Raphael Georg Klopper’s review published on Letterboxd:
Now now dear Sony, WAS THAT TOO HARD?! Was that too hard to make a movie with people that actually undearstand this character and his amazing world, and managing to make it in a super inspired and ultra creative movie that easily tells the best Spiderman story ever since Raimi's trilogy?! Interestingly by almost assuming itself as a spiritual sequel for the story and tone of those three wonderful films (yes three, sue me) by yes being super corny and silly in its comedic tidbits, but also quite somber, with small doses of pessimistic in some of its character’s characterizations, but truthful and genuine in its heavy dramatic lessons.
Characterizations that result in both finally bringing Miles Morales to life with the stellar protagonism that he’d deserved for so long time, that creates the post 2018 mandatory requeriment of representativity of “minorities” in film by not creating a character solly based on that, but picking an already existing character and that guarantees him here one of the best superhero’s origin stories made on the genre in recent years. That takes its sweet long time to develop and puts harsh questionings about time-consuming or even impossible profits to achive in personal harsh efforts and struggles to become what we want or are meant to be.
Surprisingly balancing a story so intimate and dramatic, again worthy of Raimi’s trilogy, while at the same time dealing with his comic book concept of the multiverse with expert ease enough to make us care the minimum amount for each of the multi Spidey characters to want any possible spin off film (Nicolas Cage’s Spiderman Noir solo movie ASAP please). Even if it also creates some interesting plot traces towards the villains characters that could've benefit with some more development than just been implied, but these are only some slippery flaws in what otherwise is a greatfully written story.
And also by taking the comic book visual and narrative storytelling wich Raimi's films were the pioneers of this style in live-action format, and take it here to a whole other level of comic book stylized structure inside the animation form, wich is a dazzling work of CB frame ratio aspect full of colours and a metalinguistic life of its own, and bloated with some amazing action helmed as if they were directed a live action Edgar Wright film. Wich makes this certaintly one of the most unique Comic Book movies ever made, and the single greatest animated one since The Incredibles. And the Spiderman movie with the best web-swinging scene ever since Tobey Maguire’s Spiderman learned how to swing for the first time.
Actually, I dare say that the older Peter Parker that we got here, even if it carries the full known personality from its actor Jake Johnson, manages to be the best incarnation of the character since Tobey Maguire itself. With the hole sharp humor and charismatic personality that the fans soo much adore, and also the true winsdom of an long time hero that carries years of experience, losses, all the shapes and forms of heroism that now tries to transmit into a new generation, represented in both Miles and the audience that Spiderman is a hero and a hero can be anyone.
And for you Raimi’s Spider haters out there, I do brought their names up a lot here because, just as much his trilogy had made before, and this one wonderfuly does as well, that is passionetely understand what the Spiderman character and the entirety of its lore is, and what it meants for the milions of fans out there. Not just a wonderful machine of pure and infinite entertainment, but also a symbol of perservereance and overcomeness, capable to inspire anyone of us to reach for the best in ourselfs through life.
