Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse
Director: Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, Rodney Rothman
Cast: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailey Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Zoe Kravitz
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 bring different versions of Spider-Man into our world.
Identity is a powerful theme in this film and nowhere is this theme more beautifully illustrated than in the character of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and his journey towards embracing his new identity as Spider-Man.
When Miles is first bitten by the spider and transformed into Spider-Man, he doesn’t quite fit into this new identity at first. This is illustrated in two different ways. Miles’s first “Spider-Man” suit is an ill-fitting Halloween costume that he purchased from a store to honor the fallen hero, Spider-Man (aka Peter Parker). While he has already been bitten at this point, I don’t think Miles has truly embraced his new identity as Spiderman yet. When he purchases the suit, he asks the shop owner if he can return the costume “if it doesn’t fit”. The owner smiles and says, “the suit always fits…eventually”. In that moment, the costume does not fit Miles and when Miles first sees the real Spiderman suit, we see his reflection in the glass and his reflection doesn’t fit the suit because he’s too small. He also struggles to take the proverbial “leap of faith” from the rooftop of a building and when he does leap from the building, he tumbles to the street below, rather than flying. He also struggles to master web-slinging and other “Spidey gifts” like invisibility and electrocution.
Miles’ identity as Spiderman is born when Miles decides to truly embrace his identity as a superhero. He returns to Aunt May’s house to suit up, and we see his reflection in the glass once again. This time, the Spiderman suit fits him perfectly in his reflection and when Aunt May gives him the web slingers, Miles is able to control his gift because they fit him perfectly. When Miles is given his own Spiderman suit, it is not an ill-fitting, ugly costume this time. This suit truly reflects Miles’s unique identity as Spiderman…much like Gwen’s ballet slippers make her unique as Spiderwoman. When Miles takes his leap of faith the second time, rather than falling into the city, it looks like he rises into the city…reborn as the new Spiderman.
Another theme that is illustrated in this film is the passing of the torch. When the story begins, Peter Parker is the one and only Spiderman. He loves being Spiderman and the glory and accolades that accompany this identity, and he’s proud to be the noble hero and protector who keeps the villains out of his city. In Peter’s final moments, when he passes on the legacy of being Spiderman to Miles, he tells Miles to keep his Spiderman identity a secret and to protect the people by destroying Kingpin’s collider…in a sense, passing on his mantle as Spiderman the protector to this younger generation of Spiderman. When the goober key breaks, Miles visits Peter’s new grave and laments that while he tried to keep his promise to Peter, he feels like he can’t finish this quest alone…he needs Spiderman. When Peter, Gwen and Miles go to Aunt May’s house, she tells them that ‘her’ Peter knew the quest would be dangerous…and he thought the only one who could fulfill their quest was Spiderman…echoing Miles’s words from the cemetery. In the end, both Miles and Peter got exactly what they needed to help them take down Kingpin.
There is a subtle, symbolic theme in this film which can be found in the word “expectations” and how this word is connected to Miles as he goes on his journey. In the beginning, Miles's teacher asks him to write a report about what he wants his identity to be, and he titles his report “Great Expectations.” When Miles and his uncle go to the subway to do a graffiti tag, the word Miles paints is "expectations", with an empty black silhouette of Miles in the middle of it. I believe this symbolizes Miles feeling an empty void and not understanding what his identity is. His doubt is only cemented when the other Spider People test his potential as Spiderman and find him wanting. After Miles witnesses his tragic moment, - a trait that all the Spider People share and understand - the "expectations" graffiti tag pops up again, this time in Miles's sketch book. When he throws it out the window, Peter throws it back. Its only when Miles truly embraces his identity as Spiderman (not on anyone else's expectations, but in fulfilling his own) that he truly understands what this word really means for him as a character, and he is able to finally wield his spider-powers. In the end, the word “expectations” comes in one last time…this time beautiful and whole, with no dark shadows. I think the love shared between Miles and his father and the love that connects Miles with the rest of the Spider People, finally allows him to find his identity at last.
In my humble opinion, of the four versions of Spiderman that I have seen, Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse is, by far, the best version of our friendly neighborhood Spiderman. The animation for this film is absolutely stunning. I enjoyed meeting all the variations of “Spiderman” and seeing their unique powers…and seeing Miles embrace his own identity as Spiderman. The casting for this film is flawless, particularly for Shameik Moore who, in my opinion, embodies all the elements of Spiderman’s character (the dorky and insecure, but very smart teenager, the friendly neighborhood Spiderman, and the adorable sweetheart for Gwen Stacy) perfectly. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Spiderman.
