This film is a PG, was released on December 12th 2018, and this review will contain NO SPOILERS
Introduction
We're nearly at the end of 2018, and looking back on the year, superhero movies have been some of the highlights for me. There have been many ups, a fair share of downs, but overall it had been an impressive year and I'm pleased with how many of the films turned out. But, when we thought we were done with this genre, there's just one more.
Thoughts Going In
I love superhero movies and I love animated movies, so in theory, this should be a match made in heaven for me. Well, there's a bit more to it. The trailers for this film had me conflicted. I was definitely going to see this film but I was concerned about it. The first two trailers were really fascinating, some terrific animation and some potential heart / depth. But, the third trailer made me think this film would be overstuffed with nonsensical plots, needlessly convoluted events, and comic relief characters. But, then the overwhelmingly positive reviews came out. Could I able able to put my concerns aside? Well, there was only one way to find out...
The Story
Miles Morales lives in one of many versions of Brooklyn. In his one, he's an awkward teen who can't seem to fit in at a new school, has a crush on a girl, and doesn't get along well with his father. One day, he's bitten by a radioactive spider. This leads to him experiencing many odd body / personality changes. He then realizes that he is turning into Spider-Man. Coincidentally, he runs into the real Spider-Man who is in the middle of a showdown at a huge machine which brings together multiple universes. Suddenly, many versions of the Web-Slinger turn up. An alternate version of Peter Parker, who is fat, old and tired, Gwen-Stacey / Spider-Woman, Spider-Noir, Peni Parker and Spider-Ham. Soon, they have to all get home before the universes collide and cataclysmic events ensue.
What I Liked
The most astonishing thing about this film is the animation. My goodness, this is by far the best looking animated film of the year, and that's saying something because this year, we've had Isle of Dogs. The style is completely made to resemble a comic book, and it beautifully succeeds. But, it isn't the great big flashes and such which impressed me, it was the little things such as dividing the screen to show multiple angles of / reactions to the same event, thought boxes popping up whenever a character is literally thinking out loud, the attention to detail with the dots and scratches on the screen, much like that which you'd see on the printed page of comic strip, or the coloured outlines around a character when they're out of focus, or the additions of onomatopoeia during action scenes. All of these elements of the animation made this a great viewing experience. The character animation was also tremendous. It reminded me of the recent Lego movies, very frantic and kinetic action which is very fast paced and bonkers. And if you know me, you know I love bonkers. The animation in this film is definitive wonder, Pixar finally has some genuine competition.
The jokes are brilliant. It's absolutely laugh-out-loud funny. This is interesting considering it's from Sony Pictures Animation, who only make an occasionally funny film. It doesn't rely on stupid kids' humour to make the audience laugh, it's so much more clever than that. But, the best jokes were about the character of Spider-Man himself. Every time a new Spidey character is introduced to us, it is done in the exact same way and does the exact same things but specific for that character. I'm not sure if this was intentional, but this seemed like the studio was implicitly joking about how we've seen so many versions of this character that hit the same beats, it was a really fun recurring gag. There are plenty of other jokes linked to Spider-Man's history, referencing the original comics, the various other films such as Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland, and so much more. I'm so happy I found this film as entertaining as I did. It felt a lot like The Lego Batman Movie but for Spider-Man.
But, what impressed me most, was that the story was very focused on its protagonist. It has so much going on both visually and plot-wise, but the story of Miles and his struggles of becoming Spider-Man on top of the rest of his life is always front and centre. It has a surprising amount of depth for an animated superhero movie. But not only does it work on an emotional level, but it is also really tense. You're so invested with this central character because of a really well drawn out relationship with his father and his peers, and when his life goes crazy as presented, the tension and excitement is present. What's also good is that it feels like things actually have consequences. As much as I enjoy the colossal conflicts in the MCU films, there is generally a lack of tension as we experience huge things happening with characters acting like it was nothing extraordinary. Well, it felt that way before we got to films like Civil War or Infinity War. Here, Miles is just a teen, that makes him so much more vulnerable than your average Marvel superhero. While he goes through all the events in the film, people get hurt, people think about how dangerous or scary certain things might be for him, some people even die. Even when things get a bit ludicrous towards the third act, you still feel something because of what you've seen this character go through and because of what we know about him. I was happy with this because it made me feel something more than just 'wow' or 'haha'. This is always an element that animated films struggle to achieve, because they tend to be too uncomfortable or unwilling to explore darker / more mature themes, and I'm glad this film was able to show it.
What I Didn't Like
Much like Sony's other recent Marvel outing, Venom, this film IS ALSO VERY LOUD!!!! But to be fair, it is justified here due to the stakes presented and the events occurring, so I can't get too annoyed, but I do prefer my films to not be like I'm being shouted at for 90 minutes.
Another complaint is also something that isn't necessarily bad about the film, but the frantic nature is best in smaller doses. I loved the speed that the gags and action moved at, but sometimes it can be a bit of an overload. Either too much going on on screen that it is actually hard to find something to focus on, or there's a joke that doesn't land. The latter is less of a problem because many unfunny jokes don't have time to have an effect on the audience because a funnier one will most likely pop up immediately after wards, but it's only when an elongated joke is unfunny, which is rare. It can also be a bit hard to follow at points, but that's probably just me. That's really my only main issue, the film can sometimes get a little bit carried away and deliver a bit too much despite doing just fine.
Conclusion
I thought Isle of Dogs would be the best animated film of the year, then I thought it'd be Incredibles 2, and then I thought it'd be Ralph Breaks the Internet. But in the very last month, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse claimed that title, in typical saving the best until last fashion. This film has the best, most visually sumptuous animation of the year, some really clever and well-thought out jokes, and a story which has proper heart, depth and tension all because of such a well-executed main character. I really enjoyed this film. Despite being a little bit overloaded with gags and visuals, which is a very minor thing, it's still satisfying on a narrative, humour and visual level. It's the best Sony Pictures Animation film since Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, which makes sense as it has Phil Lord and Chris Miller behind the scenes. So, if you were worried there wouldn't be enough quality entertainment this Christmas, this film further proves how much choice we have.
I'm going to give Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse an S
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