Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick:
It’s difficult for any studio movie, let alone a studio superhero movie, let alone a studio superhero movie about frigging Spider-Man, to genuinely qualify as a ‘surprise’ these days. Our biggest movies arrive on the tail end of months, if not years, if not decades (if you’re a James Cameron stan still salivating over a prospective return to Pandora) of hype. By the time the movies actually arrive in theaters, they’ve been dissected so much that the actual film, and the audience’s reaction to it, is almost beside the point.
Enter Into the Spider-Verse. Directed by Bob Persichetti, Rodney Rothman, and Peter Ramsey (who also directed the criminally underrated Legends of the Guardians), and produced by Phil Lord (who co-wrote the screenplay) and Chris Miller, the current reigning champs of turning terrible ideas into great movies, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a genuine out-of-nowhere marvel (natch) that dropped into the busy Christmas season last year and blew away critics and audiences with its mesmerizing animation, hysterically-funny screenplay, and instantly iconic ensemble of new, gloriously diverse Spider-people swinging into the hearts and minds across the globe.
First and foremost is Miles Morales, (Shameik Moore) an unassuming biracial teenager whose world gets turned upside down when he gets bitten by a radioactive spider. When Peter Parker is subsequently killed by the Kingpin (Liev Schrieber), Miles finds himself thrust into heroism. Luckily, he’s not alone, as Kingpin’s experiments with inter-dimensional travel has summoned everyone from Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), to Spider-Man Noir (Nic Cage), to the anime-infused Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn), to living Looney Tune Spider-Ham (John Mulaney), to an older, grumpier Peter Parker (Jake Johnson) who has enough problems in his life without the addition of a collapsing multi-verse and a distraught teenager.
Miles’ quest to come into his own as a hero electrified audiences in a way no superhero has done since perhaps the original Avengers back in 2012. The film’s success was so undeniable that somehow a Spider-Man cartoon managed to snap Disney’s 8-year hold on the Best Animated Feature Oscar.
Now that the film is on Netflix, we thought it only fitting dive back Into the Spider-Verse and see if it’s someplace we want to stay.
Next Week’s Pick:
Point Blank is new on Netflix this week! No, not the classic Parker-adjacent Lee Marvin joint (though we totally should cover that incredible film too), I’m talking about a new action/crime movie directed by Joe Lynch and starring Frank Grillo and Anthony Mackie. That’s astraight-up trio of Cinapse favorites if ever I’ve heard one. Join us!
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co anytime before midnight on Thursday!
Our Guests
Grant Cox:
As best I can tell, an original idea happened one day, probably got published in print form first, then, with an explosion of color and new techniques of animation — add a vigorous dose of an original score/inspired tracks to carry you through this new Spider-hero adventure — and you’re presented with a Masterpiece of Theatre.
Wow. That’s a mouthful. Yeah, this movie was a mindful. Swing through alternate universes of Peter Parker, Aunt Mae & even Gwen Stacy while witnessing a story of a father’s love for his teenage son that is becoming a man. Opening credits to the jovial post-credits scene, I was hooked and enjoyed every minute. Belly laughs, suspense, vocal cheering all erupted from me at different points & shyly I’ll admit to even giving the ending my applause.
Apparently, I really liked it. So much so, gonna go out on a limb here, this right here is my favorite Marvel movie of recent years. Some things, a lot of things actually, just can’t be done with a camera & green screen.
Go. Go watch it. Never cared much for the ol’ Web Head? Try it anyways. If you have children in your home, go ahead & buy-it. I think it could even be inspirational for them… they might even put down that mobile screen for two hours. Wouldn’t that be a trip? Not as much of a trip as this flick.(@cafebeardo)
Chris Chipman:
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is not just the best Spider-man movie, it’s not just the best super hero movie, it’s not just the best comic book movie, it’s all of these things along with being one of the best animated films ever made.
Now, this may seem like bottled lighting, but it is produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, whose entire careers have been based on making movies that didn’t seem like they’d work. Needless to say this was in good hands, but the Spider-Man franchise had some missteps and a new MCU film was right around the corner… so why this movie?
The resulting film is a celebration of the character, world and comics of Spider-Man that so effortlessly melds multiverse plotting, multiple characters, raw emotion and drama that it puts ALL OTHER FILMS OF ITS TYPE, and the majority of films I have seen in recent years, to shame. The sheer economy of character and scenes on display here is truly something to be in awe of.
Also, by using animation (which some still discredit… they are WRONG) they are able to achieve such a beautiful, unique look that all other Spider-Man films just feel kind of bland in comparison.
