Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

2018 has been quite the year for the Peter Parker incarnation of Spider-Man in terms of on-screen media: Avengers: Infinity War saw him getting involved with the war against Thanos, the new Insomniac video game of his provided one of the best superhero video game experiences that explore both the thrills and downsides of his heroic life, and there was a spin-off movie with one of his villains, Venom (which I already reviewed a few months ago). But with numerous films that feature the Peter Parker version, it's believable that many would be tired of the character...unless something new was done to spice things us. This brings us to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a new animated film from Sony Animation focusing on another incarnation of the hero, Miles Morales (who was featured in the comics, which is all I knew about him). The marketing campaign was very intriguing to audiences in how uniquely animated it appeared to its own genre, which generated a lot of hype for it. After hearing the critical acclaim it's received from critics and audiences, I went in ready to see how much of the praise was justified and left it ecstatic by the amazing viewing experience that Sony didn't mess up this time!

Plot: The story follows a high school teen whose life changes after gaining superpowers and finds himself getting involved in a dangerous conflict revolving around alternate universes. The best way to describe this premise is something that needs to be seen to be believed as it's quite an achievement that all of the pieces that this is dealing with all works as well as it does. It feels justified enough to be compared to Avengers: Infinity War and The Lego Batman Movie in aspects where the former uses the roster and materials it had into a entertaining feature that actually works while with the latter it also remembers to acknowledge Easters Eggs to the history regarding the characters (in this case making fun of Spider-Man). It's quite refreshing that it's not as high energized as it was promoted to be but is smart enough to use the first third to establish the important features about the protagonist such as his insecurities and obstacles he would need to overcome. The pacing is very smooth to where it's easy to process the story development without feeling overwhelmed. The end result finds emotional fulfillment that feels complete, fascinating care put into making the world feel lively, and a level of seriousness that's balanced with humor that may not always land but is appreciated for its family value.

There's negatives that sticks out quite a bit in the story that's worth mentioning. The villains motive is understandable (especially if you've seen Kingpin in Daredevil on Netflix) but isn't given enough screen time to feel sympathy for so giving him one or two mores scenes would have help. However, given how much this film is juggling, it's understandable if a few scenes of his were taken out.

Characters: The people to focus on are Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Peter B Parker (Jake Johnston). Miles is a young high schooler whose complicated way of living is made more insane after acquiring new abilities and entering into a partnership with alternate versions of Spider-Man. Shameik is very impressive in this leading role where he carries a big responsibility with a range of emotions as this young novice grows in his wild adventure. Peter B Parker is a different version of the protagonist who's down on luck as an adult after the longevity of the hero activities have burdened him. Jake gives a great performance that complements the chemistry he has with Shameik in this flawed mentor tries to use his own mistakes in a way to teach his mentee how to get a handle on his abilities.

Honorable mentions go to Aaron Davis (Mahershala Ali) and Jefferson Davis (Brian Tyree Henry) for their respective performances as important supporting figures for Miles Morales. In regards to Spider shoutouts, the standouts among them are Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter Parker/Spider-Man Noir (Nicholas Cage) as the former has solid chemistry with the protagonist while the latter has a few funny moments that only Nicholas Cage can do.

Overall Consensus: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is an amazing achievement through its stylish animation, compelling storytelling, great performances, and a fun experience worth the emotional investment. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/2🎟🍿 Runtime: 1 hour 56 minutes PG

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You are a fan of the titular character.  You want to support stylish quality animated features. You are interested in the most heartfelt Stan Lee cameo ever. You enjoy see movies that take the long history of a well-known character in an entertaining manner. You don't mind harsh serious moments in a family adventure.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You don't want to support stylish quality animated features. You aren't a fan of animation or superheroes in general.