To Know Before You Go
Movie: Spider-Man:Into the Spider-Verse
Rating: PG
Age Suggestion: 8 and up
Running Time: 1 hour and 56 minutes
Release Date: December 14th, 2018
Stars: 5 out of 5 stars
Themes: Identity, Adolescence (Growing up), Self-Confidence, Friendship, Responsibility
Trigger Warnings: Superhero and gun violence, Death of relatives and friends
Quick Summary: Miles Morales is an ordinary kid who incidentally has a run in with a radioactive spider and becomes another Spiderman. After seeking the well-known Spiderman of his city, Miles’ universe is about to be rocked by parallel universes, murderous villains, and new friendships
Discussion Questions
1) Which Spider-Character did you relate to the most? Why?
2) Miles was able to use his artistic abilities to make his Spider-suit his own. What abilities would you bring to the act of being a superhero?
3) What is a superhero? Do you know any real life superheroes?
4) Which superhero would you want to be trained by?
5) Who do you go to when you are in trouble or need advice?
6) What made you laugh the most in the movie?
7) How o you relate to Miles? (for kids) How do you relate to Jefferson or Peter? (for adults)
Content below this line may contain spoilers
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Review
Three thoughts from an Ent
1) There are so many characters in this movie that you really like by the end of it, but none shine quite as much as the main character, Miles Morales. Miles starts as an artistic child with a lot of academic potential but doesn’t have any motivation in school. He would much rather be an artist, but his parents aren’t supportive. Throughout the movie, you can tell he is struggling with this balance of responsibility and the desire to do what he wants. It is very interesting to see that by the end of the movie, he is able to combine these stylistically with his new Spider-Suit.
2) Something that can’t be overstated in this movie is the aesthetic, both visually and audibly. The artwork is a beautiful combination of the modern 3D CGI, traditional 2D, and comic book animation. To go along with this, the music matches this modern animation and enhances it tremendously.
3) As we know, the comic book movie has become a large monument in our current culture. I think this is the best movie to show someone to introduce them to the concept of multiple universes, which is very prominent in the comic book world. This introduction includes the traditional Spiderman story, the intense niche style of Spider-Noir, and the silly cartoon style of Spider-Ham.
Thoughts from a Hobbit
This is definitely one of my favorite movies of the year. It combines so much and does it so well – tributes to previous movie and TV versions of Spider-Man, as well as continuous homage to the comic books; a couple of touching tributes to Stan Lee (including the main cameo – see if you can spot the others!); a genuinely moving story. As one headline I saw noted, it is sweet, serious, and funny. It is kid-friendly –more so than some recent movies aimed at kids. It brings back one of my all time favorite themes – “with great power comes great responsibility”.
Big Question
“That person who helps others simply because it should or must be done, and because it is the right thing to do, is indeed without a doubt, a real superhero.” How can you show this in your life?
If you are interested in learning more about the many characters in this movie, click on some of the links below.
-Original Spiderman Trilogy
-Intro to Miles Morales
-Intro to Spider-Gwen
-Intro to Peni Parker
-Intro to Spiderman-Noir
-Intro to Spider-Ham
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