Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Review #2015: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Cast: 

Shameik Moore (Miles Morales / Spider-Man), Hailee Steinfeld (Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman), Brian Tyree Henry (Jefferson Davis), Luna Lauren Vélez (Rio Morales), Jake Johnson (Peter B. Parker / Spider-Man), Jason Schwartzman (Dr. Jonathan Ohnn / The Spot), Issa Rae (Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman), Karan Soni (Pavitr Prabhakar / Spider-Man India), Daniel Kaluuya (Hobart "Hobie" Brown / Spider-Punk), Oscar Isaac (Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099), Shea Whigham (George Stacy), Greta Lee (Lyla), Mahershala Ali (Aaron Davis), Andy Samberg (Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider), and Amandla Stenberg (Margo Kess / Spider-Byte) Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.

Review: 

You know, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse grew on me. I mean, it was a pretty good movie when I first saw it in the winter of December 2018, but the fact that it became the type of movie I found myself wanting to watch it as some sort of annual tradition makes it especially apparent in how entertaining it was. It was an entertaining animated comic book movie that felt vibrant and different from not only animated adventures but also Spider-Man films in general. It did do references when it came to citing the various incarnations of the character (such as say, a cartoon parody with Spider-Ham or ones based in 1930s noir or anime) without losing what really mattered in the end: anyone can wear the mask. Undeniably, a sequel was going to happen. My surprise (aside from it winning the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, because hey, when do comic book movies win awards?) was that not only would it take five years for a sequel to come out but that there would also in fact be another Spider-Verse film after that (of course, don't take my word for it, since I also thought Halloween (2018) would be a one-off, and then they proceeded to make two ridiculously mediocre back-to-back sequels). The film was written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham (Lord co-wrote the first film while also serving as co-producer on both Spider-Verse films with Miller), and it is the fact that they wrote such an expanding story that necessitated a third Spider-Verse film which will be called, wait for it, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Irrational or not, a sequel has to overcome the thought that nags in my head all the time: how does the film go in the various aspects that matter beyond originality? One thing is for sure is that the film is about the same level of enjoyment as I hoped to have in a pretty good sequel, one that has to balance the double-edged sword of being a sequel and also basically being half of a two-parter. There are a handful of Spider-Verses visited here, each meant to look like a different artist drew them, which goes to show that one can make scope in a comic book film without clouding it in similar shades of CG. I think being just a notch below the sequel territory of films like The Empire Strikes Back (1980) is a compliment. It presents a new step in the arc of trying to maintain oneself after making the step from having a suit and actually being able to use it: just what does it mean to be a hero, especially when it means to be Spider-Man? Power this, responsibility that, but how does one handle a situation you may not be able to solve regardless of how prepared you are? The film is a visual treat in the manner you would expect from filmmakers and animators that clearly want you to pay attention to what is on screen and what strikes out from the various locations and also the various characters, particularly with Spider-Punk. The film has its share of humor to go along with the growing chemistry between the two leads as played by Moore and Steinfeld and the set-up to bring each of these Spider-folks together and how one exactly sees a cliffhanger coming in a film series that says that anything is seemingly possible. In that sense, it makes a suitable adventure for 140 minutes that shows the benefits of animation (which, you know, is just as much a form of film as live-action) that ironically shows up yet another earlier Spider-Man film made by a certain cinematic universe (which actually tried to do their own "multiverse" film) that liked to do their own "easter eggs". The action (when seen among the various locations) is vibrant and interesting to follow without seeming blurred in staging or in overwrought timing, which is par for the course for what you hope animated films (or films in general) would do. 

Moore (as the fourth theatrical Spider-Man, remember) has proven well in this title role, with his charm always managing to come through even when balancing the lingering doubts that still arise from, well, you know, and the doubts ahead. His scenes with his on-screen family in Velez and Henry feel just as interesting as ever in establishing the differences that matter between parent and child (particularly with Velez in a scene where she tries to understand just what is going on with her son as he tries to grow up and maybe tell her something important). Steinfeld proves just as worthy in her own type of wavering confidence, wrapped up in trying to make her own choice in what is most important in terms of saying vs. doing. Among the new folks is folks played by Rae and Soni (each are fine) with the stick out being the one with firm punk elements (no labels) in Kaluuya, who is actually pretty entertaining. Issac (now with a starring role after being shown briefly in the end-credit scene of the last film) makes for a quality balance among the spider-folk in the art of logistical force, which given the amount of screentime could certainly be thought of as just as adversarial as Schwartzman, who does hold his own in the sudden shifts from would-be villain relief to creepy threat. The confrontation sequence between Moore and a "Spider-Society" in what really matters when handling what seems like fait accompli is especially important to understanding the film at its heart, if you think about it. Of course, Johnson does return from the earlier film as well, having emerged from the cocoon of mentor-in-theory to parenthood, which does lend itself to a few amusing moments. As a whole, I think the first film is probably a bit better, maybe because it managed to endure quite well in my head over the years, but the second film will likely have its own worthy place in viewing without trouble. Of course, sticking the other part of the cliffhanger next year would certainly help, since nobody likes to be left hanging without a net. It is a vibrant and effective sequel that makes all the right moves in what you would expect from an animated film or a sequel in general that has plenty of spectacle and heart to make one curious for what could be next.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.

