JTA The Film Passionator’s review published on Letterboxd:
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - Exciting, Entertaining, and Spectacular!
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) is an animated superhero movie directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman, with the latter co-writing the screenplay with Phil Lord. The movie features the voice talents of Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfield, Nicolas Cage, Kimiko Glenn, John Mulaney, Liev Schreiber, Mahershala Ali, and Brian Tyler Henry.
Based on the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man, the movie centers on a teenager named Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) being bit by a radioactive spider that has given him the same abilities as Spider-Man, allowing him to become New York's new web slinger. After he discovers a dangerous super collider built by the Kingpin (Liev Schreiber), Miles meets alternate versions of Spider-Man from the Spider-Verse and they team up to defeat the Kingpin and go back to our own universes. Will the Spider-People defeat the Kingpin and stop the super collider on time before it is too late?
The story was engaging and fun to watch because it had great characters, some heartbreaking moments, surprising plot twists, a lot of hilarious scenes, a perfect balance of slow and fast pacing, and excellent world building. The movie explores the themes of family, friendship, good vs. evil, responsibility, and identity. These were shown through the different stages Miles Morales goes through to become the next Spider-Man as he tries to form a great team to defeat the Kingpin.
The animation looks stunning and well animated since it has a stop motion feel when it is quickly chopping in the action sequences from Miles' perspective, and has an overall appearance that looks similar to a comic book. This makes the animation unique compared to other animated features. This style of animation was so good that it has inspired many movies to use it, including The Bad Guys (2022), Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023).
The voice acting was spectacular as the characters were brought to life in an entertaining and realistic manner thanks to their respective voice actors' brilliant skills, emotions, and energy. Shameik Moore has delivered the best performance as Miles Morales because of his great sense of humour and strong energy that suits the character well. The same can be said for the rest of Spider-People's cast and Liev Schreiber as the menacing Kingpin.
The characters were likeable, well-developed, relatable, and memorable since they each have a great personality, an incredible chemistry with others, and brilliant backstories that will make the audience empathise with them. The more the story progresses, the more interesting the characters become. Miles Morales was my favourite character in the film because of his great sense of humour, emotional life experiences, and his strong connection with his family and friends.
The action scenes were thrilling and fantastically animated. This is because they were the home to the movie's incredible shots and increased pacing that will excite the viewers. In my opinion, my favourite battle scene was the final battle between Kingpin and Miles because of how heartracing it was.
As mentioned above, there were loads of awesome shots that have quickly caught my attention as they look identical to that of a live action movie. The best shot would have to be Miles Morales jumping off a building to begin his web swinging skills in his iconic black and red suit as it shows how much bravery and courage has increased in his mind.
Daniel Pemberton's soundtrack for this movie was magnificent to listen to since it supports the movie's heartracing and emotional atmosphere, as well as it making it memorable with its catchy nature. The songs written for the film were brilliant and make an excellent addition to the soundtrack because of their relaxing tones. My favourite song from this film was Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee because of how beautiful and upbeat it was.
The movie's target audience are children and families because the movie has an iconic superhero that appeals to the kids, a heartwarming story, clean jokes, and important life lessons. Additionally, the movie appeals to people who enjoy superhero movies because of the concept of the multiverse housing different superheroes and thrilling action scenes.
In conclusion, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) was an amazing movie to revisit and still succeeds in keeping me entertained. It has a brilliant story, likeable characters, a memorable soundtrack, and plenty of fun and emotional moments. In my opinion, this is worth the watch. This was my best cure after watching Fant4stic (2015), Catwoman (2004), and The Loud House Movie (2021).
