Film Review: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Watch it. Seriously, go to the box office at your local theater, or buy your ticket online, whatever your process is, just go out and see it. If you got some friends and family, bring them with you. This is one of those movies that I can’t imagine anyone coming out of, and saying they didn’t have a good time. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is easily one of the best and most effortlessly entertaining films of the year. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise since the project was developed at Sony Animation by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the guys who take every questionable material and turn it into gold, and with absurdly perfect batting average. However, they aren’t directing this one like they did with Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, the Jump Street films, and The LEGO Movie, instead serving as producers, and Lord penning the script with Rodney Rothman, who also directs alongside Peter Ramsey (who directed the underrated Rise Of The Guardians), and Bob Persichetti.

The film follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a teenager with recently attained spider abilities, who is suddenly thrust into a journey to save the world when the Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) unleashes a machine that can cross parallel universes. The machine allowed several Spider-people from other universes to show up, including an alt Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Noir (Nicolas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn), and Spider-Ham (John Mulaney). They have to work together so they can each get back to their own universes before it is too late.

On paper, that might sound like something that is far too complicated. The kind of thing you’d only understand if you’ve been familiar with the comics for a long time. The good news is that the filmmakers were able to make all the stuff about multiple dimensions, universes, different Spider-people all completely palatable, and without watering down their inherent weirdness. It’s not as packed with fan service as something like The LEGO Batman Movie, where a reference will be thrown that certain audiences might not understand, but it still retains the spirit of the comics in every frame.

Going along with that are the visuals, which is legitimately unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. I would go as far as to say Into The Spider-Verse is one of the most visually arresting films I have ever seen. It brings that old comic book aesthetic to life with an incredible amount of vibrancy and fluidity, and in a way that simply could never be done in live-action. Each frame is busy and packed with detail, but it’s never in a way that takes focus away from what’s important. It’s astonishingly coherent for something that moves so fast and loose. I honestly wouldn’t mind watching this movie one day with the playback slowed down so I can soak in all the intricacies in the animation. I never would’ve expected to see something this bold to come out of western animation, and it’s such a breath of fresh air.

Speaking of breath of air, the introduction of Miles Morales is very well done. He’s instantly likable and engaging, and the film presents everything you need to know within a pretty short time frame before things go crazy. Frankly, it makes Spider-Man: Homecoming seem like an even bigger missed opportunity to do something different and interesting. Not only does it bring further representation on the screen, but the dynamics of the character to those around him are compelling, and that aspect of him being his own person plays into the film thematically as well.

The voice cast is top notch across the board. Moore is a delight as Miles, Brian Tyree Henry brings a deeply felt poignancy as Miles’ dad, the various Spider-people are a joy to watch, especially Cage. And as you’d expect with any Lord and Miller associated production, it’s hilarious. There’s a variety of visual gags, running jokes, and killer one-liners. However, there’s a strong emotional throughline as well that’s all about Miles coming into his own. It’s surprising how moving it was, especially given all the things that the filmmakers are juggling here, both in terms of tone and plot.

I honestly can’t sing enough praises for Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. It’s is easily the best Spider-Man film to come out since Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2, it’s one of the best movies of the year, and perhaps one of the best animated and superhero movies to come out in recent years. It may sound hyperbolic, but it just is that good. It manages to capture the essence of wild, interconnected comic book stories while also focusing on the personal journey that our central character is going through. It’s thoughtfully written and structured, the animation is a genuine achievement, hell, even the post-credits scene is an all-timer. Perhaps, there’s more sentimental value that me and many other people are projecting onto this, given the recent passing of Stan Lee, but it’s maybe the first time in a while since a film has perfectly captured the values that Lee has implemented in making his heroes endure for as long as they have.