Friday, January 4, 2019

Spider-Man: The Next Generation

The latest Marvel movie to hit megaplexes is the family-friendly PG-rated animated feature ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.’  Just like the recent Spider-Man spin-off, ‘Venom,’ ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ takes the world of our friendly neighborhood web-slinger into new territory, proving once again that Marvel properties can be box office gold even beyond Disney’s lucrative cinematic universe.
 
‘Into the Spider-Verse’ isn’t your father’s Spider-Man as its central character is Miles Morales, the relatively new African‑American teen Spider-Man created by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli in 2011.  This isn’t to say that good old Peter Parker isn’t in the mix; he is, just as a dispirited and somewhat cynical Spider-Man who lost his mojo after being dealt a bad hand in life and splitting up with Mary Jane Watson.  But wait, there’s more Spider-Man variants/offshoots.  There’s Spider-Woman aka Gwen Stacy from an alternate parallel universe, Spider-Man Noir in the mold of Dick Tracy, a looney toons character known as Spider-Ham (aka Peter Porker) who would fit in perfectly next to Howard the Duck, and even an anime-inspired Japanese BESM schoolgirl named Peni Parker and her SPider (or SP//dr) robot.  This collection of disparate Spider-Folks from different Spider-Verses must band together to stop Kingpin and his minions (including the Prowler and Doc Ock) from restarting his particle accelerator and causing the multiple Spider-Verses to collide (just roll with it).
 
Whether you enjoy animated movies or not, ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ is an original, unique and refreshing take on one of Marvel’s most enduring and familiar superheroes.  Just keep an open mind and immerse yourself in the movie’s endless possibilities.  You’ll then find ‘Into the Spider-Verse’ to be entertaining and fun, and that the timeless motto of “with great power comes great responsibility” shines through regardless of the guise Spider-Man happens to be in.

Grade: A-
 
SITS

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