Attack of the Spider-people!

Rating: 8/10 (26 December 2018)

Reel Nerd Review: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
By Nelson Nantanapibul
Directed by: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez
An animated Spider-verse movie featuring Miles Morales along with other Spider-persons from throughout the multiverse team up to stop a threat that could destroy every parallel reality. There has been a lot of buzz around this film even mentions of an Oscar nomination for best picture not as an animated feature but for the big one. I quite liked the movie but I didn't walk away agreeing with the Oscar talk surrounding this film. Some have even said this may perhaps be the best Spider-Man film ever made and I don't know that I agree with that either.
I am glad that the Miles Morales character is finally getting his time in the spotlight. There have been a contingent of fans calling for a live action film featuring the character but I still think we're a few years away from that happening. Shameik Moore gave one hell of a performance as Miles in fact I was impressed by the voice performances of the entire cast. I was especially impressed by Jake Johnson's performance as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. There were some really great emotional beats and moments in the film especially between Miles and his dad as well as Miles with his uncle.
Even though I did enjoy the film it didn't wow me as I had been expecting it to. Maybe this film was never going to live up to the hype for me but I did enjoy it. One reviewer said this was his favorite comic book film of the year again I would have to disagree for my money it would have to be Aquaman.
The first act dragged a bit for me and the pacing felt a bit off. By the start of the second act onwards things really started to pick up and the story seemed to flow a bit smoother as well. I love the fact that Spider-Ham of all characters was included in this film as his character added a lot of levity to the film that had a couple of dark moments in it but tonally overall I wouldn't call the tone dark it was mostly fun and very emotional.
Stan Lee's cameo got me a bit choked up especially considering the context of the scene in which he was in. I won't spoil it for you here but it was a really beautiful moment. Kingpin is the main big bad in the film but a couple of other notable villains turn up as well but you'll have to see the film to find out who they are.
Lily Tomlin as Aunt May was a delight she did such a great job with the character. Her Aunt May is a very different version than one we've seen before on screen which added a lot more dimension and importance to the character. I definitely would recommend this film if you're a fan of any versions of the versions of Spider-Man and if you stick around for the post credit scene another Spidey yet to be seen on screen makes a cameo.