SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018) MOVIE NEWS & REVIEW

spider-man: into the spider-verse (2018) movie

Genre              |   Animated Action

Classification   |   PG

Running time   |   117 minutes

Released         |   13 December 2018

cast

​Shameik Moore ... Miles Morales
Jake Johnson ... Peter B. Parker
Hailee Steinfeld ... Gwen Stacy
Mahershala Ali ... Uncle Aaron
Lily Tomlin ... Aunt May
Zoë Kravitz ... Mary Jane
John Mulaney...Spider-Ham
Nicolas Cage ... Spider-Man Noir
Kathryn Hahn ... Doc Ock
Liev Schreiber ... Wilson Fisk
​Chris Pine...Peter Parker

director

Bob Persichetti
Peter Ramsey
Rodney Rothman

writer

Phil Lord ... (screenplay by) &
Rodney Rothman ... (screenplay by)
 
Phil Lord ... (story by)
 
Peter David ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Steve Ditko ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
David Hine ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Stan Lee ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Brian Michael Bendis ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Dan Slott ... (creator "Spider-Verse")
Jason Latour ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Rick Leonardi ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Fabrice Sapolsky ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Carmine Di Giandomenico ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Tom DeFalco ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Mark Bagley ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Sara Pichelli ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)
Robbi Rodriguez ... (comic characters created by) (uncredited)

cinematographer

music

Daniel Pemberton

film editor

Robert Fisher Jr. ​

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box office result

Worldwide               $? million

Australia                 $? million

North America        $? million

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the best dialogue

Peter Parker: This could literally not get any weirder.
Spider-Ham: It *can* get weirder!
[holds out his hand, which is wet for some reason]
Spider-Ham: I just washed my hands. *That's* why they're wet.
[beat]
Spider-Ham: No other reason.

Spider-Man Noir: Hey, fellas.
Miles Morales: Is he in black and white?
Peter Parker: Where is that wind coming from? We're in a basement.
Spider-Man Noir: Wherever I go, the wind follows. And the wind... smells like rain.

Miles Morales: [to Peter Parker] So, how many of us are there?
Peter Parker: Save it for Comic-Con.
Miles Morales: What's "Comic-Con"?

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SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018) MOVIE IMAGES

Images

Posters

Images

Posters

SPIDER-MAN: INTOT HE SPIDER-VERSE (2018) STORY SYNOPSIS

​Bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into the one and only Spider-Man. When he meets Peter Parker, he soon realizes that there are many others who share his special, high-flying talents. Miles must now use his newfound skills to battle the evil Kingpin, a hulking madman who can open portals to other universes and pull different versions of Spider-Man into our world.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018) MOVIE REVIEW

 Reviewed by Mark Geraghty   |   Review date 13 December 2018

​Pop ​Movee Rating

Many things Marvel inhabit contemporary popular culture...

In the present day, most of these things revolve around the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), with its multi-movie story arcs bringing comic book stories to life in the biggest way imaginable. The Walt Disney Company and it’s Marvel Studios subsidiary, overseen by comic book movie veteran Kevin Feige, have been the business forces behind this seemingly never-ending stream of popular entertainment. Box office returns worth billions of dollars. A-list movie stars lining up for multi-movie contracts that allow them to be part of the biggest movie franchise in history. And, in 2018, with the release of BLACK PANTHER, an opportunity to match the brand’s commercial success with critical recognition and a push to see that film figure as a genuine contender in the Awards season. Whenever Disney is involved, comic book inspired movie success seems almost assured.

Then, there’s Sony…

Once upon a time, Sony Pictures was at the forefront of the comic book movie push. Before Disney were on the scene, the studio had secured the film rights to Marvel’s most popular character: Spider-Man. Sam Raimi, co-creator of the EVIL DEAD cult Horror franchise, was an unlikely choice to lead Spider-Man’s production, but he had comic book credibility to burn and was much-admired among the pop culture community for the energy and style he’d shown with DARKMAN, the 1990 comic book inspired movie he made with Liam Neeson in the title role. Raimi’s three SPIDER-MAN films generated huge Box Office and, along with Bryan Singer’s first two X-MEN movies, paved the way for the resurgence and subsequent tidal wave of comic book cinematic adaptations that inhabit the modern day entertainment landscape.

