Dazzling and Rebellious for the Sake of Rebellion: Visual Presentation
This is an animation film that is visually stunning, worthy of being the sequel to the Oscar-winning Best Animated Feature, and perhaps it has the potential to make another impact at the Oscars.
The film's switching of art styles reaches a level of rapidity that can be described as "dazzling," and one memorable scene is the conversation between the female lead and her father. In this sequence, the background, environment, character hair color, character skin tone, character lip color, and clothing color change approximately every 20 seconds. Due to scenes where multiple Spider-Men appear to carry out tasks together, there are even instances where the same scene features multiple Spider-Men with significantly different animation styles. The film combines elements of the Lego world, real environments, 3D settings, 2D comic styles, clay animation, watercolor painting, pen drawing, cut-out animation, and pop art, creating an overflowing and rebellious carnival that showcases the artists' bold and unconventional personalities.
The art styles in this film exhibit a deliberate and markedly exuberant inconsistency. Typically, there's a conventional belief that art styles should maintain consistency, yet this movie purposefully challenges that idea. It fully embraces a mix-and-match approach to an extreme degree, almost seeming to rebel for the sake of rebellion itself. The creators' deliberate departure from norms could be interpreted as a statement, suggesting that the most significant form of rebellion lies in defying standards entirely.
Political Correctness and Rebellion for the Sake of Rebellion: Plot and Intention Expression
Behind the rebellion of this film seems to be a kind of wild expression of political correctness.
The emphasis on political correctness in American cultural communication seems to have reached an intriguing level.
The recent public debate revolves around the inclusion of an African-American actress starring in "The Little Mermaid." This comes after "The Eternals," a film that intricately weaves together various themes like Asian, African, Indian, and Latin American heritage, mental health representation, LGBTQ+ characters, anti-war sentiments, environmental concerns, feminism, and childhood romance, marking a significant culmination of political correctness in cinema.
In "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," the male lead represents a slender, African and Latin American mixed-race character, while the female lead is a European underground band musician. Notably, the significant characters include a tattooed punk Spider-Man, a motorcycle-riding Spider-Man, an Indian Spider-Man, a Cyber-fan Spider-Woman, a disillusioned Zen Spider-Man, and a muscular Spider-Man with split personalities. Except for the commonality of the muscular Spider-Man with split personalities, the others primarily embody various subcultures. This deliberate focus on subcultures seems to convey a message: "We are rebellious, we value subcultures and their communities."
If traditional political correctness claims that ethnic minorities, disadvantaged groups, and marginalized people can achieve great things, the expression tendency of "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" is telling these minority groups, disadvantaged groups, and marginalized people to be themselves, to be cool, to rebel against tradition, and to be incredibly powerful. The expression of plot intentions seems similar to the visual aesthetics, reaching a point of rebellion for the sake of rebellion. The creators' rebellion might be a statement suggesting that the ultimate form of rebellion is to defy standards entirely. However, is such rebellion an ultimate adherence to extreme political correctness? Yes, I believe so.
Overly Stylized and Imbalanced Work: Whose Pressure?
Behind the visually vibrant conveyance lies a bewildering visual pressure. There's a communication theory that goes, "Less is more." Of course, the reason why commercial films may make people feel aesthetically fatigued and seem like products of an industrial assembly line is because the paradigm of balance is becoming increasingly fixed. They follow certain production norms and guidelines. Each work emphasizes two or three intentions, and focusing on those key aspects is enough. This results in an overall balance, providing a pleasant viewing experience, and is likely to be well-received. If it's imbalanced, it might be considered art, but it may not necessarily offer a positive experience for a large proportion of the audience.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that this is a highly tension-filled work, well-suited for fans of the series and professional audiences who are determined and have the energy to invest in this viewing experience. Of course, if you want to see excitement, novelty, and visuals go for it! This film is tailored for a youthful and rebellious spirit!
In the end, perhaps the creators are challenging the audience's perception because they are great artists…
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