Marvel Studios' latest animated feature -- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse -- is a work of art on a level of sophistication and stylistic brilliance that will undoubtedly be added to the canon of outstanding animated work that has included, most prominently, the Disney catalogue, including the wonderful Pixar features of the past 20 years. I predict it will be studied for years.
Marvel is taking full advantage of the narrative complexity of the multiverse introduced in its film and streaming series. This concept proposes there are an infinite number of dimensions of existence, all of which have some version of the same folks, most importantly in the case of this franchise -- Spider-people. Disruptions of the fated events in any one dimension can threaten all of existence.
Shameik Moore (Dope) voices again the version of Spider-Man that is Miles Morales, a Black Hispanic teenager in Brooklyn who has been fighting crime in the same way as the live action heroes (played most recently by Tom Holland). Miles is coaxed by his female counterpart from a parallel universe (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) to follow her as she explore the infinite possibilities "across the Spider-Verse" with a band of other selected Spideys.
As they venture out, visual elements change, color palettes go from muted to bold and back, backgrounds move from flat to three-dimensional, the screen takes on comic book stylings and the rendering techniques of other animators. It's simply beyond clever and merges on genius.
A tight, smartly written story supports all of this spectacle, with enviable complexity for an animated film that runs nearly half-again as long as the tradition long-form cartoon. Dialogue is whip-smart and expositive.
Young children will be mesmerized by the eye-popping action, while their parents will likely be impressed by the treatment of thorny questions about duty and obligations, truth and trust.
As for me, I loved it.
Marvel is taking full advantage of the narrative complexity of the multiverse introduced in its film and streaming series. This concept proposes there are an infinite number of dimensions of existence, all of which have some version of the same folks, most importantly in the case of this franchise -- Spider-people. Disruptions of the fated events in any one dimension can threaten all of existence.
Shameik Moore (Dope) voices again the version of Spider-Man that is Miles Morales, a Black Hispanic teenager in Brooklyn who has been fighting crime in the same way as the live action heroes (played most recently by Tom Holland). Miles is coaxed by his female counterpart from a parallel universe (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) to follow her as she explore the infinite possibilities "across the Spider-Verse" with a band of other selected Spideys.
As they venture out, visual elements change, color palettes go from muted to bold and back, backgrounds move from flat to three-dimensional, the screen takes on comic book stylings and the rendering techniques of other animators. It's simply beyond clever and merges on genius.
A tight, smartly written story supports all of this spectacle, with enviable complexity for an animated film that runs nearly half-again as long as the tradition long-form cartoon. Dialogue is whip-smart and expositive.
Young children will be mesmerized by the eye-popping action, while their parents will likely be impressed by the treatment of thorny questions about duty and obligations, truth and trust.
As for me, I loved it.
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