After the third Raimi film, Sony’s SPIDER-MAN franchise lost its way. Andrew Garfield’s casting as Peter Parker in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was welcomed, but the two film franchise didn’t perform as hoped, leaving fans disappointed and Sony management wondering how to extract maximum commercial value from the SPIDER-MAN brand. The second AMAZING SPIDER-MAN film was regarded as an overblown, unfocused entry that seemed more like an exercise in franchise building. It didn’t help that the leading man’s offscreen attitude toward his Sony employers was less than complimentary. In short time, the whole SPIDER-MAN franchise, including a planned SINISTER SIX film, was put on hold. The North Korean Sony Studio hack and the departure of Studio Chief Amy Pascal didn’t help…

While Sony were struggling to keep SPIDER-MAN swinging from movie to movie, Marvel Studios took over the comic book movie universe…

As 2018 comes to a close, it seems that Sony have finally rediscovered the web-slinging mojo…

VENOM may not be the best comic book adaptation to hit screens, but the film’s international performance has been an eye-opener; especially in Asian markets. The film will make Sony money and is a clear demonstration that there’s potential for more than just SPIDER-MAN movies.

Now, for the second time in a row, with SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, diversity proves to be a winner!

This animated adaptation is entertaining, engaging and is the most visually dynamic film of 2018.

The story draws upon myriad versions of SPIDER-MAN pulled from multiple dimensions to help when the version of Peter Parker (Chris Pine) in the Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) universe meets an untimely end at the hands of Kingpin a.k.a Wilson Fisk, voiced by Liev Schreiber. Unfortunately for Miles, he happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, as Kingpin, with the aid of Doc Ock and Prowler, attempts to silence him for good after witnessing SPIDER-MAN’s sacrifice to stop the crime lord tearing apart the very fabric of reality.

It’s not hard to find compliments to make about this film…

The vocal casting is excellent.

Besides Moore as Mile Morales, audiences are treated to the likes of Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, John Mulaney, Nicholas Cage and Kimiko Glenn performing their take on the equivalent “Spider” character from their respective universes. Johnson has the bulk of the dialogue with Moore, as young Miles takes a lot of his training and guidance from the former’s Peter B. Parker; a much rougher, down-on-his-luck version of the Marvel hero comic book readers and cinemagoers have become accustomed to in recent years.

In addition to Moore and Johnson, Steinfeld, Mulaney, Cage and Glenn all get their “moment” throughout the course of the story. On paper, Mulaney’s “Spider-Ham” must have felt like a bridge too far, but, to his credit, the talented comedian makes the character come alive in such a dynamic manner that there’s no question the Warner Bros classic cartoon animation design inspiration should be anywhere else but fighting alongside his new-found colleagues.

Audiences may find Nicholas Cage’s kooky live-action films questionable at times, but there’s no doubting his ability to throw himself into a character. Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman’s script provide Cage an opportunity to really work his vocal chords and deliver some genuine Chandleresque dialogue, as “Spider-Man Noir”. Given the inherent downbeat tone of the “Noir” genre, Cage goes low and slow with his delivery, milking the fatalism, cynicism and all-round moral ambiguity associated with the crime drama for all that it’s worth.

Equally as impressive is the amount of time the film dedicates to the relationship between Miles, his father Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry) and Uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali). Jefferson is an honest, hard-working New York City policeman who sees a lot of what’s bad about the world and wants his son to be more than a potential crime statistic. Miles puts much greater faith in his Uncle, who encourages the young man to pursue his love of graffiti art. An after dark mission into the city’s subway system with Aaron, in search of clean space to spray, is the catalyst for Miles’ transformation into SPIDER-MAN…

The visual impact of the movie is amazing.

Co-Directors Bob Perischetti, Peter Ramsey & Rodney Rothman have taken the decision to mix computer-generated animation with the traditional plate technique to deliver a unique look for the film. It’s a retro approach intended to capture the spirit of animated movies and TV shows from the 1960s and 1970s; especially the original SPIDER-MAN cartoon, which ran from 1967 to 1970 and featured the instantly recognisable theme song.

The animation in the new film is a quantum leap forward from that TV series, but viewers should stick around for a post-credit sequence homage to the show that taps into its nostalgia and highlights the inspiration for SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE.

The influence of Producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller can’t be underestimated...

It’s hard to believe that these guys were fired from SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY. Ron Howard is not a bad filmmaker, but it’s a huge stretch to come to the conclusion that SOLO would have been a lot more fun and felt a lot less generic if Lord and Miller had been allowed to deliver their version of that movie. These guys have proved they understand how to make successful movies and SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is another example of them taking a familiar pop culture identity and delivering something quite unexpected. Fans of the duo will, no doubt, be looking forward to seeing how much influence the pair have over THE LEGO MOVIE 2: THE SECOND PART, due out in the first half of 2019.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE is the best SPIDER-MAN movie since the second Sam Raimi SPIDER-MAN movie released back in 2004. That film is highly regarded among fans, but this new film is so different it could be argued that they shouldn’t even be compared. In terms of pure filmmaking, this new SPIDER-MAN move is a league all on its own. For those looking for something that breaks the formula, challenges the status quo and seeks to transform the flat dimensions of the comic book page into a cinematic work, this IS the film by which all others should be compared.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018) USEFUL LINKS

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - Wikipedia
​Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) - IMDb
​Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) - Rotten Tomatoes​

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