"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" Review - (Non-Spoiler)
If you don't know me all too well, let me just say that Spider-Man is my favorite superhero ever. So when I saw Into the Spider-Verse, I was completely blown away, still reeling over the technical achievement of the animation and storytelling. This isn't your average superhero film, this is a superhero film dialed up all the way to 100, told with heart, and executed brilliantly. "Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse" is an animated masterpiece. There. I said it.
The animation is nothing like we've ever seen before. It feels like we just walked inside the pages of a comic book, taking us on this incredible journey, putting the audience in the best seat, front and center of all the action. The animation is nothing short of revolutionary, it is one hundred percent revolutionary. There are combined styles of animation and comic book graphics that I thought I would never see blended together before, they all look crisp and beautiful. Walking out of this film, the one thing that stuck with me the most is the animation. Into the Spiderverse is unlike anything I've ever seen before and it deserves all the praise for it.
The storytelling is articulate and intricate to those who have a big heart on for Spider-Man and his universe. You can tell the writers, Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman, are big fans of the Spideyverse and have put a lot of research and heart into this film. There are references to a whole bunch of Spider-Man related stuff, whether they are in your face or subtly in the background, it's all there. The story as a whole is just charming and awe-inspiring, anybody can be a superhero, anybody can wear the mask. What makes you Spider-Man?
Miles Morales is not only one of the best versions of the web-slinger in the comics, but now on the big screen as well. He is the first Afro-Latino superhero, he is trying to find his place in the world amidst all the expectations he's expected to live up to. The filmmakers made Miles Morales different from Peter Parker, they gave him a voice and they gave him a different kind of charm. Into the Spiderverse tells the story of Miles Morales the best because it tells a very heartwarming story about the kid, this is a coming of age drama in a lot of ways, disguised as a superhero film.
The voice acting is so perfect, everyone here was perfectly cast in their role and I cannot be any happier for it. The star power behind Miles Morales, Shameik Moore, kills it in this film. His voice acting is one of the reasons why I was so closely invested in the character and why I was rooting for him to win. Jake Johnson is also phenomenal in the voice booth, probably giving my favorite performance of his. There was a scene between Johnson's Peter Parker and Moore's Miles Morales toward the end, it was a very charming and truthful scene that really embodied what being Spider-Man truly felt like, "A leap of faith". Jake Johnson and Shameik Moore have undoubtedly great chemistry and it shows in their voice acting for this film. The rest of the cast was also great, including Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Hailee Steinfeld, Nicolas Cage, John Mulaney, and plenty of very great cameo appearances I wasn't fully expecting.
I do think this is my favorite Spidey film, I'll probably have to see it again to truly make that decision. It's just a different kind of Spider-Man story, told with pure heart and love for the Spider-Man universe itself. There is no doubt about this film is an animated achievement, Into the Spiderverse looks so incredible in every aspect. "Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse" is more than a Spider-Man film, it is more than an adaptation, it is an honor to the character and its creators, it is an experience unlike any other, it is perfect. Again, Into the Spider-Verse is an animated masterpiece. I'm going to give "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" a 10 out of 10.
Thank You, Stan "The Man" Lee