‘Not another Spider-Man reboot’ might be the first thought that enters your head when considering whether or not to watch Into the Spider-Verse and who can blame you, whilst Spider-Man: Homecoming was solid and Tom Holland does a great job as Peter Parker, its fair say that we don’t need another re-imagining anytime soon. It’s a relief then that Into the Spider-Verse focuses on the newer iteration of Spider-Man Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and tells his original story.
Without spoiling too much of the plot, (although the title might be a giveaway) we are dealing with not one but multiple Spider-Man universes here. Desperate to be reunited with his deceased wife and child, Walter Fisk (Kingpin) has built a machine that opens a portal to other dimensions, and you don’t have to have read many comics to know that this never goes very well and Spider-Man has to save the day.
Alternate dimensions are something of a comic staple but haven’t really been seen on the big screen yet, and thankfully the concept is handled incredibly well here. The film never bombards you with exposition trying to justify it, you just revel in the heaps of fun that multiple ‘Spiderpeople’ bring, the story doesn’t miss a beat and you’ll be having such a good time that the arrival of Peter Porker (think ‘Spiderpig’ and you aren’t far off the mark) won’t even raise an eyebrow.
It’s not only fun but very heartfelt in places, Miles Morales arc is an engaging one and the relationship with his uncle here is a great juxtaposition to the Peter Parker story we are all familiar with, it may well be lifted from the source material but kudos to the writers for bringing it into play here, it really adds something to the film. The focus on a younger Spiderman also brings with it some of the newer characters – the villainous Prowler is particularly well handled and some of his scenes are genuinely scary, making him more than a match for any live action villain in recent memory.
The animation on display here is nothing short of jaw dropping, you are unlikely to find a more beautiful film this year. It’s an absolute game changer for the genre and the closest thing yet to seeing an actual comic on screen. Not only that but the art direction is incredible and shamelessly comic book like, especially the ‘big bad’ ‘(Kingpin), he’s been done on screen before but never like this – a hulking monstrosity ripped straight from the pages of the source material.
Staggeringly beautiful and relentlessly entertaining, it’s a crying shame that this animation may not get the recognition it deserves, if you don’t go and see it you are not only missing the best superhero movie of 2018, but also one of the year’s very best films.
Author: Paul, Bath store
