SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE REVIEW

*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

When I first saw the trailer for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a few months ago, I was, initially, doubtful and wasn't intending on seeing it as I thought it looked like it was going to be your average animated superhero film. However, after seeing the critical acclaim it has received and because it's currently nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature, I decided to watch it. At first, I wasn't sure what to expect but, fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse really is as great as everyone is making it out to be.
The narrative introduces its viewers to Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) who, after being bit by a radioactive spider, suddenly develops spider-like powers and abilities. After discovering his powers, he meets the current Spider-Man, Peter Parker (Chris Pine). The two meet whilst Spider-Man is trying to defeat a crime lord known as Kingpin (Liev Schreiber), unfortunately, tragedy occurs and Morales must team up with other Spider-People, including Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) also known as 'Spider-Woman', Spider-Noir (Nicholas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) and Peter Porker (John Mulaney), in order to stop the evil Kingpin from achieving his plan.
The stand-out aspect of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is its unique animation style. Producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wanted the film to feel like you "walked inside a comic book", and were excited to tell the story in a way that the live-action films couldn't. With this, they have succeeded as I definitely felt like this was a comic book brought to life via the big screen. The computer-generated imagery animation was combined with "line work and painting and dots and all sorts of comic book techniques" to make it look like it was created by hand, which was described as "a living painting". A lot of effort and hard work has gone into making Into the Spider-Verse one of the most visually stunning animated films. I also saw Into The Spider-Verse in 3D and, with a lot of films, this added feature is wasted and is merely used as a way to get audiences to pay extra for 3D glasses, however, this wasn't the case here. While I'm sure it looks just as visually stunning in 2D, I'd recommend giving Into The Spider-Verse a watch in 3D.
What I liked most about Into the Spider-Verse was how well it works as a stand-alone superhero film. It does make several references to previous Spider-Man films, including the various live-action adaptations that were released between 2002 and 2017, however, these are fun references and add to its self-deprecating humour. During production, the writers had to to decide why this film needed to be made, and the answer for the creative team was to tell the new and unique story of Miles Morales, who had yet to be featured in any film. Morales is an interesting character. He is still in high school when he becomes Spider-Man so a lot of viewers, especially those who are around the same age as him, will find him relatable as he has all the normal worries, including passing exams and impressing the girl he's attracted to. He's a great leading character who is also brought to life through Moore's impressive voice acting.
With its PG rating (suitable for ages 8+), Into the Spider-Verse will appeal to the whole family as it works as a thoroughly entertaining superhero adventure. The majority of the feature has a lot of exciting action sequences and isn't too scary or violent which means children will enjoy it too. Unlike most of the previous Spider-Man features, Into The Spider-Verse has a light-hearted tone and is also very funny. Both Lord and Miller have experience working on comedies, including animated features, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and The Lego Movie and also on 21 Jump Street. The comedy mainly comes from witty lines of dialogue.
What's most impressive about Into the Spider-Verse is how fresh it feels, despite a year filled with superhero films, including Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Incredibles 2. It doesn't follow the typical narrative path that most superhero films tends to. For those new to the superhero genre, there can be a few unpredictable moments, however, comic book fans won't be surprised by outcomes, however, this doesn't mean they won't enjoy it.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is currently nominated at the Golden Globes for Best Animated Feature alongside Incredibles 2, Ralph Breaks The Internet, Isle of Dogs and Mirai no Mirai. While I thoroughly enjoyed Incredibles 2, I would like to see Into The Spider-Verse win and I won't be surprised if it also gets recognised by the Academy next year.
Overall, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is, not only one of the best animated films we've had this year, but also a great superhero film, with visually stunning animation and is thoroughly entertaining.
8/10