Given the sheer volume of superhero movies sloshing around at the moment you may be tempted to give Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse a miss. What’s one more film, about one more guy in tights, after all? Don’t! Into the Spider-Verse isn’t just the best superhero movie since Deadpool shook us out of our collective super-torpor, but probably the most visually daring film in decades.
Fresh, funny, with lots of knowing nods to the Spider-Man legacy, Spider-Verse gives us not one but five comic-book Spider-Peeps, including Spider-Pig. Yup, you read that right. Just run with it.
Here the focus is Miles Morales (Shameik Moore)—first introduced in the Ultimate line of comics—but when Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) opens a portal to other alternate realities, Miles quickly learns there’s more than one web-slinger in town…
Embracing the craziness that comes with a brand that’s spanned 55 years and hundreds of incarnations, Spider-Verse never lets up the pace. Blink and you’ll miss something special. Yet there’s more going on here than frenetic action sequences. Spider-Man’s popularity has always hinged on the fact that, of all the Marvel supers, he’s the most most down-to-earth, the most relatable, and Morales’ tale has all the heart and wisecracking you’d expect from your friendly neighbourhood mutant.
What makes Into the Spider-Verse the out-and-out movie hit of the year is its staggering visuals. Like a comic book come to life, the whole film is a glorious tribute to CYMK printing right down to the Ben-Day dots. Occasionally the out-of-register effects are a little too much—like watching a 3D film without the glasses—but boy what a ride.
Go see. Be amazed. Then go see again.