Welcome back, my spiffin’ tea drinkin’ comrades.
Spider-man into the Spider-verse is February’s featured post and for good reasons. This movie is nothing short than brilliant, If you’ve been a follower of me for a while you should know there are a few things I look for in a great movie.
Charters, writing, and pacing are primarily the main three. Anything after that is icing on the proverbial cake. Spider-man excels on all these fronts, creating an experience of animation in its greatest form.
The characters are amazing, the writing funny and pacing perfect. Already I would have been happy with this movie, nothing to rave about, however, I would have been glad none the less, but the movie goes above and beyond with the visuals and soundtrack, they utilise every emotion, capitalising on them and then they blow it out of the fucking water.
Everything about Spider-man into the Spider-verse shows it’s a master-crafted movie. Taking the care and dedication to create an experience all viewers of any age can enjoy. Therefore, it’s February’s featured post of 2021 and a runner-up for the greatest of media 2021 edition. Stay tuned on the website to see it drop at the end of the year.
I love this film and respect the care which went into creating it.
Characters/writing —
Let me clarify something first: prominent characters and writing in my eyes are separate to a great story, like Steven King said:
“A good novelist does not lead his characters, he follows them. A good novelist does not create events, he watches them happen and then writes what he sees. A good novelist realises he is a secretary, not God.” - Stephen King.
This goes for any form of creative writing. If the story is the primary focus - cough, Disney Star Wars, and the characters are secondary, then viewers will be at a disconnect because no-one can connect with a character who has no progression and goes where the wind blows them.
Spider-man into the Spider-verse exceeds in a character focused plot. The story is a same-old run-of-the-mill feel good superhero narrative, however, it’s these character dynamics and Miles himself that push this movie beyond good and into great.
Miles is an intellectual, charming and admirable character but he’s clumsy, lacks finesse and is still just your average teen. He’s thrust into a situation of life and death - like all superhero tropes, If miles cannot take the leap-of-faith, the people he loves will perish.
This is Miles’ origin story, his hero’s journey hidden in a film of wacky interdimensional travel.
The other character fit into their roles. Peter B, as the mentor and guiding force for Miles. Taking up the mantle where the previous Peter left off. Gwen is a strong-headed, reliable character she holds a guarded personality, refusing to befriend anyone, instead focusing on saving her city and the people living in it. The other Spider-people provide prominent character and dialogue moments - Spider-ham has got me craving some good bacon sandwiches with BBQ sauce… be right back.
“Okay, got the sandwich… Where were we? Ah… yes.”
Dialogue, like pacing, can make or break media, If the dialogue is choppy or doesn’t follow the character’s personality, it’ll create a disconnect between them and the viewers. Spider-man into the Spider-verse’s dialogue is great. Each character makes themselves known through their dialogue. All the spider people are quick-witted and over confident when fighting against the bad guys. Kingpin is serious, cracking jokes and puns, yet remaining menacing.
His father is tough but cares for his son. He’s sympathetic and demanding, and this shows in his dialogue. These were just a few examples, and each character has their own personalities and this shows. Just watch the movie and keep track… see how many dialogue traits you can pickup in which they reflect an individual character’s personality.
Take this, for example, this is one of my favorite pieces of dialogue from the movie and it works on multiple levels:
Gwen, “Oh, are you okay?”
Miles, “What?” internal monologue, “Why am I so sweaty?”
Gwen, “Why are you so sweaty?”
Miles, “It’s a puberty thing, eh… I don’t know why I said that? I’m not going through puberty, I did! But I’m done… I’m a MAN. So, you’re like, new here, right? We got that in common.”
Gwen, “Yeah, that’s one thing.”
Miles, “Cool, yeah, I’m Miles.”
Gwen, “I’m Gwe… ooooon… da.”
Miles, “Wait, your name is Gweonda?”
Gwen, “Yes, it’s African… I’m South Africa. No accent though, because I was raised here…” The rest inaudible because of Miles’ internal dialogue.
The reason I admire this dialogue and the reason it works so well is for multiple reasons, as aforementioned.
First, the level of personality it has. This is our first proper interaction between Miles and Gwen outside the watchful eye of the teacher in the classroom. They both get the chance to make an impression upon each-other and it fails.
The dialogue shows Miles’ naïve side, he presumes his sweating and growth spurt are because of puberty, he’s charismatic around friends - which was shown earlier in the movie but shy and awkward around a girl he likes and ones he’s just met.
Second, Gwen, on the other-hand, is confident but enclosed and, like Miles, it seems Gwen is not one to think before she speaks. She suspects Miles of being a Spider-person and yet keeps her identity and her presence as a spider-person unknown to him. Hiding her name is also one of her traits, she doesn’t want new friends and the best way to prevent this is by letting people know nothing about you. Furthermore, it keeps her true identity hidden and ironically stays true to her character’s identity.
