I broke down.

Rating: 10/10 (28 June 2019)

I've never been a huge fan of writing. As a student, I do enough of it for school, so why take time out of my day to write even more? This was the quandary I faced months ago when I first saw this movie. I just watched this movie again-for probably the eighth(?) time- and I've officially broken down. This movie impacted me so much that I created an account simply to write this review. To anyone reading this: if you have a heart, a soul, a fiber of your being capable of emotion, watch this film. If you want to leave now, I get it. This will be a long, comprehensive review. But know this: this movie is phenomenal and it should be studied, watched, and most importantly, enjoyed for years to come. There will also be spoilers sprinkled throughout
I grew up on comics. I literally couldn't get enough of Batman as a kid. But honestly, I never really liked Spiderman. I don't know why, but he just never really clicked. I saw the Sam Raimi movies as a kid, but I just thought they were ok. The Andrew Garfield movies....well let's just say I agreed with the general public. I really love Tom Holland in the MCU. But the Magnum Opus in my heart, the Pinnacle of all Spider-Men, will forever be Shameik Moore as Miles Morales. I've liked them, but I've never connected with a Spiderman movie until now. This movie is a comic book movie. No, let me rephrase that. This movie is a COMIC BOOK (movie). Nearly every frame has elements of a comic book, from the frames, to the colors, down to the onomatopoiea text bubbles. I'll get to the animation in a second, but the animators successfully made a comic book jump to life on screen.
The animation is nothing short of amazing. Obviously this is not a new opinion. Greater minds than mine have already discussed how incredibly well crafted this animation is. I say crafted because this wasn't made. This wasn't animation that a studio just threw money at mindless artists to make. This animation is imbued with care and love for the production as a whole as well as the source material.
The voice acting is nothing short of a miracle. Every actor fully understands their character, and it shows. Chris Pine perfectly sounds like the altruistic friendly neighborhood Spiderman that we all know. His voice exudes kindness and understanding when talking to Miles. He is OUR Spiderman. Shameik Moore perfectly portrays emotion throughout the film. When Aaron dies, you are forced to feel the emotion with Miles. He also sounds perfectly nervous during the shoulder touch scene with Gwen. The ackwardness of the lines make the viewer feel just as ackward as Miles, a feat done perfectly by Moore. Jake Johnson is the bad Spiderman. He is the Spiderman that we don't need, and kind of don't want. But Jake's voice delivery makes you feel his depression of losing MJ. Mahershala Ali and Brian Tyree Henry are a power duo of voice work that compliment each other. When dying, the prowler gives Miles a speech that the audience hears, but also feels. Through just his voice, we know the prowler is aware he's made mistakes and wishes he could do it over again, a skill that only a masterclass actor like Ali could muster. I don't cry at movies. It's not some macho thing or whatever, it's just that no movies have legitimately moved me to tears. Brian Tyree Henry changed that. When Jeff monologues to Miles through the closed door, I may have shed a gangster tear or two. The line "Sometimes people just grow apart" really hit me. Jeff knows that if he would have spent more time with Aaron, his brother wouldn't have gone down a life of crime; knowing this, he wants to prevent that life from Miles. Jeff holds back tears as he attempts to deliver the devastating news, and the audience can grasp his trauma through his emotion.
Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse has my second favorite soundtrack of all time. I say second because, I'm sorry, but no soundtrack will ever beat Guardians of the Galaxy, and that's final. The use of Sunflower paints Miles as just a regular kid who sings the lyrics to songs he barely knows, and everyone can relate to that. What's Up Danger? is probably my favorite song from this album, as its use is just the perfect backdrop for the epic moments onscreen. Scared of the Dark was also really nice because they only used the chorus, one that enstills in the audience a sort of gloom, which emphasizes that the world truly lost a hero when Spiderman died.
Lastly, I loved the goofs. This film perfectly divides comedy with serious emotion, and there's no emotional beat undercut by a cheap joke. The writers knew their limits and stuck to them. I think the one exception to this rule ended up being my favorite part of the movie, because it was done tastefully. The major fight between Miles and Kingpin stopped being a time for jokes when Miles just kept getting pummeled. It would be a smart call to not have any Spiderman quips and just show Miles' strength of will instead, but the film does both. Miles didn't have to do the shoulder touch/venom strike move, but it improves the scene. He could have had the same outcome by doing a variety of actual combat techniques, but this just felt right. Miles, in the moment, completed both his and Aaron's character arcs. By taking everyone's advice along the way, Miles became Spider-Man. Aaron's arc was completed by leaving Miles with a move that would avenge himself. Many of the jokes were absolutely hilarious, with many subtle ones that could gloss over some people (I think it's a Banksy). Spider-Ham, voiced by none other than John Mulaney, was completely over the top, and I loved it. Did Kingpin need to be inhumanly gigantic? Absolutely not. Did I feel that it was a weird, but bold cinematic choice that overall improved the movie? Definitely. Nic Cage...is just Nic Cage. He was the perfect cast for the material given, and I can't emphasize enough how much I loved him in this movie.
I know this was a really long review, but I truly spilled my heart and my soul into this, much like how I feel the creators did on this film. I hope you enjoyed this review, and I hope you loved this movie. If you didn't see this movie, even though I spoiled it, go watch it. It is a cinematic masterpiece that is nothing short of spectacular.