Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (What took them so long?)

What took the studios so long to make an animated comic book film? The fit for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse as an animated film is entirely natural. And since everyone these days nitpicks live action films to death for being "unrealistic" animation is the perfect answer. Check out my older post, "Fiction is not Reality" on that topic. And since every second of Into the Spider-Verse is animated there is no need to worry about what will, and will not, be CGI—it's all animated CGI and the story soars as a result.

I suspect SONY got tired of falling flat again and again with below par Spider-Man films. Spider-Man is arguably the greatest superhero of all time. He's been my favorite ever since I was a kid, learned he was from Queens, like me, and watched The Electric Company just to see live-action sequences with him.

So somewhere along the way SONY decided to throw caution to the wind and take a chance with the Spider-Man property. Thank God. I hope there is no turning back. After seeing this gorgeously animated film I will not settle for anything less going forward. This is the first film that had me in a kid-like excited state in a very long time.

I always wondered why there were no animated films that looked like Bill Sienkiewicz or Alex Ross artwork. I'm no longer wondering. Into the Spider-Verse nods to all the great artists that have ever contributed to the Spider-Man comics all the way back to day one. The animation alone makes this film a masterpiece. It had me recalling when I first saw a Japanese copy of AKIRA back in the early 90s and I did not care that I could not understand it. I watched it because it was beautiful to watch. Into the Spider-Verse is beautiful in that same way. It's not just another superhero film.

It is a work of art.

The film also has an undercurrent dedicated to art. Miles is throwing up graffiti stickers, has a black book, and goes bombing a subway tunnel. The film also references artists like Banksy, Warhol, and countless others. Into the Spider-Verse is unlike any other animated film you have ever seen. According to a Vanity Fair article, "Miles Morales [comic] co-creator Sara Pichelli, Robbi Rodriguez, and more also contributed actual art for the film to ensure a hand-drawn look was laid over its C.G.I. animation. Sony is so pleased with the film’s distinct style, that the studio is taking the unprecedented move to try to patent the innovative technologies used on Into the Spider-Verse."

Animation is just better for so many things. It allows the audience (many who are unable to enjoy anything today) to suspend disbelief more easily and enjoy the film, rather than impose their idea of reality over a work of fiction. Anything the writers can dream up is executed, and no matter how wacky, it all just works. It works fantastically.

I don't want to yammer on and on. The story was great. The acting was great. It had the perfect blend of action/humor/drama. And the villains were great too. The soundtrack was great. The score was great. The end credits were great.

I feel like the film was personally made for me, because I love Spider-Man so much. I want to see many superhero films done this way going forward, but more than anything else, I want more Spider-Man films with Miles Morales. He's replaced Peter Parker for me now. Parker had a great run. The torch has been passed to a minority who represents the character for today and he fits well into the New York City I know and love.

Miles Morales is Spider-Man.