It's amazing how well Spider-Verse works. The original comic is completely awful and mean spirited while the adaptation is a complete upgrade in every way. This is a superhero movie that's made by people who love comics. For a story when the multiverse is in danger it manages to be completely character focused on its lead Miles. Spider-Verse's take on Miles is one of those cases when a comic adaptation of a comic character becomes superior to the source material. It makes Miles a completely compelling lead who's charmingly likable and relatable. A guy who's trying to live up to what his father wants to be and the type of person he wants to be. So, getting spider-powers and being tasked to stop a super-collider that could destroy the multiverse by his world's Spider-Man just puts even more pressure on him. Yet Miles proves himself to be worthy of Spider-Man because he shows he knows what it means to be a hero like Spider-Man. That no matter how much life beats you down it's important to get back up and keep fighting. That's what makes Spider-Man a great underdog hero who is dealt so much in life but keeps fighting to do good. That's who Miles is as Spider-Man here and why he deserves to be called Spider-Man because he earned that title.

Peter B Barker is one of my favorite adaptations of Peter Parker. Given how Marvel's editorial team hate him in the comics to the point of having him cucked by a douche named Paul it was nice to have an adult version of him be treated with respect. While he is an older version of a classic character, he's not treated like a joke but instead a broken-down man who's gone through so much in his life that he doesn't care anymore. Watching this again I realized how he's become so depressed he was willing to essentially commit suicide. It's sad to see him like this but it's just impressive that even though he's fallen so much he's still treated like a hero. The mentor/student dynamic he has with Miles is great with both installing wisdom in each other and helping each other grow. It's so satisfying to see Peter learn not to be afraid anymore and find happiness with Mary Jane again. It felt like the people behind this movie were giving the finger to the Marvel editorial team not letting Peter be happy by making him so depressed and then achieving happiness and I love them for doing it.

Spider-Gwen, much like Miles, was handled way better than her comic counterpart. While not quite as great as Peter B she was still a great character with her friendship with Miles allowing her to open up more. The two have great chemistry and make for a great friendship/possible future couple. The other Spider-people who show up may not be as significant character wise as the main three but still get time to shine. It's surprising to hear Spider-Ham give one of the hardest lines of the movie about how you can't save everyone. For a comic relief character, it was completely unexpected but welcome nonetheless.

Then there's the villains who are great as well. Kingpin is the arch enemy to Daredevil but he's still a great Spidey villain and makes for one of the best animated movie villains in recent years. An absolutely threatening menace whose reasons for his actions makes him tragic but not entirely sympathetic. Prowler is the best twist villain in a long time and the female Doc Ock was a fun antagonist to watch. The voice acting across the board is fantastic. Shamiek Moore makes me love Miles way more than his comic counterpart, Jake Johnson is one of the best Peter Parker's, Mahershala Ali gives one of his best performances as Miles’s uncle Aaron as does Brian Tyree Henry as Mile’s dad, Hallie Steinfeld is charming and fun as Gwen and the list just goes on with how much each cast member perfectly fit their character.

What can be said about the animation here? It's amazing, some of the best CGI animation in film etc. All the praise it's gotten is well deserved and I just love how much it captures that comic book vibe. Honestly there's really nothing wrong with this movie which might be its only problem. That is how hard it is to do it justice. Everyone has said how amazing this movie is and they're right. It'd be hard to add anything else to this masterpiece without just saying it's one of the best animated movies (which it is). So, I'll just say yes, it is one of the best animated movies/comic book movies and one of my favorite films. However, what I like most about it is it reminded me why I fell in love with Spider-Man in the first place and why I am still a fan. Even if I may not be a fan of Miles comic wise this movie made Spider-Verse portrayal of him one of my all-time favorite characters. I'm thankful a film like this exists that made me respect both him and Pete showing that anyone can wear the mask.