"Spider-Verse" triumphantly swings into theaters
Review: 4/4 starsIf your problem with "Spider-Man: Homecoming" was the number of Spider-Men, then do I have the movie for you! Combining the classic Peter Parker (Jake Johnson) we all know and love with the highly anticipated screen debut of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), and throwing in Peter Porker (John Mulaney) for obvious reasons, "Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse" shines as a highlight in both the Spider-Man movie canon and in the superhero genre overall.Like the many Spider-Man origin stories that came before it, "Spider-Verse" opens on a normal teenage boy trying to navigate normal teenage boy problems. While Miles Morales’ origin story follows the normal pattern—he gets bitten by a spider, he realizes he has superpowers, and pandemonium ensues—what’s new about his story is that there is already a Spider-man in his universe: good-ol’ Peter Parker. Things get even more complicated when a portal to an alternate dimension, controlled by Kingpin (Liev Schreiber), opens up, and lets in a bunch of other Spider-Men, Women, and Pigs. While dealing with this chaos we also get a look into Morales' home life, with his overprotective dad (Brian Tyree Henry) and cool Uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali). To avoid spoiling the great twists and turns this movie has to offer, I’ll leave it at that. A big strength of the movie is the cast. Even though the film boasts established stars like Johnson, Ali, and Pine (as well as Hailee Steinfeld, Nicolas Cage, and Chris Pine as various other Spider-People,) Moore as Miles Morales steals the show. He nails the teenage innocence and awkwardness of Spider-man, encouraging us to cheer for the underdog we know will come out on top. But while the vocal talent is fantastic and extensive, the overall experience would be a letdown without the movie's real star: the animation. It perfectly combines realistic qualities with the comic book nostalgia that should be in every superhero movie, making the film feel like it’s straight from the pages of an original Spider-man issue.Superhero movies have now evolved into big budget endeavours with the drama of Oscar contenders. Speaking even as someone who loves these movies and eagerly waits for every new release, it’s refreshing to return to the light-hearted comic book movies that bring back memories of childhood cartoons. Whether you’re a die-hard Marvel fan or just looking for a good time at the theatre, do yourself a favor and see this movie.