Like when Miles Morales gets one hand stuck to an unconscious Peter Parker and another stuck to a moving subway train and chaos ensues. That's ignoring how this movie moves - at a schizophrenic pace with action sequences that never let up, and never stop surprising you. How about the fact that Into The Spider-Verse seamlessly blends characters from different universes (noir, anime, traditional 1930s animation), providing each with its own unique visual flair, but somehow makes everything feel like it belongs in the same movie? How about the visual design of Kingpin, who is almost comically oversized, but still emanates an incredibly intimidating aura. It's a spirit that infects every single frame of this movie. A commitment to be inventive, to subvert, to engage with weird ideas and be brave with them. It's a split-second, but betrays an insane commitment to detail. There's always some superhero trying to mess with their shit. They're spotted and every scientist in the building hops up, springs into action immediately. I always think about the above scene, when Peter Parker and Miles Morales, the two main 'Spider-Men,' attempt to escape a villain's lab. Into The Spider-Verse has an integrated aesthetic, but what really elevates the movie is how inventive it is, how vibrant it is, with visual storytelling.

'Here's your cookie for trying something different.' This is the kind of thing that tends to make movie critics salivate like Pavlov's dogs.īut it's not enough, right? Plenty of animated movies (*cough* Kubo and the Two Strings) have pioneering art styles but are complete snooze fests. Movies that take visual risks or pioneer unique art styles tend to review well by default. Producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller wanted Into The Spider-Verse to have a unique look from the beginning, which resulted in over 140 animators combining computer animation with a hand-drawn style designed to mimic comic book art. Probably best to begin with the aesthetics and visual design. It's visually jaw-droppingĪre you ready for a hyperbolic, completely uncritical look at why Into The Spider-Verse is the best superhero movie of the last decade and beyond? After Into The Spider-Verse, watching it on repeat for literally years now, it's difficult to go back. I've spent the last five years mindlessly gorging myself on superhero movies that are as safe as they come. In 2018 that movie was Into the Spider-Verse.īut watch at your own risk. To recalibrate your idea of what 'good' is. Unfortunately for Marvel, every now and then a superhero movie hits cinemas to remind you what magic looks like.

Into the spider verse