Marvel’s Spider-Man has been hailed as one of the greatest superhero video games ever, and Insomniac Games has set the bar high for future projects. The project was a technical marvel from a gameplay standpoint and a cinematic masterpiece.
The developers delivered an original and compelling tale of the iconic web-slinger, and the gaming community was caught off guard with the emotional story beats. Liam Murphy is a cinematic animator who worked on the project and revealed which films inspired the emotional third act.
Slight spoilers for the 2018 game ahead:
Two Other Cinematic Masterpieces Heavily Inspired Marvel’s Spider-Man
Insomniac Games struck gold with this original take on the character and gave the fans the Spider-Man game they have always dreamed of. The developers worked on the sequel and most of the post-launch content is well-received but cosmetic items aren’t what the fans are after in the Marvel’s Spider-Man sequel.
The franchise was handled by the most talented people in the game industry. The developers realized that the live-action counterparts of the superhero were all praised in their unique way and needed to stand out by delivering the perfect trifecta of gameplay, storytelling, and cinematics.
Liam Murphy revealed he referenced two films for the third act which made the moment even more emotional.
I referenced The Fountain and Interstellar a lot when working out the camera framing. Tried to keep things very intimate and contained until the end and build up to that top-down shot pic.twitter.com/ioE6ATLlDh
— Liam Murphy (@LiamMurphywip) July 16, 2024
The gaming community had nothing left in the tank after the climactic battle against Doc Ock but didn’t realize the hardest battle was holding back tears as Peter says farewell to Aunt May who has fallen ill Devil’s Breath. Peter is forced to make a hard decision and May helps him make the right choice.
Murphy shared credit with his colleagues and Yuri Lowenthal brought his best performance for the role. Lowenthal deserved all the praise and recognition that came his way and was certainly a huge contender even at the BAFTA Awards.
The Emotional Story Beats of Marvel’s Spider-Man Could Pass as a Live-Action Film
The original game was released six years ago and was later remastered for the PlayStation 5 and ported to PC yet nothing ever came close to the level of artistry that Insomniac Games achieved. Murphy used creative camera framing and choreography to capture that moment is inspired by.
The gaming community started this game and expected to have a great time only to find themselves sobbing with the story the developers crafted. Spider-Man fans are certainly gifted with creatives who understand the character and respect the lore but are bold enough to make big changes.
Interstellar and The Fountain are cinematic masterpieces that influenced a video game and elevated the experience. The lines between live-action films and interactive media are blurrier more than ever.
Insomniac Games did not miss a beat with this ambitious project and made it unique and potentially even better than what the films achieved. Perhaps it is the best iteration of the character ever and the developers took inspiration from other great works of art that made this game even more special.
Were you sobbing during the ending of Marvel’s Spider-Man? Let us know in the comments section below!
