Thrilling innovation: ‘Into The Spider-Verse’ creates a compelling narrative and art style (Review)
Spider-Man returns: Sony Pictures released the new Into the Spider-Verse film this year, receiving positive critical reviews.
Into the Spider-Verse combines design and storytelling to create a new perspective on superhero films through what is sure to be a timeless classic for years to come.
Into the Spider-Verse follows Miles Morales, originally from the Ultimate Marvel series, as he becomes Spider-Man. The villain, Wilson Fisk, tries to open a portal to another dimension through a collider under Brooklyn. Multiple versions of Spider-Man are brought into the universe, all seeking to return home. They make that their goal alongside shutting off the machine to save Miles’ universe.
The diversity present in the story is done in a perfect way that doesn’t preach to inclusivity. “[Spider-Verse] accomplishes this without awkwardness, preening or preaching. It’s a movie for everyone,” said A. O. Scott in his New York Times review of the movie.
While the story itself is a little cliche, the dialogue elevates its appeal, with a natural and clean feel. The humor comes naturally and each humorous scene or line fits the character that it involves. The dialogue is also used to portray the tone of certain scenes in a way that most movies fail to produce.
One example of the strong dialogue from the movie is a line spoken by Peter Parker to Morales. Where Parker said,“One thing I know for sure: don’t do it like me. Do it like you.”
The story combines many moments with a soundtrack that fits the mood. With powerful songs by artists such as Post Malone, DJ Khalid, Blackway, and The Notorious B.I.G., the soundtrack supports the setting and its characters, especially Morales. Each song is deliberately made to represent the feeling of the scene perfectly and boosts the movie beyond just the plot and dialogue.
The art and graphics of the movie make an amazing movie even better. Each frame seems to be deliberately made with some purpose toward the story. The representation of certain characters and elements, including the designs of characters and their movement, are represented through abstract ways that work well with the story.
One thing that could have possibly been improved in the movie was the storyline itself. It shows normal issues that are usually represented, but the overlay of the Spider-Man story gives a fresh take on these and makes them feel less invasive than they are in a lot of other movies.
In my opinion, the movie is definitely worth seeing and is one of the best things that you could see in theaters currently. It is family-friendly; anybody of any age could enjoy the power of the arts and the depth of the storytelling within Into the Spider-Verse.
Want to help the Herd? Please consider supporting the Periscope program. Your donation will support the student journalists of CHS and allow us to purchase equipment, send students to workshops/camps, and cover our annual website hosting costs.
Zack Mattaboni is a sophomore at Carlisle High School. This is his first year as a Periscope staff member and is currently a staff writer. Zack has a passion...
salko hrnjic • Jan 16, 2019 at 2:23 pm
I really loved the fanfare of the movie, and it really does feel like the people behind it were passionate about spiderman and not just seeking profit. I love miles as a protagonist, and the inclusion of multiple spidermen makes this fun and interesting for people who like Easter eggs. Andrew Garfield spiderman being added as well as toby maguires spiderman got me very hyped.
Abbey Birely • Jan 14, 2019 at 2:30 pm
It was an amazing movie and the plot definitely played tribute to older Spider-man movies which was immensely satisfying to the marvel fan. i loved how they included multiple “spider mans” and even included a “balletish” Spider Gwen. Also the whole movie was graphically amazing and at some points was hard to tell what was animated and what wasn’t, which to me is pretty neat.