Into the Spider-Verse’s biggest strength out of the gate is how different it is from most Spider-Man stories. The writers practically say upfront “hey, we know you get Spider-Man, the whole origin story, so here’s something different”. Miles Morales is instantly charming and captivating. Those early minutes paint us a full picture of the characters and conflicts of his life. We’ve all been through those teen years and it’s just so easy to identify with him. The theme of ‘expectations’ that’s woven throughout is so strong and I love how Miles slowly grows more confident throughout each act.

There’s not much to say about the animation that hasn’t already been extensively written about in the last five years, but I’ll throw my two cents in anyways. Into the Spider-Verse is one of the most visually appealing animated films out there. It oozes with creativity and fun in each frame, you can tell the animators loved working on this. The occasional blend of different art styles mixed with the core comic book style works so well and offers a lot of distinct visual concepts. It’s literally an animated comic book that’s immersive and visually compelling.

The voice cast rounds out an already perfect project. Shameik Moore gives Miles a ton of charisma off the bat, and when he vocalizes his worries and fears, it feels so real. Hailee Steinfeld is a wonderful Gwen Stacey. I love the clever casting of Jake Johnson as an alternate Chris Pine Spider-Man, their voices are so similar. Jake brings apathy and depression to Spider-Man, something we rarely see ever. Spider-Verse challenges the core concepts of Spider-Man and it’s rewarding for it.

Even the story is different from a usual superhero story in structure and plot. For once, the supporting and side characters carry the core plot which lets Miles thrive with character development in each scenario. Kingpin’s motivations for why he’s using this collider are great too, especially if you’re a Daredevil fan with Kingpin context already. There’s a ton of needle drop moments that have become iconic, such as the what’s up danger jump or Miles flubbing Sunflower. From start to finish, the story is perfectly paced and gripping.

I have no qualms with calling Into the Spider-Verse a near perfect movie. It appeals to me in every single way, and every single element has so much care behind it. Stellar soundtrack, gorgeous animation, great characters, I could go on and on. I hadn’t seen it in a few years and I wasn’t expecting how much I would enjoy it on this rewatch. Great stuff Lord and Miller, I can’t wait to see Across the Spider-Verse.