© 2021Keriane Kellogg
Director: Peter Ramsey, Bob Persichetti, Rodney Rothman
Cast: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailey Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Zoe Kravitz
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 bring different versions of Spider-Man into our world.
Identity is a powerful theme in this film and nowhere is this theme more beautifully illustrated than in the character of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and his journey towards embracing his new identity as Spider-Man.
When Miles is first bitten by the spider and transformed into Spider-Man, he doesn’t quite fit into this new identity at first. This is illustrated in two different ways. Miles’s first “Spider-Man” suit is an ill-fitting Halloween costume that he purchased from a store to honor the fallen hero, Spider-Man (aka Peter Parker). While he has already been bitten at this point, I don’t think Miles has truly embraced his new identity as Spiderman yet. When he purchases the suit, he asks the shop owner if he can return the costume “if it doesn’t fit”. The owner smiles and says, “the suit always fits…eventually”. In that moment, the costume does not fit Miles and when Miles first sees the real Spiderman suit, we see his reflection in the glass and his reflection doesn’t fit the suit because he’s too small. He also struggles to take the proverbial “leap of faith” from the rooftop of a building and when he does leap from the building, he tumbles to the street below, rather than flying. He also struggles to master web-slinging and other “Spidey gifts” like invisibility and electrocution.
Miles’ identity as Spiderman is born when Miles decides to truly embrace his identity as a superhero. He returns to Aunt May’s house to suit up, and we see his reflection in the glass once again. This time, the Spiderman suit fits him perfectly in his reflection and when Aunt May gives him the web slingers, Miles is able to control his gift because they fit him perfectly. When Miles is given his own Spiderman suit, it is not an ill-fitting, ugly costume this time. This suit truly reflects Miles’s unique identity as Spiderman…much like Gwen’s ballet slippers make her unique as Spiderwoman. When Miles takes his leap of faith the second time, rather than falling into the city, it looks like he rises into the city…reborn as the new Spiderman.
Another theme that is illustrated in this film is the passing of the torch. When the story begins, Peter Parker is the one and only Spiderman. He loves being Spiderman and the glory and accolades that accompany this identity, and he’s proud to be the noble hero and protector who keeps the villains out of his city. In Peter’s final moments, when he passes on the legacy of being Spiderman to Miles, he tells Miles to keep his Spiderman identity a secret and to protect the people by destroying Kingpin’s collider…in a sense, passing on his mantle as Spiderman the protector to this younger generation of Spiderman. When the goober key breaks, Miles visits Peter’s new grave and laments that while he tried to keep his promise to Peter, he feels like he can’t finish this quest alone…he needs Spiderman. When Peter, Gwen and Miles go to Aunt May’s house, she tells them that ‘her’ Peter knew the quest would be dangerous…and he thought the only one who could fulfill their quest was Spiderman…echoing Miles’s words from the cemetery. In the end, both Miles and Peter got exactly what they needed to help them take down Kingpin.
There is a subtle, symbolic theme in this film which can be found in the word “expectations” and how this word is connected to Miles as he goes on his journey. In the beginning, Miles's teacher asks him to write a report about what he wants his identity to be, and he titles his report “Great Expectations.” When Miles and his uncle go to the subway to do a graffiti tag, the word Miles paints is "expectations", with an empty black silhouette of Miles in the middle of it. I believe this symbolizes Miles feeling an empty void and not understanding what his identity is. His doubt is only cemented when the other Spider People test his potential as Spiderman and find him wanting. After Miles witnesses his tragic moment, - a trait that all the Spider People share and understand - the "expectations" graffiti tag pops up again, this time in Miles's sketch book. When he throws it out the window, Peter throws it back. Its only when Miles truly embraces his identity as Spiderman (not on anyone else's expectations, but in fulfilling his own) that he truly understands what this word really means for him as a character, and he is able to finally wield his spider-powers. In the end, the word “expectations” comes in one last time…this time beautiful and whole, with no dark shadows. I think the love shared between Miles and his father and the love that connects Miles with the rest of the Spider People, finally allows him to find his identity at last.
In my humble opinion, of the four versions of Spiderman that I have seen, Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse is, by far, the best version of our friendly neighborhood Spiderman. The animation for this film is absolutely stunning. I enjoyed meeting all the variations of “Spiderman” and seeing their unique powers…and seeing Miles embrace his own identity as Spiderman. The casting for this film is flawless, particularly for Shameik Moore who, in my opinion, embodies all the elements of Spiderman’s character (the dorky and insecure, but very smart teenager, the friendly neighborhood Spiderman, and the adorable sweetheart for Gwen Stacy) perfectly. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who loves Spiderman.
© 2021Keriane Kellogg