We're often told that this film or that film is unlike anything we've seen before and often it isn't. When it comes to Marvel films, the opposite is true; they are close to 90% what we've seen before, mostly from the same studio, just villains and heroes are changed. The new Spider-Man film might just be the best feature Marvel have released. It's certainly unlike anything we've seen before from the juggernaut studio.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the animated origin film with a twist. Proudly displaying the fingerprints of those who were also involved in 21 Jump Street (2012) and its sequel (2014) as well as The Lego Movie (2014), Spider-Verse is self-aware in a way you want a genre that has become tired and too serious to be. Just like those films just mentioned, Spider-Verse is immediately endearing because it is playful and smart and funny and, well, hard to dislike. Even if you dislike superhero films, it knows why and agrees with you. If you strip it down to its story, it's a fairly simple narrative, but plays each element well and knows how to get the most out of familiar family relationships.
What raises Spider-Verse to another level is the visual delivery (it is as close as you may have seen to a paper comic coming to life). The animation is spectacular, rendering New York with a kinetic energy. The backgrounds feel real, yet part of a superhero world and that they move in and out of focus (at first you may think you're watching a 3D film without the glasses), soon becomes part of the charm. The city here, or the way it has been animated, is as much a part of the film as Spider-Man is, which should be the case with all superhero films; they are products of their neighbourhoods/environments. The different animated styles for each of the different spider threads and the perfect voice cast are the cherries on top. Interesting things are often done with animation, especially as the technology develops, from Waltz with Bashir (2008) to Loving Vincent (2017), yet Spider-Verse still manages to feel like a new development.
A visual treat.
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