Just when I’d about given up hope of experiencing something truly amazing in a cinema, here comes Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse in all its glitchy glory.
It’s damn near perfect and feels exactly like what a comic book movie is supposed to be—in both form and spirit.
While epic visuals are a staple of big budget Marvel movies, they can often feel manufactured and boastful—visuals for visuals sake. Into the Spiderverse is anything but. The look exudes heart; all the decisions feel deliberate—from the animation style reminiscent of stop motion and collage of art styles representing the different spideys and their worlds, to the little touches of comic book elements that can make you feel as if you’re living inside the page.
That’s not to say it isn’t epic. At times, I can’t believe the spectacle taking form in front of my eyes and how such a thing could have been created. I can’t get over how the movie brings to life the spirit of comic books without literally copying its form.
As far as plots go, it doesn’t stray very far from the Marvel formula. But the storytelling is superb; it does a good job of making its characters fun and relatable and unraveling the truth of its themes of hope, courage, and responsibility without being preachy. I also love how well it can rope you in and make you feel the confusing emotions and struggles of Morales as he comes to terms with his newfound powers. I won’t go too much into the characters to avoid spoilers so I advise you to just see it for yourself.
Beyond the story, I found the movie inspiring in three ways. One is how the individuals that made up the production team came together and combined their talents to produce something worthwhile. Second is how the envelope can always be pushed farther. Third is how the core theme of taking a leap of faith is so crucial to making great things happen, especially when creating something new.
If anything’s wrong with it, it was that the two and a half hours went by too quickly. Comic book movies will never be the same as this masterpiece sets the bar very high indeed. And I’m not even a Spiderman fan!