelings boxes when it comes to movies often. Infinity War was the 1st in YEARS to draw a tear from my eye. Trust and believe when I say what this movie brought me was not tears. I know a lot of people said this movie made them tear up and I can see why. I really can. It's just, I could not get over the writing style they implemented. It wasn't the typical kind where you call almost tell they had certain beats they had to hit before it was complete. The fluidity by which this story was told... I cannot.
Things I adored...
*** Miles' dad forcing him to say I love you on the steps of the school in front of everyone. My aunt carroll used to do that. It's amazing the things you thought were embarrassing as a kid. Now I understand why those moments will always be important
*** Spider Gwen and Miles' friendship. I mean, they coulda shoved a relationship in there but I'm glad they didn't. Relationship later. Friendship 1st. Those types of relationships tend to last the longest
*** Spider-Noir being in black and white never stopped being hilarious. Prove me wrong
*** Spider-Ham was epic. Just the backstory of him being a spider who got bit by a big. That alone was worth it. The second he dropped that anvil on The Scorpion's head I was sold. Oh, and "Can he say that? I mean legally..." GOLD
*** Peni Parker with her psychic link to her spider was actually pretty cool. The robot reminded me of Baymax. No bullshit
***I have but one complaint: I knew it was gonna turn out Prowler was Uncle Aaron. See, because I'm a conspiracy theorist at heart, it made the most sense. Plus that, every Spiderman on record has this moment where the find out they know a villain so why not the man you look up to arguably as much as you look up to your dad? I will say the reveal was well done tho... RIP Uncle Aaron 🖤🖤🖤 or should I do purple hearts cuz that suit was insanely sexy? 💜💜💜
So yeah, Imma want this on DVD when it comes out. I wanna learn more about the process. I wanna learn everything I can honestly.
Later
PS:
^I can't deal... 🖤🖤🖤
PS2: I never did a review on Boheminan Rhapsody... Shame. What kinda gay am I? I saw a lot of people bashing the film for the things they changed and finessed but that's what biopics do: They change the narrative. Mold back stories. A pinch of drama here, a dash of over exaggeration there... Last I checked, history is nothing more than stories and ideals that people agree on then share. History is what you make of it.
Hell, Straight Outta Compton did the same shit and I adore that movie. The only biopic that I can think of that was pretty much on the nose is Selena. Is it right? Depends on who you ask. Is it entertaining? Fuck yeah. So here's the question, when it comes down to the almighty dollar, which do you think matters more?