I had the absolute pleasure of venturing out to the movie theatres to see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse during its opening weekend, and I have to say, this is quite possibly one of the few films with which I could not find a single issue. I thoroughly enjoyed myself every step of the way, and this Spider-Man film might have been better than any of the live-action renditions. I would like to touch on a few aspects that I particularly liked, and I hope that everyone gets a chance to see this movie before the holidays.
The Cast
What stood out to me even before the movie came out was how perfect the cast was. Not only did every voice match their character perfectly, but almost every actor could play that role in live action as well. Hailee Steinfeld as Spider-Gwen, Jake Johnson as the out-of-shape Peter B. Parker, Lily Tomlin as Aunt May, Mahershala Ali as The Prowler, and even parts as small as Krondon as Tombstone all fit perfectly.
However, it wasn’t just the cast. The characters that were chosen for the movie were impeccable as well. We have all wanted to see Spider-Gwen and Spider-Noir on the big screen, but other first time arrivals like Spider-Ham and Peni Parker were a pleasant surprise to be introduced to. It seems like every character served a special purpose, and seeing so many different Spider-Man rogues in different forms (due to being in Miles’ universe) was almost a movie in itself. If I could have hand-picked which characters made it into the film myself, I would not have been able to do any better.
Color Scheme
A major part of Miles’ personality is that he loves to draw and paint with bright, vibrant colors, and that same kind of color scheme was used in the movie itself. It truly felt like I was watching a series of sketches torn out of a teenager’s notebook, and I think that was exactly what the directors were wanting. It was almost like a new kind of comic book sketch that I couldn’t help but to love, and I have to say that this art style is somewhat unique to Spider-Verse.
Easter Eggs
Something that I did not expect to see was a wealth of Easter Eggs. As you may be able to tell from the picture above, inside Peter Parker’s secret underground lair is every Spider-Man suit that you can unlock in PS4’s Spider-Man, and that is only scratching the surface of Spider-Man Easter eggs that can be spotted. The whole film had a loose, fourth wall breaking attitude, and that is perfectly exemplified by seeing several Spider-Man comic books as well as reenacting scenes from Sam Raimi’s trilogy. There are much too many to name here, but be sure to look for them yourself!
Conclusion
Overall, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the greatest animated movie I have ever seen. This movie should go down as an absolute classic, and will undoubtedly be talked about by comic book fans for years to come. I loved every second that I was in the theatre, and I only hope the Spider-Man: Far From Home can live up to this masterpiece.