Get ready for an exhilarating assault on the senses in a film that bends time, space and your mind. Chaotic, creative and colorful, it is filled with more than 200 characters in 6 different animation styles with specific music to match. We found that using animation rather than live action CG effects gave this a greater feel for its comic book roots.
Almost 2 and half hours long, directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson keep it moving fast, demanding your focused attention. And this is another tour de force for Writer/Producers, Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Lego Movie).
Experiencing this film is like taking trip through Marvel comic book and film history. There are so many Easter Eggs and references to other Marvel characters that fly by so fast, it’s almost impossible to keep count. Same for the substantial number of punch-lines. You might need to see this again, not once, but several times in order to catch them all.
The main character to focus on is Miles Morales (voiced again by Shameik Moore), the Brooklyn Spider-Man who won over fans in the 2018 film that introduced a diverse number of Spider-Man variations. Because of it’s success, a sequel was in the works right away. All Miles wants is to do good. Same for his best friend, Gwen (Hallie Steinfeld), even though they have a kind of push me-pull-me relationship.
True to the Spider-Man story arc, both are trying to keep their identities secret from their families creating parental clashes. It’s especially difficult since both have protective, authoritarian fathers in law enforcement. Miles’ father, Reversion Davis. is voiced by Brian Tyree Henry. Gwen’s father, Officer George Stacy (Shea Whigham) is trying to track down the young Spider-Woman, believing she’s a criminal, not knowing she is his own daughter.
But there’s a new villain in town to give Miles and Gwen along with everyone else a big headache. The Spot (Jason Schwartzman as Dr. Jonathan Ohnn). He looks like a faceless human Dalmatian, but the spots not only move across his body, they also serve as passage portals allowing bodies and objects to pass through. The Spot turned to crime when he was neither accepted nor hired because of his appearance. He has powers but doesn’t really know what to do with them. He’s a mess, but also provides moments of well-written wry humor.
There are too many Spideys to name here, but the most prominent in this installment include Jessica Drew, the African American, motorcycle riding, wise crackin’ Spider-Woman (Issa Rae). Daniel Kaluuya as punk-rock, Spider-Punk,“Hobie” Brown. Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) from Mumbattan (a combination of Mumbai and Manhattan). Oscar Isaac as Irish/Mexican Miguel O’Hara of the future. He’s the more intense, serious snd ominous Spider-Man 2099. He even has an AI assistant, (Greta Lee)! You’ll also hear Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), and the familiar voices of past Parkers, (Andrew Garfield and Toby McGuire). And there are a few new Spider-Man type characters that aren’t even people!
Another big part of this film is the music which is specifically tailored to each character adding even more excitement to enhance the action. And there’s a lot of it from Metro Boomin along with everyone from Future and Don Oliver, to Lil Wayne, Nas and A$AP.
Oscar Isaac’s Miguel is charged with trying to keep some kind of order while fighting The Spot as he travels through his multidimensional rabbit holes. Sometimes the action moves too fast to comprehend what’s happening so you feel like you’re always trying to keep up. That said, it’s intense but entertaining. And the underlying story about doing good to help others as well as those you love carries through to the end, even though this really has no ending. Some may feel cheated investing time in what is essentially a preview for Part 2 next year. But that won’t keep them from returning for more. Frantic editing following the characters as animation styles, color palettes and music are changing give this film a look all its own. This is a uniquely artistic, creative, well-written, witty, and playful piece of comic book style animation.
Columbia and Sony Pictures in association with Marvel 2 Hours 20 Minutes PG
