THE WEB — When the first trailers for “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” started airing, I was underwhelmed and somewhat dismissive. I thought the film looked like an ill-advised departure from the normal Marvel/Sony Spider-Man film series.
But, as is often the case with genius, what looks like a bad idea at first actually takes a while to sink in and reveal itself for what it truly is.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is a brilliant departure from animated movies and superhero movies. It reimagined both, and then smashed them together into something new and beautiful.
The movie is hopefully only the first glimpse into a new world of possibilities for the Spider-Man franchise, as well as for animated and superhero movies in general.
You can check out John Clyde’s review of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” for more about why the movie is great. Here I will tell you what to expect before you go into the film.
We don’t normally do parents reviews for PG rated movies, but there are a few things to discuss with this movie if you are on the fence about taking your family to see the it.
Language
This film is rated PG and has very little language that could be considered offensive.
While there are a lot of intense scenes, the language and overall message stay extremely positive, and at times poignant, throughout the film. There are no instances of dialogue that is hurtful, insensitive or belittling toward any person or group of people.
It is remarkable the lengths the writers of this film went to craft a message that is inspiring, to kids especially, in a way that is current and relatable.
Sexuality
The filmmakers steer clear of sex. There are the beginnings of a budding romantic relationship between two teenage characters, but that is limited to harmless and humorous flirting.
Violence
As with most superhero movies, violence is a major component of this film. The good guys fight the bad guys, and there are a lot explosions and tons of fast-paced action throughout.
Without spoiling the plot, the film deals with death several times. We see the deaths of several characters without any blood or gore. The impact of these scenes is strictly emotional and used to good effect as a tool to tell the bigger story.
There are some great extremely fast-paced action sequences throughout the film that create some anxious anticipation. This type of action may be something you want to consider if you have children who may be sensitive to it.
Also of note: This movie covers a wide range of emotion in a short time. There was a boy about 8 years old sitting next to me in the screening who at one point was wiping tears from his eyes during one of the more emotionally intense scenes, but then was dancing in his seat during the very next scene.
Conclusion
Above all else in this film we are left with a positive message and a great new and relatable role model in Miles Morales.
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is one of the best examples I’ve seen of a movie that tells a positive story without being cheesy or smashing it over your head. You can’t go wrong with “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” this Christmas.
