The Perfect Animated Movie

Rating: 9/10 (7 May 2020)

Into the Spider-verse is a film that gets everything right. Characters? Unique and refreshing. Animation? Stellar. Story? Perfection. Music? Wonderful. Comedy? Fantastic. It's impossible to believe that a seventh Spider-Man film and a third origin story can be so creative and amazing, but somehow the brilliant writers behind this movie managed to do it.
The story revolves around Miles Morales, a young teenager who gets bitten by a radioactive spider. This character may sound familiar, but the story uses this in a rather clever way. Miles is somewhat similar to Peter Parker, but he has enough personality to hold out on his own. He has a relationship with his father that is the emotional backdrop to the entire story, which is something Peter doesn't have. He does lose his uncle as well, but the death and character are quite different from Peter's.
Miles, like any other teenager, is simply trying to find his place in the world, adjust to changes in his body, and try to get a girlfriend. These goals aren't gone when he becomes a superhero, but rather exemplified. He's trying to adjust to changes from the spider bite, he's trying to ask Gwen out, and he's trying to decide how to be a hero. In the end he's taught that there is no secret path to success or perfection, but rather it's a constant road in which you try and try again, always doing your best. Or in other words, 'it's a leap of faith'.
But Miles isn't the only character who's great in this film. Peter B. Parker is the old, cranky mentor spider-man. This character is probably the closest we get to the main depiction of Peter Parker. His story on surface might come of as funny, but it's quite tragic when you really think about it. This is a character who's been Spider-Man for over two decades, which is more than half is life. He initially started as enthusiastic, but gradually became more bitter as he grew older. Being Spider-Man cost him his marriage and trapped him into a constant loop of saving people. He has just kept doing what he's always been doing, and now he's sick of it. There's a moment in the film when he mentions he's sick of the line 'with great power must come great responsibility' , showing that he somewhat resents the line that has thrown him in this miserable life. In the end however, he decides that he's going to try again and give things another chance.
The other Spider-People don't have character arcs like Peter and Miles, but they all have their moments. Spider-Ham and Spider-Noir are both extremely funny. The kingpin's motive is understandable and his presence intimidating.
The animation is truly boundary pushing. Every frame feels alive and full. This is the sort of movie that you have to watch more than once, because there are lots of little Easter eggs, hidden jokes and more constantly lurking in the background. Ang Lee's Hulk tried (and failed) to capture the feel of a comic book through the sloppy editing. In this film, every scene naturally feels like the pages of a comic. The best way to describe it would be: This is a comic brought to life in the most visually stunning way.
It's rare for a superhero movie to have jokes that are so cleverly written and well delivered. More than once I burst into laughter through out the course of the story. The comedy feels like a natural part of the story, instead of it being forced or tacked on. The dialogue is equally ingenious.
This movie respects the character of Spider-Man by truly understanding what he stands for and how inspiring he could be. It also contains one of Stan Lee's last cameos, which is really touching. It emphasizes on the fact that Spider-Man could be anyone: whether it's an African-american teenager, a middle aged divorcee, a detective who fights Nazis, a girl from the future, or a pig.
But this is not just a love letter to Spider-Man, but the entire animation industry as a whole. It proves that there's so much potential and creativity to be gained from animation, and that it must live on. I highly recommend this movie, easily one of the best I've ever seen