As someone who thoroughly enjoys mainstream cinema, especially superhero flicks, Into the Spider-verse is one of those films that, for some reason, I couldn’t be bothered to go and see despite all the hype. However, when our holiday to Mexico was cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown, we had plenty of time during our week off work to binge watch some movies, starting with a trip into the Spider-verse.

Into the Spider-verse tells the story of Brooklyn teen Miles Morales; by day he is the new kid at school just trying to fit in, by night he creates beautiful street art with his uncle Aaron and at all times he idolises Brooklyn’s resident superhero – Spider-Man aka Peter Parker. During one of his night-time graffiti sessions, Miles gets bitten by a radioactive spider and develops Spidey powers of his own. Rather than struggling with his newfound powers on his own, he decides to seek out his hero and learn from the best. When he sees his hero destroy Kingpin’s cross-dimensional machine but get killed in the line of duty, he vows to avenge the famous webslinger and take up his mantle.

Miles manages to find from unbelievable places as Kingpin’s machine opened a gateway in the multiverse, bringing other versions of Spider-Man from different dimensions. Together they must defeat Kingpin and find a way to return to their own worlds.

Let me start by saying that, after watching, I now understand the hype. It has a well thought out and emotional story that almost doubles as a coming-of-age tale, however my one teeny tiny criticism is that it seems to be a pre-requisite in most superhero movies for the hero and villain to have some sort of personal connection which makes the ‘surprise reveal’ far too predictable and perhaps even a little boring.

Criticism done, on to the positives…

The characters were brought to life with some great voice work from a star-studded cast, including the perfectly cast Nicholas Cage as Spider-Man Noir. With so many variations of the Spider-Man character it would have been very easy for the film to feel messy and cluttered but the characters were well balanced and each one part of the story without taking anything away from the main storyline. The quiet feminist in me was also thrilled to see a number of kick ass females including a villain that wasn’t your typical femme fatale and a must more substantial role for Aunt May who is pretty much the Alfred Pennyworth of the Marvel multiverse.

The music is edgy and on point, and the soundtrack matches perfectly with Mile’s personality and the films overall visual style, as well as making it feel very modern and up to date.

As good as all my previous points might be, they have all been done to some extent already within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For me, what makes Into the Spider-verse truly special is the animation.

As frank Millar did with Sin City, creators Phil Lord and Christopher Miller managed to bring the pages of a comic book to life, with a ground-breaking and innovative style that marries modern computer generated animation with old school hand drawing techniques. The result is a film that is perfect for comic book fans, children and big kids alike.

As an Amazon Associates member, I may get a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. At no additional cost to you. Win, win!