Joseph Campbell Meets Bansky Meets Spider-Man

Rating: 10/10 (16 December 2018)

This is among the best films of the year and I really don't know what is the best part of it. The screenplay deftly interweaves a compelling origin story for a hero while deconstructing the notion of the monomyth while grappling with the cultural weight of Spider-Man. The screenplay is sharp, funny and emotionally resonant. Miles is a great character. Not a mere clone of Peter Parker but a person in his own right with unique foibles and desires. The screenplay does a lot to demonstrate the particulars of representation lead to different tonalities. It manages to make a really obvious twist hidden in the process of doing that as well. The story is great.
But it is also realized in some of the most vivid, alive animation I have ever seen. The film's CGI is expressive in ways that CGI rarely is. The directors lean into the stylistic implications of the story, each of the Spider-people have a different look for example. But they manage to make the film feel whole and unitary. Best of all the mainstay of the animation feels like the bright marvel style of the 60's mixed with the vibrant world of street art. (Miles does graffiti). Comic panels, lettering, action sound text etc all make appearances. It was a massive risk that pays off. The visual scope of this film is amazing; it is simply incredible how alive this film feels despite the stylistic artifice.
This is a film that truly works in every regard.