Peter Parker is the one and only Spider-Man, but all of that changes when a kid named Miles Morales goes through the same experience he did by being bitten by a radioactive spider and developing powers. But that’s not all. There are other people out there from different universes who are like Peter and Miles.
Blaine: Sony Pictures was thinking about making a “Spider-Man” animated feature in 2014 and Chris Miller and Phil Lord (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street) were the only guys they could think of to do this project. Chris Miller and Phil Lord wanted to show a new story of Spider-Man that had not been seen before because the previous “Spider-Man” movies had been telling the origin story of how Peter Parker became Spider-Man again and again and again. Phil and Chris thought it would be nice to show Miles Morales' story because they found it moving that a boy like him is wondering what the future holds in store for him and his family is trying to figure out how they can help him the best. Phil Lord and Chris Miller wrote the script for “Into the Spider-Verse”, but Chris Miller didn’t get credit for his work in the end. Chris was ok with not getting credit because he said Phil Lord put more work into the script than he did. Usually movies, live action or animation, have one or two directors to be the leader of the project, but for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” three directors, Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, were hired. Of course “Spider-Man: Into Spider-Man” isn’t the first movie to have three directors. The reason Phil Lord and Chris Miller hired three directors is because these guys thought alike and worked really well as a team.
Chris Miller and Phil Lord also wanted to give the audience a new experience in animation that has never been shown before. They wanted it to feel like you were walking inside a comic book and that became the main goal. Problem was they didn’t know how they were going to do it. No one knew how this was going to look at first. Computer animation has come a long way and it keeps evolving the more time animators experiment with it. It took a year and a half to develop the look they wanted for the film. Chris and Phil met with production designer, Justin Thompson, who had worked with them on “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”. They told Justin about the look they were going for and Justin had ideas to take it farther. Justin showed a lot of passion as he was designing the look and that was inspiring to Chris and Phil. Hundreds of people were working on this new look and everyone contributed creatively. They also worked well as a team and supported each other as they were guiding themselves. Their support really helped them get through this project. Each one had a unique artistry too. The first scene the animators started working on was of Miles running down a street. It was a dark shot and the animators were trying to figure out how the light would look on it. They spent hours on it and when they got it to feel right, everyone looked at each other saying “this is it!” Everyone jumped up and danced around the room, but that was just the start. They still had ways to go on the project. It took a week to animate just one second of a scene. Usually animators are able to animate four seconds in just one week.
Everything in this comic-book look moves like stop-motion and there are things in the background that are a little blurry because the shot has to focus on the main subject. It looks a lot like how a 3D movie looks when you’re not wearing the 3D glasses. You don’t have to wear 3D glasses to see “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” on the big screen because it’s amazing enough to look at this animation and all the different types of colors the animators used in it. There are times it made me feel like I was in another dimension. They sent a location scout to explore all of New York and take pictures of every spot. Producers Chris Miller, Phil Lord and directors Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman went there themselves and went on top of buildings in Brooklyn. They wanted the surroundings in the movie to feel like Brooklyn. What I saw in the movie was unlike anything I’ve seen before because it was so visual, detailed and looked three dimensional. The scene where Miles jumps through the air and swings through Brooklyn made me feel like I was flying. Chris Miller and Phil Lord got carried away with the idea about opening up a portal to another universe. Gwen Stacey was an easy choice because she is awesome. With the others it was about finding characters who looked nothing like each other and have different styles of animation, black and white, anime and 2D mixed with this new look, comic-book version. The message of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is that it doesn’t matter where you are from, if you are a boy or girl, how old you are, what your experience is because we all have been through something similar, so you’re not alone. We are all heroes.
