Movie Title: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Genre: Animation, Superhero, Action, Adventure
Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Writer: Phil Lord, Rodney Rothman
Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Lily Tomlin, John Mulaney, Nicolas Cage, Liev Schreiber, Zoë Kravitz, Kathryn Hahn, Chris Pine
Review: Bitten by a radioactive spider in the subway, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) suddenly develops mysterious powers that transform him into the one and only Spider-Man. When he meets Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), he soon realizes that there are many others who share his special, high-flying talents. Miles must now use his newfound skills to battle the evil Kingpin (Liev Schreiber), a hulking madman who can open portals to other universes and pull different versions of Spider-Man into our world.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is in a word: spectacular. Quite possibly the best animated film I have ever seen. This film, for me, really transcends animation, and brought me something risky, new, and fun. The way the animators are able to fuse different types of animation into one setting is truly remarkable. I've never seen a movie succeed at bringing a comic book to life like this one, and I think it's pretty incredible to have created such a compelling movie given the current state of comic book cinema. Between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe, these types of movies are hitting the big screen at a rate like never before. I commend this film for being able to differentiate itself and really stand out on it's own not only in terms of it's incredible animated visuals, but also in terms of it's interesting, captivating story. Each iteration of Spider-Man brings something new and unique to the film, and I'm really excited to see what kind of sequels or spin-offs inevitably spawn from this. Superhero fan or not, you are absolutely doing yourself a disservice, if you do not watch this movie. It's smart, funny, action-packed, and heartwarming. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a movie that can truly be enjoyed by everyone and I cannot recommend it enough!
Fun Fact: Completing the animation for the film required up to 180 animators, the largest crew ever used by Sony Pictures Animation for a film.