Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

 

Funny how by far the best Spider-Man film ever turns out to be an animated feature. Sure, the previous outings in the cinematic world weren't bad by any stretch of the imagination (yes, even the much reviled 'Spider-Man 3' has its merits), but this one just stands out in so many positive ways, it's hard to find fault with it. It's fast paced, entertaining, visually stunning and is so much Spider-Man that it is heartwarming. 

Oh, and it has a pretty kicking soundtrack too. 

And even if Spider-heads (is that even a name for fans? It is now.) will probably enjoy this even more than the regular filmwatcher who doesn't really have that much background on this character, non-initiated people will be able to follow and like this little marvel.

Oh, see what I did there? How naughty of me.

Instantly, we're introduced to Peter Parker, yet small visual clues hint that this is not the same dimension as the one we're in. And there's some friendly fun poked at a few of the lesser moments in Spider cinema history, which is hilarious. 

See? Fourth wall breaking works if you use it sparingly. 

But our main character is Miles Morales, a high school student who got enrolled at a very prestigious school thanks to a test that allows students from lower income families to get into high profile schools. Miles is already very, very clever and doesn't really feel at home here. He sneaks off to find his uncle Aaron, who often takes him on trips through the city to spray paint graffiti. Miles gets bitten by a weird spider and, well... You know what will happen. 

He comes across the 'real' Spider-Man who is trying to stop Kingpin from opening an interdimensional wormhole. Unfortunately, Spider-Man is killed and Miles doesn't know what to do. But when he comes across another Peter Parker from a different dimension, things get a little complicated. 

See, it turns out that Kingpin's experiment actually dragged several Spider-Men and -women into Miles' dimension and he needs to find a way to get them back home, before they cease to exist. But Kingpin is on their trail, as he still wants to truly open the wormhole in order to bring back his wife and son who died. 

There's a lot going on and the finer details will not be spoiled here. You'll have to see this for yourself in order to get all the answers.

But where to begin? Probably the easiest to notice is the absolute gorgeous animation. It's stylized to a T and with a plethora of colours and shades. This truly is a feast for the eyes, as every single shot is pure eyecandy. Even the more emotional moments have a fitting range of colours and everything feels vibrant and alive. 

This is one hell of a good-looking film.

They also play around with that in the dimensional setup, as the various Spider-Men/Women all have slightly different animation styles. Peni Parker is clearly anime, Spider-Ham a cartoon, Spider-Man Noir feels more like a hand drawn character... You'd think a mix of styles wouldn't work, but it does. It actually feels like an upgraded comic book come to life. 

And then the cast... Shameik Moore is a lot of fun as Miles, and then you get people like Liev Schreiber for Kingpin or Mahershala Ali for Miles' uncle Aaron... All of them are great. Bonus: Nicolas Cage is the Noir version. Talk about spot on casting...

Honestly, I could go on and on about how great this one is, but you truly have to see and experience it for yourself. It's pure eyecandy with a decent story and expertly chosen music; one of those rare instances where everything comes together. This film got a lot of praise and it is all deserved. 

I'm inclined to say that this is required viewing, actually. It absolutely is thàt good.