Finally, the writers weaponise foreshadowing in this small dialogue. As viewers, we don’t know or suspect Gwen to be a spider-person - “Unless you’ve read the comics.” However, Gwen knows she is one and suspects Miles. Leading to a piece of dialogue I admire the most.
“Yeah, that’s one thing.”
This, folks, this is how you write dialogue, this is how you breakdown a character’s personality, express them in a few sentences and then, for icing, add a pinch of foreshadowing.
The best way I can describe the dialogue in this movie is with a simile. The dialogue is this movie is like a gold star upon a diamond incrusted Christmas tree. The gold-dialogue shines sat upon the beautiful creation, never hogging the sparkling-spotlight from the tree but adding a new level of beauty to it.
We’ve talked heros, and for every protagonist there’s an antagonist. So, let’s talk about the villains.
Villians —
Spider-verse does something noticeable with its villains, something as a writer I adore. The villains’ perspective. The movie doesn’t explain every villain’s motivations throughout the story. We don’t need a backstory for every antagonist and their motivations, some it’s necessary. Kingpin I can understand, but the movie leaves it there. We never find out Aaron’s motivations for becoming the Prowler, he just is, and it’s all we need to know. Prowler bad, Lady Ock bad, and Kingpin tragic villain.
The prowler is the principal antagonist of the movie. He is the Uncle and parallel of Miles, the two share a bond, but they both walk different paths. Prowler becomes the catalyst to Miles, he’s the reason Miles takes the leap-of-faith later on in the movie and, following the tropes of the Spider-verse, Prowler is Ben and miles is peter, no matter the universe someone has to die before a spider-person can take their leap-of-faith.
Some may say Kingpin is the principal antagonist, but I believe that to be wrong. Prowler inspires more change in Miles, where King Pin is the ultimate boss, the ultimate challenge Miles has to overcome. Like the first boss in Dark Souls, it’s just a flex to end its existence.
The Story —
The story is nothing special. Like I always try to say, it’s not the story that matters, every story has been written, it’s what, as a writer, you can do with such a story. Spider-Man into th—
“I’m going to make an abbreviation for this its getting beyond annoying writing it out… Not sure why I didn’t do this in the beginning? I’ll make a note of this for any future blogs.”
“Okay… SMITSV, is now the new abbreviation.”
SMITSV = Spider-man into the Spider-verse
“Anyway, back on track. Where was I… oh, yes?”
SMITSV is an outstanding example of such a meaning. Miles, Peter and all the spider-people’s stories have been told countless times over. The movie follows the same tired tropes and then breaks the viewer’s expectation. We expected Miles being bitten by the spider, what we didn’t expect was him comically smacking it out of his hands.
A parental figure dying, something I assumed we all expected? I remember first watching this movie with my family, I snapped my head around to my mum and said, in a confident tone, “his father is totally going to die.”
Yeah, safe to say I was wrong. I didn’t expect his uncle to be the Prowler or to die, but this, ironically, proves my point.
SMITSV writers took the time to sit down and care for this movie and it shows.
Pacing —
Pacing can make or break a movie - look at the last Star Wars film. It had less pacing than a snail on a treadmill. If the viewer, reader or listener neither have time to breathe or the polar-opposite, a movie can become overwhelming or too boring.
SMITSV executed it’s pacing well. At the beginning of the film the pace is slower, more relaxed. The movie takes time to introduce us to Miles and the people in his life. He’s moving to a new school and has to leave his old one behind.
It then treats us to Miles on his first day, he’s stressed. New School, new people and a new level of expectation - we’ve all been there in our lives. The movie cuts to a montage of quick cuts and miles panicking, he’s stressed, and inturn it makes the viewer feel the same,
This is one example at the begging but the pattern applies for the rest of the movie.
The spider bites Miles, he learns about his power and the movie picks up in pace. He visits the funeral of Peter and the movie slows down in pacing again. Before picking back up with the comical police chase. Movie slows down and speeds back up… you get my point.
Expert pacing is like a crescendo. It slowly builds to an amazing climax, and boy does this movie have one of the best.
Miles’ leap-of-faith incorporates all the rules I’ve written about on this blog and then releases them in 5 minutes of goose-bump perfection. I don’t think there has been a movie in the last few years in which a character’s choice has left me more gassed than watching this scene.
“god! I love this film.”
After the death of Prowler and the realisation of his uncle’s deeds, miles returns to his school dorm room full of sadness and regret. He’s confronted by the other spider-people who try to comfort him. Miles wants to help them but he’s incapable, his powers won’t activate because he’s not taken the leap-of-faith. Spider B gets his mentor arc here and incapacitates Miles by tying him to his chair and negating him from talking. All the Spider-people leave to save the city.
