SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE SECOND LOOK REVIEW!!!

Initial release date: December 14, 2018

Studios: Sony-Columbia/Sony Animation/Marvel Entertainment

Tagline: Enter a universe where more than one wears a mask

Plot: 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.

Cast

Shamiek Moore - Miles Morales

Jake Johnson - Peter B. Parker

Hailee Steinfeld - Gwen Stacy

Mahershala Ali - Uncle Aaron

Brian Tyree Henry - Jefferson Davis

Lily Tomlin - Aunt May

Luna Lauren Velez - Rio Morales

Zoe Kravitz - Mary Jane

John Mulaney - Spider-Ham

Kimiko Glenn - Peni Parker

Nicolas Cage - Spider-Man Noir

Kathryn Hahn - Doc Ock

Liev Schreiber - Wilson Fisk

Chris Pine - Peter Parker

Writer(s): Phil Lord (Across the Spider-Verse; The Lego Movie 2)

Rodney Rothman (22 Jump Street; Grudge Match)

Director(s): Bob Persichnetti/Peter Ramsey (Rise of the Guardians)/Rodney Rothman

Rated PG for frenetic sequences of animated action violence, thematic elements, and mild language (117 minutes)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now finally playing in theaters AND at the Dietrich! I initially reviewed the 2018 movie, Into the Spider-Verse, for the paper and haven't watched it since. So, to get ready for the eagerly awaited sequel (which is really really awesome BTW), I decided to rent the first movie on Redbox and give it another look ...

This animated Spider-Man movie is not only one of the best animated films out there, but probably in the entire web-slinging franchise. The animation is simply awesome and the entire film is visually stunning. I really love the comic book vibe that this movie offers (and they do it better in the sequel). Into the Spider-Verse shows that the filmmakers and animators really put their hearts into this project.

The film also has some great humor and an amazing story. This awesome multiverse story also inspired the creation of Spider-Man: No Way Home (which is one of the best MCU movies out there). I was thinking about going through and ranking all the Spidey movies,but didn't have time. Maybe down the road ...

So, definitely check this incredible animated film out and don't miss Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse now playing --- catch my full review of the sequel June 7!!!

Here are quite a few fun tidbits for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse!!!

• If you hit pause anytime a train goes by, because all the animators wanted to animate Stan Lee, he's in almost every single train.

• It was announced shortly after Stan Lee's death, at age 95, that he had recorded a cameo for the movie and that it would be his final voice-acting role. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller felt it was important that Lee was given a bigger moment compared to previous Marvel films because he was "so integral to the spirit of this movie," and considered his role "extra meaningful" following his death.

• It was Peter Ramsey's idea to hold off on the virtual comic language - word bubbles, panels, etc. - until Miles is bitten by the spider.

• Completing the animation for the movie required up to 180 animators, the largest crew ever used by Sony Animation for a movie at this point.

• The movie was dedicated in memory of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, who died on July 6, 2018, while the movie was finishing production; however, this was't the only dedication, as a month before the movie was finished, Stan Lee died on November 12, 2018. It's dedicated to both creators.

• Kingpin is modeled after the Kingpin in the Daredevil: Love and War (1986) graphic novel by Frank Miller and Bill Sienkiewicz.

• Spider-Ham was originally introduced in "Marvel Tails Starring Peter Porker, the Spectacular Spider-Ham" from 1983. His origin of being a spider bitten by a radioactive pig is true to the comics. The movie leaves out that the radioactive pig in question was May Porker, who, due to the effects of the radiation, believed that the transformed Peter was her nephew instead of her former lab pet.

• A PG-13 version of this movie was submitted to the MPAA but was never released due to a dispute.

• The movie was announced during the 2014 Sony email hack.

• At the beginning of the movie, the famous phrase "With great power comes great responsibility" is actually said by Cliff Robertson, who played Uncle Ben in the original Spider-Man trilogy (2002-2007). The quote was pulled from the 2002 movie's archival footage, as Robertson passed away in 2011.

• A scene was pitched that would feature cameos from Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland, all playing their versions of their character from their universes. However, this idea was scrapped. Eventually, they would go on to star alongside one another as their versions of the character, with Holland's version leading, in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Furthermore, this movie was partially the inspiration for No Way Home.

• Following the November 2014 hacking of Sony, emails between Sony chairwoman Amy Pascal and president Doug Belgard were released, saying Sony was planning to "rejuvenate" the franchise by developing an animated comedy movie.

• The movie's animation was handled by Sony Pictures Imageworks, who had handled nearly all of Sony Animation's prior movies, as well as visual effects for all the Spider-Man movies. According to Lord and Miller, they wanted to the movie to feel like the viewer had "walked inside a comic book," and were excited about telling the story in a way they believed the live action movies couldn't.

• Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released by Sony Pictures under its Columbia Pictures label on December 14, 2018. it's the first animated Spider-Man feature and is independent of the other Spider-Man timelines.

• Into the Spider-Verse grossed $198.2 million in the US and Canada, and $194 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $384.3 million, against a production budget of $90 million.

• The movie won Best Animated Feature Film at the 76th Golden Globe Awards and won the same award at the 24th Critics' Choice Awards and the 91st Academy Awards.

• A sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, is now playing and a third movie, Beyond the Spider-Verse, is set to be released on March 29, 2024.

https://youtu.be/g4Hbz2jLxvQ