![]() Fans should be sure to read both the original Miles Morales comics and award-winning author Jason Reynolds' young-adult novel about the Bronx-born young superhero. Instead, Miles relies on trusted adults - and his new Spider peeps - to figure out his powers and his role, not only in the mission but in his community. But there's a lot that has to get done, so he can't let himself wallow in Tobey Maguire levels of angst. Miles struggles with the steep learning curve of his superpowers and also with his overall place in the world. Like any "motley crew" comedy worth watching, Into the Spider-Verse shows how the various Spideys get to know one another, share strengths, and become a necessary unit to defeat their enemies. In lesser hands, the bit would grow old, but here it's funny every time. ![]() The filmmakers cleverly introduce each web-slinger with a quick montage explaining their origin story. Of the multiverse Spideys, Cage's stands out for being obviously dated and dark, and Mulaney's Spider-Ham is guffaw-worthy. As the thirtysomething, slightly out-of-shape Spider-Man in crisis, Johnson is hilariously jaded and ambivalent. The rest of the voice actors are equally good in their roles. It's also moving that Miles sees what's good in his Uncle Aaron (the always excellent Mahershala Ali), despite the older man's somewhat shady rep. Moore makes Miles charmingly adorkable - he's nerdy but cool. Miles' origin story is similar to Peter Parker's, of course, but he's brown, younger, has two living parents, and is from Brooklyn, not Queens. The animation in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is impressive, with lots of old-school comic book touches (Spidey-sense zigzags, typed fight sounds, and panels), and the plot is fast-paced and absorbing. This rousingly entertaining superhero adventure is everything a great family movie should be: laugh-out-loud funny, filled with teachable moments, and appealing to parents and kids of all ages. After getting over their shock, everyone understands they must work as a team to defeat Kingpin and return to their own universes. Together they encounter four more "Spider-people," including teenage Gwen Stacy ( Hailee Steinfeld), an anime-style girl from the distant future ( Kimiko Glenn), a cartoon pig ( John Mulaney), and a black-and-white 1930s noir Spider-Man ( Nicolas Cage). ( Spoiler alert!) Spider-Man is mortally wounded, but Kingpin's experiment results in another Peter Parker (this one older and more haggard) from a parallel universe showing up and bumping into Miles, who asks him for mentorship and advice. Retracing his steps to a mysterious underground lab, Miles discovers Peter Parker/Spider-Man ( Jake Johnson) trying to stop greedy crime boss Kingpin ( Liev Schreiber) from opening a hole in the space-time continuum, which could destroy New York. After he's accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider, Miles starts to experience changes he can't explain. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE introduces viewers to 14-year-old Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), who's reluctantly enrolled in an elite New York City boarding school but would rather hang out with his Brooklyn friends. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, and Nicolas Cage co-star. Characters flirt a little and occasionally use words like "crap," "hell," "dang," "fat," "stupid," and "dumb." But kids won't fail to notice the movie's Afro-Latino and Black main characters, plus clear messages about friendship, courage, mentoring, perseverance, teamwork, and (of course!) the nature of power and responsibility. ( Spoiler alert: One version of Spider-Man dies, as does an important supporting character.) There's also large-scale destruction, as well as frequent peril, suspense, and mortal danger. And while the violence is mostly cartoonish, there are lots of fights that involve weapons (including guns), injuries, and even death. It's sure to appeal to Spidey fans of all ages, and it's more tween friendly than the live-action wall-crawler movies, but it's still pretty intense. He becomes a new Spider-Man and ends up meeting other Spider-people from parallel universes. Parents need to know that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a funny, original, action-packed animated Marvel adventure that centers on Brooklyn teen Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore).
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