Left alone Miles sits in silence alone with his thoughts, all he could have done, all he could have achieved. His father comes to apologise to him, separated by a locked door, Miles is hopeless of letting him into the room. Instead, he listens to what he has to say. His father begins the apology and the two share a moment of intimacy, His father then leaves and the leap-of-faith arc begins. Miles breaks free of his shackles, enters the spider-bunker, creates a suit and climbs the tallest building he can find. Hanging above the edge, the cold-window beneath his fingers and the ever-chilly wind brushing across his face. Miles releases all of his might and leaps from the building, shattering the glass which once laid underneath his fingertips. He beggings to fly. The adrenaline hits and excitement takes over as Miles took the leap-of-faith.
This scene is the pinnacle of the movie, and it’s beautiful to witness.
Visuals —
The movie looks astonishing and I don’t just mean the animation and the characters - “I don’t know a lot about animation or creating animation, but this movie blew my mind.”
There’s a lot to witness throughout the movie and you could watch it twenty times over and still find something new - “heres a few I love.”
We can see Gwen’s ballet slippers at the locker she references to in her flashback. When miles first discovers his powers as he stumbles through the school hall, they are notable in the background - “nice minor detail.”
You can see the words “Look out” spelled on the screen when miles spider-sense tingles.
And finally, the greatest. When Miles takes the leap of faith and falls, the camera pans around and this representation shows how miles has grown as a character. He’s completed the hero’s journey and took the leap. All up from here.
I could babble on all day about how amazing this movie is, but I don’t want to waste too much of your time.
I’ll note down a few final thoughts and then move onto my new segment in the reviews.
Soundtrack —
Overall, the soundtrack is great. Post Malone’s, Swae Lee’s - Sunflower is brilliant - I was banging out to this song whilst writing this review.
Blackway, Black Caviar - Whats up danger makes the leap-of-faith scene 1000 times better.
Buckwrth, Shaboozey - start a riot - headbanger, I digress.
One more to note. Prowler’s theme is Ear-gasm perfection. This sounds sit’s with the greats, like the seismic charge from Star Wars and the Tripods sounds from War of the Worlds.
I suggest you check out the soundtrack, all the songs are great.
Rating/Conclusion —
Let’s give the movie a rating before heading onto the newest part of the reviews. I’ll give the movie a solid 9/10, beautiful movie, outstanding soundtrack and superb writing, what more could you want?
SPITSV is a film that goes above and beyond with its creative outlook. Taking story tropes from previous superhero movies and weaponizing them for viewer’s entertainment. Marvel and Sony smashed this movie, and I hope they use this film as a landmark for their other projects, it’s an example of what smart writing and great cinematography can produce.
Reviews —
Welcome to a new segment in the reviews, I will only do this for the featured posts. The premise is simple, I will go to Google reviews and dissect other reviews. These contradict my opinions of a show, movie or game. I am doing this to annihilate others and for the sport. People's opinions are their entitlement, we’re all human who all hold different views. I just thought this would be fun.
Number One -
Interesting? I feel like the person who watched this film didn't actually watch it. The whole movie was Miles' arc. He became Spider-man in the movie. To say the Peter got a backstory and Miles didn't, whilst watching Miles backstory play-out is a redundant remark.
I understand the point about the Spider-people telling Miles to grow-up. They live in a world were being hesitant in a fight and not putting trust in yourself causes people to die - they've seen it with their own eyes. So, it's understandable, they would be hard on Miles but claiming they just told him to grow up is not true at all and throughout the movie they push Miles to grow as a character, but he eventually grows the courage and takes the leap-of-faith himself.
"He's basically a black version of Peter Parker/Spider-man."
Ah, smh... Again, not true. This is the same as saying every other version of Spider-man is just a direct version of Peter Parker. The movie plays on the idea of a multi-verse, every spider-person is unique. You can make comparisons to every Spider-person being like Peter because the movie uses these superhero tropes for comedy, but in my eyes Miles is not the black version of Peter. The two have character differences, flaws and changes. They both strive for good it doesn't make him a direct copy of Peter.
Number Two -
Wait, we're watching the same movie, right?
This movie is the textbook definition of a hero's journey. The rising arc throughout the movie is excellent and the climax as Miles finally takes the leap-of-faith off the building is cinematic excellence.
Predictable, sure, it had points were the story fell into the realm of predictability. Again, that's the point. This movie plays on superhero tropes for satire. There are some points that I didn't expect, I've listed them in my review. Perhaps it's me? I could be gullible.
Saying this movie was anti-climatic and at no-time did you feel connected to any of the characters can only lead me to two conclusion. You, sir, are a psychopath or your brain fell asleep during the movie. Either way, that's a "you" problem.
Number Three-
Hahahahahaha - best comment hands down
Yeah, im leaving this here...
Again, thank you for reading the blogs, you tea sippin’ beautiful fuckin' Legends and I’ll see you… in the next.
You should do a review on Netflix extraction as they are already reviewing a second anyway good review brov