Arachnophobia

Rating: 7/10 (24 January 2019)

A technical marvel, with lush animation that is unlike anything put on the screen previously - Spider-verse is an overwhelming stew of excess that throws so much at the screen it's sometimes hard to tell what sticks - and which part of it to look at. There are so many characters, so much emotion and so many quick fire gags both in the script and on the screen that a re-watch is surely a must to help put things into perspective. At first glance however not enough time was spent on any one plot line or device in order to give it the weight that the emotional stakes needed them to have - for example the primary villain's motivation, Jake Johnson's ageing Spiderman's love life, and particularly Miles Morales complex family problems, control of his powers, and acceptance of his role in the larger world. Slyly aware of its place within the diversifying superhero market, Spider-verse is reverent to the history of the character, both on-screen and off. Ultimately the fact that no one character stands out may be by design, they are all just cyphers to carry the film's true message - that anyone can be a superhero, or maybe that anyone can take something away from a superhero movie if it has this much in it.