Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

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By this point, let's face it; Sony has officially dropped the ball on any live-action Spider-Verse with considerably bad titles like 'Madam Web,' 'Kraven' and 'Morbius.' At the same time, critics and audiences met the 'Venom' trilogy in the middle with reviews. But those movies, luckily, stand out as their pathetic attempt at some 'Sinister Six' movie, which Disney/Marvel proudly intercepted by making 'No Way Home,' which was probably the peak of any Spider-Man production (although it was more of a "Sinister Five.")

Sony's 'Into the Spider-Verse' was released the same year as 'Venom' (which started Sony's live-action movies) and provided us with all-new layers of awe that we hadn't seen in a 'Spider-Man' film yet. Most importantly, Sony had its own Spider-Man in the form of Miles Morales. It was a missed opportunity to bring him into any live-action stuff they were doing, which could have saved everything. But I digress. I don't know the ins and outs of what Sony can and can't do with a Spider-Verse, but it seems to me like Miles Morales is theirs.

Focusing on this movie, however, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) lives in Brooklyn with his mother, Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) and cop father, Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry). He also has a special rapport with his uncle Aaron (Mahershala Ali)—your typical badass uncle who's a bit of a bad influence on Miles in some regards but still loves him and wants to keep him out of harm's way. Their most significant bond is in graffiti artistry, and one day, they end up in an abandoned subway tunnel so Miles can throw up a mural, where Miles gets bitten by his very own special radioactive spider.

Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk (Liev Schreiber), with the help of this universe's Doc Ock (Kathryn Hahn), attempts to use a particle accelerator to open up other dimensions and reunite with another version of his wife and son. This ultimately goes haywire, and several different versions of Spidey come out of it as a result, including an aged Peter Parker (Jake Johnson), Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Spidey Noir (Nicolas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn) and her machine, SPDR, and of course, Spider-Ham (John Mulaney).

Together, they must work to stop Fisk from causing more damage and eventually return to their homes, lest they get stuck. Meanwhile, Parker becomes a role model for Miles and helps train him to be a Spider-Man for his dimension. Spider-Gwen becomes the hint of some love interest for Miles, but they do a good job at keeping it friendly, and that's just one of many things about this movie that works so well. Unlike so many Spidey films before, this one isn't "about the girl," and the pair works better on friendship and mutual respect.

I can further credit the film for being a title that delivers a bit of everything one might want from a proper 'Spider-Man' movie. There's a bit of tragedy, there's a lot of fun and humour, all of the characters are likeable (even if they're villains), and of course, there's the embodiment of "great responsibility" coming with "great power." But what makes this movie stand out as a personal favourite 'Spider-Man' title is the incredible combination of animation styles and an outstanding soundtrack that fits well.

Into the Spider-Verse is a title I like more and more with every viewing. It's the kind of movie one might watch repeatedly, picking out a little something they missed before. Being animated, it lends itself to more possibilities, not only with some of the more impossible-looking poses of the "Spider-Society," but the animation style looks like it comes straight out of a series of comic books come to life. So, if there was any proof that not every Sony Spider-Man movie is terrible these days, look no further than this gem. It's incredibly well done!

5/5

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