Review of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) by Kevin P — 20 Dec 2018

Strengths: This is a movie that had so much to juggle and a lot riding on its shoulders to get right. They nailed every little detail. First of all, the voice cast is stellar. Shameik Moore (Miles Morales) completely nails everything that is needed of this lead. Jake Johnson (Peter B. Parker) is hilarious as a disheveled version of the famous hero. It can be difficult to get comedic stuff across through voice only, but Johnson feels like he was born for it. I loved this take on the character. Hailee Steinfeld (Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman) is great, while Liev Schreiber (Wilson Fisk/Kingpin) and Katheryn Hahn (Olivia Octavius/Doctor Octopus) made for good villains. Thereâ(TM)s also good efforts from Brian Tyree Henry (Jefferson Davis) and Kimiko Glenn (Peni Parker). However, the show stealers had to be John Mulaney (Peter Porker/Spider-Ham) and Nicholas Cage (Peter Parker/Spider-Man Noir). Both are funny, with the latter killing it in each line. The delivery is expert from Cage. Iâ(TM)m a sucker for unique animation styles and this movie is gorgeous. It feels just like a comic book and is the kind of thing you need to see on the big screen or in as high quality as possible. The script is sharp, with each character getting enough time to shine and feel fully developed. The dialogue feels fresh, funny, and never forced. I love the overall plot and how the focus is on Miles growing into the role of a superhero while also dealing with his family issues. Throw in a TON of nods to the comics, games, TV shows, and movies of Spider-Manâ(TM)s past, and youâ(TM)ve got a true winner.

Weaknesses: Honestly, I canâ(TM)t really think of any. This movie has it all.

Overall: Weâ(TM)ve had so many Spider-Man movies in history and somehow, the ninth to feature the character feels the freshest. The filmmakers got every little thing right. From the animation to the voice acting to the story to the history to the post-credits scene. Outstanding.