Holy... I can't even... YEAH!

Rating: 10/10 (19 December 2018)

This had better win some Oscars.
Okay, from the beginning: this movie is excellent. It is a thrill ride from start to finish, from being inventive to charting a new story to introducing so many good characters. Miles Morales' story is unique, emotional, and above all, fun.
Performances: they're voice performances, so at first glance there isn't much to consider, but once you get further into the movie, you hear these actors truly commit to their characters. Shameik Moore's voice embodies Miles Morales perfectly, and Jake Johnson finally finds a character that's not a stoner; he does have fun with it. Haliee Steinfeld is exhilarating and perfect as Spider-Gwen. The rest of the cast... they're all fantastic, I just don't have time to talk about it right now. Go Spider-Ham!
Direction/Writing: with three different directors, you'd expect this to come off as jumbled and incoherent, but it is not that at all. The scenes are well executed, the fight choreography is exhilarating, and the way they blend animation is simply stunning. The writing was soooooooo goooooooood. Phil Lord really had a story he wanted to tell, and he didn't skip out on any opportunity; somehow, we'll be laughing one minute and bawling the next. He really left it all on the field, especially with all ridiculous avenues he decided to go down with characters like Spider-Ham, Penny Parker, and Spider-Man Noire. The best part is it all works! The villain, Kingpin, is a bit sidelined, but it doesn't matter in the end because the story is about Miles and the people in his life. There's a moment in the trailer where Miles jumps off a building and we get this beautiful upside-down shot, and that moment is somehow even more satisfying given everything that leads up to it. The combo of story and characters truly does work.
There's so many things I could talk about, from the immersive world to the killer soundtrack to the fact they use sound effects that correspond to the character's respective universes. You can feel the amount of time and effort that went into this movie, and you can feel that feeling of satisfaction that it paid off. It's a truly unique movie and inventive experience that is a sight to behold. (10/10)
Seriously, Academy, look at this movie. And give it like all the awards.