Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

What can I say that hasn’t been said already? How about this?: it’s OK. Not insanely great, as the lemming population would have you believe. Just a fairly well done animated superhero story. And even the “well done” part may be a stretch, given certain aspects. What objections do I have? For one, the lauded-to-the-skies animation style is visually appealing, at times, but also contains elements that annoy throughout the proceedings—specifically a certain effect the appears to be a 3D multi-color rendering effect that pops up around characters and other screen objects. This happens despite the fact that the DVD copy I watched did not specifically indicate it was a 3D version of the movie. Perhaps the dimensionality for screening is inherent in the animation, regardless of how you’re viewing it—but from this seat, the effect was annoying and distracting. The soundtrack of largely late-stage hip-hop songs is for the most part the sonic equivalent of chewing on aluminum foil. Those choices demonstrate that the movie was created to appeal, almost ruthlessly, to a young audience, and conversely to drive away those who aren’t fully on board with Generation AA’s sense of … whatever it is they believe about things. Ah, yes, and that brings us to the most prominent backlash this film faced upon its release: the replacement of the White Guy with someone not-so-pale, nor male, nor in certain case even human. That prevails in at least one universe, that is; it’s true that the flick takes some pains to let you know that, yes, there’s still a traditional Peter Parker—with a B. middle initial, to distinguish—swinging around somewhere out there. But the main focus here, the movie's raison d'etre, is in the sort of identity swap-out that has become common in recent times. My previously-stated position still holds, people: you don’t become one of the cool kids by simply taking over the cool kids’ schtick. It’s immensely more admirable to create your own something special (and it's probably more profitable, in many ways, than the takeover thing). It is hard to be someone who has watched several iterations of a character, over decades, and not be keenly aware of the subversion taking place before your eyes, unless you're as blind and ignorant of the past as your standard issue Gen AA type. The identitarian agenda inescapably drags down the honest assessment of any such work, regardless of the quality displayed therein. And for sure, this film does have its strong elements, particularly in excellent voice performances by several of the principals; this talented cast makes these characters appealing, regardless of your stance on the embedded politics of the production. I will watch the sequel, for sure; there’s enough entertainment value here to merit giving this crew that due. But I do wish we didn’t have to tread this same political ground again and again. It’s not a web I particularly enjoy being caught in.