Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Review

So this is a movie that's been getting a lot of buzz, yet a lot of people I know didn't really know that much about it if anything at all. It looks Sony's trying to make this $90 million movie a sleeper even though they promoted Venom like crazy. And by the way, I did also watch THAT ONE this past week (I saw 2 Spider-Man movies in one week) and I'll get that review in shortly after this one. But anyways, this is a rare example of a film where the general consensus for the hype was "YES". Everyone who knew about it was calling it a "gamechanger" for not only the superhero genre, but also for the entire medium of animation. As a big fan of what animation can bring audiences yet also a pretty outspoken critic of what the medium has become nowadays, I had to agree. It has a refreshing style of animation. The plot sounded intriguing. And believe it or not, it looked absolutely hilarious. I don't think I've laughed more at a trailer for an animated movie than I did for the ones for Into the Spider-Verse. Eventually, it was released and the response was phenomenal. More so than I ever imagined it would receive. Many even called it the best Spider-Man movie, which I thought was impossible. There's no way Sony could exceed the quality of the masterpiece that was Homecoming. No possible way! I had to go see how this would turn out for me. So me and my friend went to watch it on Friday. I had to see of it answered the question: Is Hipster-Man: Into the Hipster-Verse the best Spider-Man movie? But after watching this film, my question changed: Is this the best Marvel movie period? Well folks, I now have an answer:

IT'S EVEN BETTER THAN I EVER IMAGINED IT WOULD BE!

This is one of those rare films that makes all the right decisions as it progresses. It doesn't settle for the pitifully low standards that most animated movies have set this decade. It doesn't even settle with meeting the high standards that Marvel has consistently been topping. No no! Into the Spider-Verse instead aims to shoot its webs higher than any Marvel movie has ever attempted to reach. Everything in this movie works. I honestly don't think there's any way this film could've been improved. There may have been like 2 minuscule plot holes that could've been fixed that I didn't notice. That would be it. It's still near-impossible to believe I couldn't pinpoint a single one, especially considering that the superhero genre is famous for being riddled with plot holes.

First of all, let's talk about that animation. Generally, the one redeeming factor for all of the horrible animated movies that come out every year is the animation quality itself. There's always an outlier (like Sherlock Gnomes) where they even mess THAT up, but generally, it's the one indication of EFFORT. Yet this movie still puts all of the decently animated films to shame, because Into the Spider-Verse is like if the art of Van Gogh was designed as comic book in the style of Banksy. It's truly an experience. I think it's my 2nd favorite unique style of animation in one of these films; my favorite style remains to be from Loving Vincent, a film entirely animated with oil paintings (I just wish the film itself was better). Although there are many films that I would say you didn't need to see on the screen, this is one you NEED to see in theaters. It is a perfect blend of CGI and traditional animation that must be watched on the big screen to get the full experience. I mean, just look at this still and name me one animated movie (apart from Loving Vincent) that has more detailed and beautiful scenery. Name me one!

That's right: you can't.

The animation alone would warrant the film an 8/10 from me if the film didn't have anything else to it. If the film wasn't witty, emotional, and non-stop entertaining, it would still be visual eye-candy that would be unparalleled by most other films in the medium of animation. This movie could've sold itself by visuals alone. And it makes me appreciate this film even more considering that the filmmakers genuinely wanted to go even further in making this the best Spider-Man movie possible. The story does maintain the general superhero formula like every other movie in this genre (except Infinity War and Dark Knight). This isn't an issue, because that is just about the only aspect of this film that's derivative. The story is easily one of the most engaging and refreshing takes on the classic tale of heroes getting together to save the world. This film takes place in an alternate universe, where a kid named Miles Morales takes on the mantle of Spider-Man after witnessing a tragedy (which I won't spoil, because it's truly shocking). But after a particle accelerator backfires, he soon meets 6 other Spider-Men/Women/Robots/Pigs. There's an older, depressed version of Peter Parker that's supposedly from our dimension, Gwen Stacy, who is Spider-Woman in her dimension, Spider-Man Noir, a version who sees everything in black-and-white and is voiced by Nick Cage (not kidding), an anime girl and her Spider-Mech friend, and of course, Peter Porker, Spider-Ham. I really don't want to get into it anymore, because I honestly just want you readers to see the film yourself. It's full of action, surprises, laughs, and even some effective drama.

And oh boy, I'm still not done. This is why my review was published much later than I wished: I had so much to mention about this film. The entire cast is great. It seems like they had a blast recording their dialogue Everyone gets their time to shine and boy do they shine. Some of the performances I particularly enjoyed were Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy, Nicolas Cage as Spider-Man Noir (I'm sorry, he was much funnier than the pig, who was also funny), and Brian Tyree Henry as Miles' dad. But the standouts are easily Jake Johnson as our universe's Spider-Man (supposedly) and Shameik Moore as Miles Morales. Johnson gives us a decidedly different take of Spider-Man, whose life is in the pits after his divorce with Mary Jane, which causes him to develop a cynical worldview. However, after his is thrust into a different universe, he is symbolically forced to experience the main issue that set him and Mary Jane apart: fatherhood. And Johnson's performance sharply contrasts Chris Pine's of Miles' universe's Peter Parker in that it is quite the polar opposite from the Spider-Man we know; he broken, but shows signs of redemption through his relationship with Miles. And Moore delivers an excellent performance as an awkward teen who was unexpectedly given the responsibility of having Spider powers. Having gone through high school myself, I feel for his character. I totally understand what this guy has to go through. And with Moore's performance, it felt even more real. To be fair, these performances may not have worked quite as well without a superb script. And Phil Lord (1/2 of the guys who wrote The Lego Movie) delivers yet again another incredible script in this movie. There's a reason that Lego Movie and Spider-Verse are two of my favorite animated movies: these guys know how to make a movie both funny and dramatic. Another thing I really appreciate about this film is that it manages to present a more accessible superhero movie for all ages without taking away the thrills and comedy of a regular superhero movie. This aspect of the film isn't even remotely a hindrance to the quality of the film, so I can get down with it. Finally, I just want to give props to them for making the film as diverse as it is. I think it's great that they decided the main Spider-Man would not be be white. I'm just overall happy that the Marvel movies are taking a step in right direction with diversity in their films: first with Black Panther, then with this, and later with Captain Marvel. It's truly one of the things that films nowadays need the most.

SCORE: 10/10

In my opinion (though I haven't seen any of the other films), this is the movie you need to see during the holidays this year. Trust me, you won't regret it.