At the beginning of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” there are Easter Eggs showing certain scenes fans have seen in the "Spider-Man" trilogy starring Tobey Maguire, including that ridiculous dance Peter did in "Spider-Man 3”. Then it cuts to Miles Morales and we get to know him. Miles' thing is graffiti and he takes after his uncle Aaron, whose business is graffiti. Miles is also a smart kid, which is why he is accepted in some sort of private school, although he doesn’t want to be there. Miles wants to be a regular kid just like everyone else, but his parents insist he give private school a chance because they want him to have a future. Miles looks up to his uncle Aaron, who is in a way an equal father figure to his real father, Jefferson. Aaron takes Miles to this secret place of his that is located somewhere in a subway station and that is where Miles gets bit by a radiative spider, and what’s interesting about it is this spider came from an parallel universe. Miles develops spidey powers and the next thing you know he stumbles upon a secret lab, where the parallel universes are opened. Miles also gets to witness Spider-Man in action down there. Spider-Man gets killed by the bad guy, Wilson Fink, but before that Miles makes Spider-Man a promise that he’ll complete his mission in destroying the machine and he sticks to it no matter what. This is something Miles wants to do and he’s not afraid to do it. Miles doesn’t know how he’s going to do it though.
Peter Parker's teenage years have been repeated several times and Chris Miller and Phil Lord felt it was time to show an adult version of him. Miles meets a Peter Parker who was brought from another universe through the machine. Chris and Phil put Peter in an emotional position where his and Mary Jane’s marriage ended and it has caused him to become someone who looks down all the time and gets out of shape. All of a sudden Peter Parker B has to be a teacher to Miles and he’s not that interested in doing it because he’s too lazy to do it. Of course Peter Parker B has no choice because he will cease to exist the more time he spends in a universe he is not from. Peter B must team up with Miles whether he likes it or not. Peter Parker B realizes he has to straighten things up in his life the more time he spends in a different universe. Peter Parker B sees how important Mary Jane means to him after seeing the late Peter Parker A’s widow. Peter wants to have a life again and he becomes a caring person again thanks to this experience.
Gwen Stacey is the first person Miles meets who is from an alternate universe. When you first meet Gwen, she isn’t the type of girl who acts average whenever something strange is going on with the lead character like developing spidey powers because she has a secret of her own. Then Gwen reveals herself to be a Spider-Woman from another universe. Gwen doesn’t like the feeling of losing someone after losing her closest friend and she makes sure she doesn’t get close to anyone so she doesn’t fear losing them. Gwen does however develop something with Miles the more they work together. She takes a shine to him. Miles understands why Gwen doesn’t want any friends, but he still thinks it’s better not to be alone. Fear of losing someone close doesn't make Gwen the concerning type. She's very strong spirited, reliable, independent and is understanding.
Miles always goes to uncle Aaron for advice and to comfort him. Miles discovers uncle Aaron is working for the bad guy. Aaron is a masked villain known as Prowler, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t got a heart. Aaron's family means everything to him and when Miles reveals himself to be this new Spider-Man he’s been after, it messes with his head. He doesn’t know what to think, but family matters more to him than doing an evil deed. Aaron’s job of being a villain is terminated, literally. Wilson Fisk kills Aaron for not doing his job, which is killing Spider-Man. Uncle Aaron must realize he is responsible for Miles being the new Spider-Man because the secret lab that has the machine to open up parallel universes is right next door to Aaron’s secret spot in the subway and that’s why the spider that bit Miles was there. Miles doesn’t blame Aaron for anything because whether he’s a villain or not, family always sticks together. Miles must prove he is worthy enough to be Spider-Man if he is to be apart of the club and if he is to be the new hero of New York in his universe. It’s not something he asked for, but he accepts it. Miles finds his strength through his father, Jefferson. Jefferson’s words about believing in Miles is what helps him figure out how to control his powers. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is also a movie about connecting with family more and Miles uses family as his secret weapon in order to defeat Wilson Fisk and destroy his machine. Miles feels more positive about himself in the end and he will live out Spider-Man’s destiny in his universe. Everyone who was involved with “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was very proud of what they accomplished in developing a brand new look for animation and it was a rewarding experience as well.
My rating on “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is five out of five stars
