Truth be told, Into the Spider-Verse had me hyped in all sorts of ways. Even with my expectations through the roof, the movie met them all with exact fashion and satisfaction. Still, let's not forget the other Spidey films that came before it. Sam Raimi took the world by storm with his trilogy starring Tobey Maguire. Marc Webb, well, did his best with Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2. Last but not least, Marvel bringing their webhead home for Homecoming was quite the treat. However, even with all those entries on the big screen, there's something about Miles and his gang of Spiders that was better than all of them.
First and foremost, it's the uniqueness of Spider-Verse that sets it apart from the other Spider-Man movies. In the Raimi trilogy, Webb's take and now Tom Holland's version, they all follow the same concept. Boy gets bitten by spider. Gets powers that he has to learn. Takes down a villain that's somehow connected to his personal life. And oh yeah, there's a girl thrown in the mix. Now, there's nothing wrong with that formula. After all, they're all based from the comics.
However, it's Spider-Verse that takes that simple story and adds some seasoning. Miles gets mentored by an older, washed up Peter Parker. There's dimensional travel involved. So in result, different Spider-people from other dimensions drop by and help out. Don't forget the fact that this is the first animated Spider-Man movie, and the animation in particular is outlandishly beautiful.
It sounds like a lot going on, because it is. However, the sharp writing and solid storytelling is what keeps everything contained. With the wrong direction, this movie could have been a complete mess. So, it's really a good thing it wasn't.
Also, this is the first time Kingpin was the main villain in a Spider-Man film. A very well thought out and intimidating villain, at that. When it came to the bad guys, Spidey films have been hit and miss with them. No worries here however, as Kingpin and his band of crooks are all compelling without a doubt.
Forgetting about all the stuff the revolves around Miles Morales for a second, it's nice to see they made his character interesting but still relatable. He didn't feel like a carbon copy of Peter Parker, yet he was still as likable as him. Even though there were plenty of main characters in this film, it didn't detract away from Miles too much at all. At the end of the movie, you still felt like it was his movie. It just had other components in it to spice things up.
Overall, Into the Spider-Verse was such a huge experiment that could have gone sideways. However, it took everything I love about Spider-Man and turned it up a notch. The animation was perfect, the story was perfect, and even the pacing was nearly perfect (the beginning was a bit all over the place).
Personally, I will always love Spider-Man: Homecoming. The Raimi trilogy will always stay close to me. Heck, I'm even in the minority to be a fan of the Amazing Spider-Man franchise.
Still, it's Into the Spider-Verse that reigns king. The bar has been set so high, that it may not even be touched again. Time will tell, but for fans like myself, it doesn't get much better than this.
ComicBookMovie.com, and/or the user who contributed this post, may earn commissions or revenue through clicks or purchases made through any third-party links contained within the content above.