The Best Spider-Man Film Since SPIDER-MAN 2

Rating: 8/10 (10 December 2018)

The best Spider-Man film since SPIDER-MAN 2. An animated spectacle that not only invigorates, but transcends the superhero genre, resulting in not just the best superhero film of the year, but one of the best films of the year. This films understands the idea of Spider-Man better than any other Spider-Man film before it, recognizing the factors that have allowed this character to have become one of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's most beloved creations. At the end of the day, whether you're talking about Miles Morales or Peter Parker, Spider-Man's "just a kid," as a bystander once said during SPIDER-MAN 2's most emotionally resonant scene. He might be "just a kid", but he's a kid endowed with superhuman powers who endeavors to use them for good, who represents not only the best of what humanity should be, but what the best of humanity can be. The original SPIDER-MAN is the first film that I can remember seeing in a movie theater, and although there are a quite a few films that I would deem superior to any take on the famed webslinger, the character will nonetheless always hold a special place in my heart.
While I'm not very familiar with the story of Miles Morales, Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman's film does an excellent job introducing the audience to a character every bit as compelling as Peter Parker, with Shameik Moore bringing Morales to life with oodles of heart and charm. However, what most surprised me about the film was Jake Johnson's take on Peter Parker. Tom Holland might have finally captured the essence of the character better than both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield before him, but Johnson delivers my favorite take on the character thus far as a 40-year-old Parker stuck in a midlife crisis. Superheroes have a tendency to either not age or age very slowly, but Johnson's Parker is a man who has spent over half his life being a superhero, as who has thus seen the unavoidable toll such a life takes on the people around you. These ideas provide Parker with a fascinating character arc, but they thankfully don't overshadow that of Morales, as we watch him grow into New York's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man right before our very eyes.
This might be yet another origin story in a genre that has seen more than its fair share of them, but SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE feels different and fresh, which is a testament to Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman's script, which infuses Morales' journey with plenty of heart and wit. There are some poignant scenes in the film on par with anything in Raimi's original trilogy, from a death scene in the first act that sets the stage for Morales' story to a scene between Morales and his father (voiced to perfection by Brian Tyree Henry) at the end of the second act. Additionally the other "Spider-Men," including Nicolas Cage's 1930s Spider-Noir and John Mulaney's Spider-Ham, are an absolute riot. I definitely wouldn't have minded spending some more time with those characters. Watching INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE was a cinematic experience like few others, thanks in part to the absolutely dazzling and dynamic 3D animation, which descends into a mesmerizing explosion of color during the final act and is unlike anything I have ever seen. That the film contains one of Stan Lee's best cameos to date is simply the cherry on top.
And the post-credits scene is seriously an all-timer. Might be the best one of these since *checks notes* FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF.