On Sunday, February 24th, the Oscar awards ceremony was held. This year, I honestly did not care too much for any of the categories, except for Best Animated Feature. If there is a Disney or Disney/Pixar movie nominated, that particular movie is usually considered a shoo-in for the award. However, this year, TWO Disney and Disney/Pixar movies were nominated ("Incredibles 2" and "Ralph Breaks the Internet") and neither of them won. What animated film of last year could have been so outstanding that it beat out both Disney movies? The movie that snagged the coveted Oscar award happened to be none other than "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse." And this was a spectacular choice. This movie (which I may or may not have watched four times in theaters) was outstanding in so many ways. Here are all the reasons why (warning: Spoilers are ahead).
1. The main character is Afro-Latino.
The main protagonist of the film, Miles Morales, is Afro-Latino, an ethnicity not usually represented in the media, much less as the main character of a film. As a Mexican-American, I was overjoyed to hear Miles and his mother speaking Spanish. I felt inspired by Miles' character and felt more connected to him, which I'm sure African-American viewers, Latino viewers, and Afro-Latino viewers alike felt as well. The character of Miles Morales, as well as the other spider-men (and women) in the film empower us as they remind us that we all can be Spider-Man (as mentioned in the film).
2. It has a killer soundtrack.
I have never been the biggest fan of rap or rap-adjacent music; however, this film's soundtrack perfectly captured the tone of the movie. There is "Sunflower," a bittersweet tune by Swae Lee and Post Malone, which is the song that Miles is listening to throughout the film. There are songs with fast-paced beats and fast rapping that make you feel like a badass such as "Way Up" and "Elevate," as well as more beautifully melancholy rap songs such as "Scared of the Dark" and "Let Go." After I watched the movie, I listened to the soundtrack over and over. And let me tell you, it's hard to start the day off on the wrong foot when the first song you hear on your way to class is "What's Up Danger" by Blackway and Black Caviar, a song about having confidence in yourself when having to face your fears and embracing danger.
3. The animation is amazing.
The animation in this movie is absolutely stunning. The vibrant, colorful nightlife and majestic skyscrapers of New York City are wonderfully brought to life in this film. The characters are also extremely detailed and have very expressive faces (if you look closely at Spider-Ham's snout, you can see that even his snout has expressions too). I also really enjoyed how they incorporated comic-book elements in the animation, like the words that pop up when different sounds and punches are being made (e.g. "thud," "crunch," "wooo" when Miles is yelling). You can see when Peter B. Parker is teaching Miles how to web-swing that the word "thwip" pops up around the webs (to describe the web swinging). There is even a little word that pops up saying "bagel" when Miles throws a bagel back when he and Peter B. Parker are running away from enemies. Overall, the movie is absolute eye candy, a visual masterpiece.
4. There are no cringy romantic tropes.
Sure, you can tell that Miles and Gwen Stacy have a thing for each other, but it never surpasses friendship. Don't get me wrong, I can enjoy a good romance myself, but certain tropes are overdone. I really love how on the day that Miles and Gwen Stacy meet Miles fails miserably at being a smooth gentleman and ends up getting his hand stuck (he has just been bitten by a radioactive spider the day before and does not yet have full control of the webs that come from his hands) in her hair and Gwen has to shave part of her hair off to fix the mess, which she is clearly not thrilled about. Talk about a good impression. The film ends with Miles and Gwen finally becoming friends when their mission is completed and they have to return to their separate universes. The interactions between the two were very endearing and it was very refreshing to see that no romance was forced.
5. The movie has a great plot and characters that allow for both serious and comedic moments.
It is the perfect coming-of-age story while emphasizing the values of courage, family, and friendship. It had its serious moments, like when the Peter Parker of Miles' universe is killed by King Pin and Miles is faced with the reality that he is the only Spider-Man left and must shoulder the responsibilities of being Spider-Man. There are also endearing moments between Miles and his father, showing the importance of a father-son bond. Apart from the serious moments, however, it is also HILARIOUS. Peter B. Parker's cynical nature paired with Miles' enthusiasm and inexperience at being Spider-Man caused many laughs.
The five Spider-Men together also had me hysterical, whether it was the dark, moody personality of Spider-Man Noir who is from the 1930s and can only see things in black and white, Peni Parker with her adorable spider robot, and Spider-Ham, a cartoon pig with spider-man abilities and voiced by the one and only John Mulaney. Along with the hilarity, the development of the plot was well executed, with good characterizations and the most AMAZING climax, an epic three minutes where the audience sees Miles actually become Spider-Man and successfully swings through New York for the first time.
This movie was beautiful and brilliant, a film truly worth experiencing. It is wonderful from start to finish, leaving viewers at the end of the film dissatisfied about only one thing: the fact that the movie is already over because it's just that good. If you haven't watched it, I highly recommend doing so as soon as you can. "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse" truly deserved the Oscar and I am absolutely thrilled and grateful that it won the prestigious award.
