It's the holiday season, so to celebrate, my son Evan and I went to see the new Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse movie. When he was much younger we wrote columns together about video games - so just for old time's sake, we thought we'd get the team back together to talk about this movie.
Chuck: I'm not sure if I would have made the effort to see this movie if Evan hadn't suggested it (most animated superhero films fall into the "I'll catch it on Netflix" category), and now that I've seen it, I'm really glad we did!
Evan: Honestly, I didn't feel like I had much of a choice in seeing this one! My coworkers and greater social media feed were insisting it was the best Spider-Man movie ever and maybe the best movie of the year. One person literally told me to go in with the highest of expectations and wait for them to be exceeded. (I'm just now wondering - are all of my peers on Sony's payroll?) So with all that floating around in my head, I really enjoyed this one. Is it my favorite movie of all time? Not quite, but it's a lot of fun.
Chuck: The movie brings together "Spider-Men" from alternate dimensions into a crossover event that also serves as an origin story for the Miles Morales version of Spider-Man. It's told with lots of heart, plenty of action and a healthy dose of humor. I really like the animation style, which combines the best elements of CGI and line animation. I'm not sure it's quite accessible to all ages - there's a lot going on here and the cross-dimensional concept - and the strange alternate versions of Spidey - may be a bit confusing for young ones - but everyone else should find this to be a very satisfying film all around.
Evan: There are definitely kids (and you're right, maybe kids a little older than a very young audience who might not be ready for this sensory-overload moviegoing experience) who will love Miles Morales as the star of this story. A charming, gawky kid navigating the uncertainties of both school life and Spider-Man life. It's also easy to see kids loving some of the other Spideys, especially Spider-Ham. Also, there's an embarrassment of riches when it comes to voice talent here. I was not expecting to see Nicolas Cage or Mahershala Ali in the credits!
Chuck: Miles channels the same kind of lovable geeky charm that makes Peter Parker such an endearing character. The film is loaded with Easter Eggs aplenty (the Times Square scene will certainly be freeze-frameable to catch some of those gags) - and the Stan Lee cameo certainly tugs at the ol' heart-strings. Any Marvel or Spider-Man fan is bound to love this series.
Evan: My hopes are definitely high for them doing more of these animated Spider-Man movies. While I was a huge fan of Spider-Man: Homecoming, this one felt like it had endless possibilities—any character could show up to throw a new wrinkle into the story. Really enjoyed this one and strongly recommend it. And dad, it was my honor to tell you about my favorite rappers on the soundtrack during the credits! (Vince Staples, people, look him up!)
Grade: A
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