Safety Not Guaranteed.

Review #1561: Safety Not Guaranteed.

Cast: 

Aubrey Plaza (Darius Britt), Mark Duplass (Kenneth Calloway), Jake Johnson (Jeff Schwensen), Karan Soni (Arnau), Jenica Bergere (Liz), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Bridget), Kristen Bell (Belinda), Jeff Garlin (Darius's father), and William Hall Jr. (Shannon) Directed by Colin Trevorrow. 

Review: 

""We are not the first people to make a time travel movie, we were very aware of that. We felt if we were going to step into that arena we wanted to find our own reasons for why we had a right to do it in the first place. It was an opportunity to make a movie about time travel – why we all might need a time machine sometimes, to fix our mistakes. Much more human issues.”

There is a first time for everything, particularly for directors and writers. This was the first feature film effort for director Colin Trevorrow and writer Derek Connolly, who had met as interns at Saturday Night Live (both had also been students at New York University Tisch School of the Arts in the late 1990s). Trevorrow had been making films since he was 12 and continued with film as an adult with his first short release and a documentary (Home Base in 2002 and Reality Show in 2004, respectively) before thinking about doing screenwriting, and it was meeting Connolly again on a task to do a script together that led them to become writing partners fulltime. Connolly was inspired by a particular ad involving time travel and bring weapons to write the feature (which by the time of him seeing it in 2007 was already a well-known meme), which he wanted Trevorrow to direct - which was done with a budget of roughly $750,000 over 24 days primarily in Seattle, Washington.

I will admit that this film has been on the backburner for quite a while, and the question always comes up after watching a film as to why I shuffled it on in the first place, whether it is good or not. Perhaps it was the cover for the film, displaying an advertisement that attracted the idea to do a film in the first place, which I repeated here to try and bring up a point: Who would be brazen (or perhaps bold) enough to do an ad like that, particular if they were actually truthful? Of course the actual advertisement was written in 1997 by John Silveira, done at the last minute for Backwoods Home Magazine as a joke. But hey, stranger concepts have worked before (I don't know, tell someone in 1983 there will be a classic about a time travelling DeLorean and the response would involve pointing out that car isn't being made anymore), so maybe this really does have some legs to shine with humor for its road trip to time travel. Oops, I mean bait-and-switch kind of road trip to time travel, since by the end of it I was not so much wondering about the machine itself as I was thinking about how disappointed I was in the overall presentation of its attempts at humor with quirks that seems more appropriate for tackier romcoms. But hey, let's talk a bit about the cast, since there is a small ensemble tasked to mumble their way forward. Plaza is okay, doing fine with showing the insecurities that come from one with flaws not easily remedied (whether as an intern or a time travelling partner). Duplass is technically right for the role, in the sense that I could believe the basic interest in someone with forthright suspicion and ambition for something more - but the ultimate goal and the reasons for it betray actually caring about him for the latter half, and by that point I also found the chemistry between him and Plaza to be on shaky ground more than the fulfillment the film wants to really portray. Johnson may very well be funny in other films, because he sure is a bland thorn as the third leg of this group (trio if one doesn't count the first time Soni that is just fine), a skeptic in search of a clue to be more interesting than surly pathetic-ness. 

