On May 31, the world premiere of the cartoon "Spider-Man: The Web of Universes" took place. It turned out to be a brilliant attraction that will appeal to both comic book fans and just fans of good animation.
"Spider-Man: Across the Universes" was released in 2018 and made a splash not only among viewers, but also among critics. It won the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature and grossed over $370 million at the box office. The second part was a matter of time.
Three directors worked on the project: Joaquin Dos Santos ("Avatar: The Legend of Aang"), Kemp Powers ("Soul") and Justin Thompson (production designer of "Spider-Man: Across the Universes"). The script was written by the authors of the first part Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, as well as Dave Callaham ("Wonder Woman: 1984").
Spider-Man Miles Morales tries to balance between superhero duties, studies and, most importantly, family. One day an old friend of Gwen's comes to him. Miles begins to follow her and accidentally falls into another universe. Now he wants to join the Spider Society, but he is not accepted. Morales is still trying to help the spiders, not knowing what consequences it will lead to.The new "Spider-Man", like the first part, pleases with stunning animation. The creators deftly switch from computer graphics to clippings from printed comics, also adding hand-drawn sketches. Different styles look incredible not only by themselves, but also perfectly combined. It turns out a great animation attraction.
In addition to excellent general plans, the film pleases with details. The interaction of the characters in the foreground is always emphasized by the background. For example, in one of the scenes, the touching conversation of the characters is accompanied by watercolor undertones. Every little thing that appears only for a second is perfectly worked out. Animators have managed to create dynamics even in scenes where the characters are silent — their inner monologue can be seen on the screen.
Fights are also brilliantly drawn. Each of them is better and more detailed than the previous one. They look so impressive that the question arises — why most superhero films do not even strive for such a level. "Spider-Man" looks like a benchmark on which other authors of movie comics should be guided. Including Marvel.
The detailed picture is accompanied by an excellent soundtrack — as colorful and diverse as the visual series. Music is a kind of decoration of this film. Most often you can hear hip-hop, soul and jazz, but some scenes are accompanied by well-chosen electronics.
Like the first part, "Web of Universes" shows great characters who are easy to empathize with. Miles Morales balances between heroism and the ordinary life of a teenager, but it doesn't always work out. Because of his abilities, it is difficult for him to make friends, so he is lonely.
The authors of the film add metatext, forcing Morales to challenge the canons of Spider-Man stories. In fact, the teenage hero must not only save the world, but also resist it.
Gwen reappears with typical teenage problems (for example, it is difficult for her to decide which rock band to play in and where to find friends). And they are no less important than saving the multiverse. Throughout the film, it is obvious how she lacks warmth and love. Bad relations with her father are a burden on this character, and the Society of spiders becomes an oasis for her, where she can find friends and support, as well as feel needed and important.
The screenwriters skillfully intertwine the teenage and adult problems of the main characters. But despite all the seriousness, the cartoon still retains lightness.
The cartoon is nice to watch because of the many jokes. They, like spider-men, are full of variety. For example, in one of the scenes, an American Spiderman cannot understand British because of his accent, in another, the reception of spider-man by a psychologist, who is also spider-man, is shown. Some jokes are based on visual perception — for example, even a villain nicknamed Font is shown, who uses letters as weapons.
The film lasts 140 minutes, but it feels much shorter. All because of the high pace of the narrative. The picture begins with a scene involving Gwen Stacy, closing one of the lines of the first part. Then the story of Miles Morales starts. After a couple of minutes, the villain-loser Spot appears, who is trying to rob an ATM in a grocery store. In the first 20 minutes, the cartoon tells and shows more than some Marvel pictures in a few hours. And it's not just about the constant change of places and events, but also about the variety of characters.
The filmmakers again did a great job with a huge number of universes, each of which has its own spiders. Among them are a lego spider, and spider horses, and spider dinosaurs, and a pregnant spider woman, and a spider-man in a wheelchair, and a spider-man psychologist, and spider-man punk - and so on ad infinitum. Each of them has its own visual style and background. Despite the fact that they are very different, the authors of the film managed to link them into a single story.
Most of the heroes and their worlds will be understandable to the viewer who is not familiar with the Marvel universe. However, an infinite number of references have been prepared for fans. For example, among the villains there is actor Donald Glover, who played in the movie "Spider-Man: Homecoming" — in the cartoon he sits in a cage. Also, the hero meets Mrs. Chen from the Venom dilogy and the newspaper editor J. John Jameson (the one who always demands a photo of Spider-Man). There are shots from other spider movies (including with Tobey Maguire), old cartoons and references to spider-man memes.
"Spider-Man: The Web of Universes" turned out to be as bright as the first part. The cartoon has retained its lightness, humor and original approach to working with the visual series, so it will appeal not only to comic book fans. Now we have to wait for the sequel, which is scheduled for 2024.
In general, it's good that Spider-Man is so great. It's bad that other similar projects are much worse.
