Film Review: Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse
Did they deserve that Golden Globe?
In case you missed the news, Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse just won a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Film.
Why does this matter?
Well, this is the first Marvel animated movie to have won the award!
And, more importantly in the world of animation, this is only the third time in the history of the category that Pixar hasn’t won it.
They also beat Incredibles 2, which was an all-round popular (and highly anticipated) film.
Let’s get this out of the way:
I fist-bumped when Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse won, so I’m obviously a fan of that decision.
But for everyone who didn’t get a chance to watch the film, let me break down my reasons.
Fanboys become kids again.
We’ve all seen the mania that comic book adaptations can induce in fans.
Fans who love the movies have pushed the entire film industry in that direction, and fans who loathed adaptations have evolved into…well, trolls on the internet.
Regardless of their feelings on the matter, though, we can all agree that fans are more knowledgeable than the average viewer when it comes to the source material that the adaptation is based on. This makes their opinion important to keep in mind.
Basically, why I’m saying all this is because…my cousin, a lifelong Spiderman fan, LOVES this movie.
Wait, don’t close this tab yet!
I swear this argument isn’t just focused around my extended family and their viewing habits.
My cousin can’t stop espousing the virtues of Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse to other people. The reason he’s doing this isn’t just because he thinks the movie is great; he’s doing it because he wants the box office to do well enough that the planned sequel ends up actually being made.
And the thing is, these fanboys tend to get violently over-enthusiastic about the films they love, but this film seems only to have brought out the excitable kid-self in him.
Just like other fanboys, he’s giddy with joy over how well-executed it was, but so far, I haven’t seen that joy turn into anger when other films (*ahem* Aquaman) are well-received as well.
That’s a quirk that seems to be isolated to this film so far out of all the recent comic book adaptations: No in-group fighting. And that’s indicative of a great film.
The excellent plot is a key reason why this is the case.
I would say that this film’s self-awareness can rival the Deadpool movie.
Yes, the Deadpool movie that had to be rated R21 in order to get most of their references in.
Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse is safe for children and manages to accomplish the same thing.
I’ve never seen so many references to past Spiderman movies executed so flawlessly within the context of their own movie.
This film deserves a place in the “Most-Meta Movies” Hall of Fame.
The fact that these references are crucial to the premise of the movie itself makes it even better.
And the way that the characters have been fleshed out is spectacular.
You’ll never see Peter Parker in the same way again, nor will you ever forget the other Spider-people you’ve been introduced to.
I actually happened to watch the Ultimate Spiderman episodes where they tackled the Spiderverse, so I know some of these characters already, but this show brings it in a different direction.
However, this film wouldn’t have done as well without the MVP…
Animation Excellence
I’m quite sure this film is going to be used as an example for future animation students because it’s just so freaking impressive as a piece of work.
It combines comic book elements (see the ‘spidey-senses tingling’ drawing on the left), with beautiful three-dimensional characters (look at how Spiderman pops against the background!) that still look straight out of a comic strip.
That makes the film captivating to watch and also helps it to stand out among other animated contenders.
The side-effect of painting every still from the film like a comic strip?
You are never bored.
I mean, just look at this gif:
Even in a scene where Spiderman is doing his infamous web-slinging, your eye is drawn to so many elements in the frame.
And that’s how it feels throughout the movie.
Common scenes that we’ve seen before in previous iterations become fresh again.
So, does Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse deserve its Golden Globe?
Hell yes.
Rating:
10/10 Stars