Exactly what is it about this movie is interesting enough to make me care about these folks? I can't think of a single moment that made me really smile or laugh more than the times I rolled my eyes at how it winds up the clichés faster than it can say the very word it aspires to be: "original". Maybe it is a film about what it means to try and yearn back to the past and what was before with the contrast to how it really went way back when. If the desire to go back in time really felt real and interesting, that might be the case, but as you might guess from my concealed seething disappointment, that isn't the case (one could just quibble about the potential paradox created by making a time machine made to prevent someone's death succeeding and then there is no reason to create a machine if they are alive- and now my mind threatens to go to paste, so I retreat to thinking about baseball). I think the nail that seals the coffin for my disappointment ultimately springs to that ending, one that quite literally was flipped at the last minute by Trevorrow, who stated later that the original ending involving the time machine not working "didn't feel right". With what has occurred not even ten minutes ago with the unfolding of a mediocre rom-com playing pretend with sci-fi, believe it or not it might have actually worked better with the original ending - because why I would want to see it work with a nutter at the controls like this? Sure, it isn't the first time travel film to involve theft to help build its machine, but there's a certain aloof quality to how the film thinks it can brush aside contrivances and a lack of meaningful foundation under the guise of seeming "relatable and human" while instead being a mumbling bumbling mess of mediocrity. To me, it would've proven pretty amusing to have claimed to have built a time machine on the premise of rescuing an old flame from death and then have it all literally unravel right there and then (or better yet, have them travel accidentally into the future, where they don't have to worry about their friends or family since they see the heat death of the universe), but then again this sounds like it is verging on what I wish the film should have been rather than what it is instead. Giving this an average grade is aptly appropriate, in that it doesn't overstay its welcome at 86 minutes while not being anything more than blandly inoffensive, which makes it better than just being a 5/10 film with no real high quality. In that regard, it is far too mediocre to deserve anything other than a mild following, constrained by an overindulgence of whimsy to hide its weak handling of humor and drama with wavering acting that nevertheless served as a distinct little film for its era in terms of independent moviemaking prevailing on tight budgets for rookie directors soon to be better known for presumably better features. 

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Review #1172: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

Cast: 
Shameik Moore (Miles Morales / Spider-Man), Jake Johnson (Peter B. Parker / Spider-Man), Hailee Steinfeld (Gwen Stacy / Spider-Gwen), Mahershala Ali (Aaron Davis / Prowler), Brian Tyree Henry (Jefferson Davis), Lily Tomlin (May Parker), Luna Lauren Velez (Rio Morales), Zoë Kravitz (Mary Jane Watson), John Mulaney (Peter Porker / Spider-Ham), Kimiko Glenn (Peni Parker), Nicolas Cage (Spider-Man Noir), Kathryn Hahn (Olivia Octavius / Doctor Octopus), Liev Schreiber (Wilson Fisk / Kingpin), and Chris Pine (Peter Parker / Spider-Man) Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey (#378 - Rise of the Guardians), and Rodney Rothman.

Review: 
February 25, 2019 update: Congratulations goes out to this film, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature last night, which is certainly well deserved. 

With the amount of superhero movies that have been released in this century (or more specifically, in the past decade), one would wonder how far these films can go before the feeling of burnout and over-saturation sits in, particularly with the structure and look of said films, particularly with this being the seventh theatrical film with Spider-Man in the main role. With that said, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a vibrant and entertaining movie that has plenty of style and exuberance to go around, being an amusing film with a story (done by Phil Lord while having a screenplay by him and Rothman) that holds itself together without tiring the eyes or senses throughout its 117 minute run-time. Moore proves charming and up to task for the role, sticking out well among the group of heroes, being relatable and easy to follow along with. Johnson takes his role and plays it with a good sense of humor and charm while being an interesting take on the hero while not having a too familiar feel for the mentor type that he plays. The rest of the heroes (Steinfeld, Mulaney, Glenn, and Cage) are also enjoyable, having just enough moments of charm and humor to go around that make the film feel fairly whole without feeling too closed in or distracted. The other members of the cast are also fine in giving the film some emotional depth, such as Ali or Henry, who help make sure the film doesn't get lost between juggling an origin story that resonates without an ounce of staleness. The villains in the film are fairly entertaining for their time on screen, with Hahn being amusing while Schreiber conveys some menace alongside recklessness. It cannot be understated how mesmerizing the animation is, as it has a look that tries to emulate a comic book that took at least a year to even get just a few seconds of good footage, with the amount of animators of over 140 being the most for a film by Sony Pictures Animation. It takes a bit of time for the eyes to get used to how active the film is, with plenty of color to go around, but it always seem to feel and look right. The music is also fairly interesting to listen to. The film is an entertaining adventure, balancing humor and action with enough sense to not indulge in one category too much while having some neat moments with its characters. The climax is executed fairly well, rewarding its audience while inviting the possibility for more films with its main hero that I would be just fine with, particularly with the possibilities that can happen with a superhero film such as this. On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie for its interesting animation, a finely built story alongside useful characters and plenty of entertainment value to go around that I recommend wholeheartedly. It definitely ranks as one of of my favorites film experiences for the year, and it sure is worth at least one watch.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.