I LOVE this film! (@TheChippa)
Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse is so good that it really just isn’t fair to other superhero movies. The writing and performances manage to distill everything I love about Spider-Man comics. Also, it is the rare film that captures the “comic book” aesthetic without feeling forced or campy. The way it conveys movement and action is genuinely unlike any other film I’ve seen — I still get hyped just thinking about the “What’s Up Danger” sequence. It’s a movie about which I don’t have a single complaint — and I really hope that its post-credits scene pays off in a sequel sooner rather than later. (@T_Lawson)
Brendan Agnew (The Norman Nerd):
You ever see a movie that’s so good it makes you mad? A film where a myriad of moving pieces that could easily spiral out of control instead all click together in such a perfect manner that it’s just unfair that actual flesh-muppet people were responsible for it?
Spider-Verse is like that. It’s so gotdamn great at slamming home those big emotional beats that I forget all the little flourishes and gags at the margins. I actually wind up laughing at jokes that I’ve heard before but forgot to anticipate, because I knew the film was about to curb stomp my heart a coupla scenes later.
Speaking of, let’s talk about The Shoulder Touch.
This is what I mean about so good it makes me angry. The Shoulder Touch is a good joke the first time it’s introduced, and a hilarious payoff/secondary meet-cute several scenes later. It’s so well executed that you forget about it until — 90 FUCKING MINUTES LATER — the movie pulls the trigger on one of the most perfect Chekhov’s Guns this side of Max’s universal donor blood in Fury Road. In doing so, it calls back to two great comic bits, memorializes a pivotal character, defeats a bad guy, closes a Portal of Doom (that’s right, Spider-Verse is so good, it made you forget that it’s aping one of the most overused 3rd acts in modern blockbusters), AND it symbolizes the hero coming into absolute control of his burgeoning abilities.
I’m not sure writing that good and yet so seemingly effortless is even legal, but…hey. I guess that’s what the mask is for. (@BLCAgnew)
The Team
Into the Spider-verse is a fun one. The plot is different from most superhero movies these days, with the multiverse being a key plot point and the story revolving around a strong, young black teenager. It’s a breath of fresh air that is well made, witty, and a extremely enjoyable for all ages.
The voice cast is pretty incredible, with Shameik Moore as the lead, Miles Morales, and a host of greats backing him up. Nic Cage as Spider-Man Noir is a personal favorite, both in the character and the way Cage’s voice brings him to life.
The long and short here is that this is a stellar family film that’ll be played for years to come in the Harlan household. (@thepaintedman)
I’ve written at length about my adoration for this film and the special place it holds in my heart as the single best cinematic depiction of Spider-Man, maybe my favorite character in any genre/medium/what-have-you. Rewatches have only bolstered that love, as the film is so dense with jokes and such a feat of animation that there is always something new to discover and love.
But really, what makes Into the Spider-Verse stand out is something that has nothing to do with Spider-Man or animation or anything specific like that. Into the Spider-Verse is what happens when you never accept ‘good enough’ as good enough. There’s not a moment in this film, not a frame, that doesn’t feel like it was pored over with the utmost amount of love and attention. Take the scene where Miles and Peter B. Parker first get to talking. It’s the most purely functional scene in the entire movie, almost pure exposition as the two explain the plot to one another. Except, the exposition is laced with hilarious, character-specific jokes. Except, instead of just sitting in a room and hashing this out, Peter and Miles are moving up and down a pair of parallel walls. Except, Miles isn’t as good at it as Peter, so he’s slipping and sliding while Peter confidently strides up and down the frame. Suddenly this bald-faced bout of plot explanation is visually dynamic, is engaging and hilarious, is informing you about the characters and their relationships to their powers and each other without needing to wast time on more explanation. Every scene is like that, attacked with energy and enthusiasm to never go the obvious, easy way, but to always be pushing to make each moment something special.
It’s a perfect movie and I love it so goddamn much.(@theTrueBrendanF)
For years, Sony has been the biggest and baddest archvillain in the Spider-Man story, running Sam Raimi’s series into the ground and then farting out a soulless, awful “Amazing” reboot for the twin purposes of not allowing the rights to revert back to Marvel where they belong, and building an exo-Marvel Spidey-come-lately universe similar to Fox’s X-Men franchise. Never had it been more transparent that a film adaptation about a beloved character was 100% strictly as a business transaction.
Considering Sony’s continued tinkering in a Spider-Man universe with a (terrible but regrettably successful) Venom movie and the involvement of the studio behind The Emoji Movie and The Smurfs, their animated concept sounded like a threat, right down to the title: Into The Spider-Verse.
Which makes it all the more baffling that Into the Spider-Verse is truly amazing and spectacular: apassionate, beautifully crafted production with a heartfelt story, terrific protagonists, and an important message. A Spider-Man for all seasons which honors the history of the character while also boldly navigating a fresh, new direction. With Spidey shared back into the live action MCU and the proven excellence of this animated approach, it seems he’s finally back in good hands… for now. (Austin Vashaw)
Next week’s pick: