Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Combines an Interesting Plot and Bold Visuals to Create a Spectacular Animated Feature Film

One of the most iconic Marvel superheroes, Spider-Man has had many on-screen incarnations over the years. From the performances of Toby Maguire to Tom Holland, the character of Peter Parker has become one that is incredibly familiar to fans of comics and films alike. What makes Into the Spider-Verse so wonderfully refreshing is its willingness to take a leap of faith and delve into the story of a lesser known Spider-Man, Miles Morales.

Drawing heavily from the Ultimate Universe and Ultimate Spider-Man comics, this film follows Miles' journey towards becoming Spider-Man and how he joins forces with versions of Spider-Man from other dimensions in order to stop Kingpin from destroying the multiverse. This is a film that is clearly made for comic fans. It is extremely faithful to Marvel's ultimate universe and is packed full of references that are clever and detailed that fans of the comics will take great joy in picking out. But even if you're unfamiliar with the comics there are still plenty of references to the previous Spider-Man films.

Spider-Verse is impressive in the way that it proves to be enjoyable regardless of your level of previous knowledge, as the interesting variety of characters, action sequences and plot are all engaging on their own. Miles is a young and emotional Spider-Man who is incredibly endearing, and the array of other characters including Peter Parker, Spider-Gwen, and Spider-Man Noir provides a group of heroes who are diverse and interesting, both in terms of their back stories, dispositions and how they are visually represented. The inclusion of Spider-Ham and Peni Parker allows for multiple styles of animation to be incorporated into the film, however they aren't particularly focused on compared to the other characters and only function as sidekicks.

One of the many things that this film does exceedingly well is exposition. Despite there being six different Spider People, their individual back stories are told in a way that is sharp, interesting, and to the point. The film conveys its premise and ideas about the multiverse in a concise manner, and at no point does it feel overstuffed, despite its multiple main characters. The choice to set the film in an alternate universe is what makes this film feel so exciting. Not only does it allow us to get to know a new Spider-Man, but we are also introduced to interesting new versions of familiar villains, such as Doctor Octopus and Green Goblin. This gives a new perspective on Spider-Man and it is incredibly refreshing to experience an origins story that is both familiar and yet completely new.

Visually, Spider-Verse is a masterpiece. It is so stylistically fantastic that even on casually viewing the film it is clear that every aspect of it has been carefully considered, down to each individual frame. Each frame could easily be a panel in a comic, and this effect is completed by text boxes and visual sound effects that come together to give this film a unique visual style. It very much seems like a homage to comics, almost like a comic book given motion. Spider-Verse is unlike any other Spider-Man film that has been produced in recent years. Whilst dealing with a story that we are all familiar with, this film also feels completely unique. Its diverse characters, interesting plot and captivating visuals combine to give us a spectacular animated feature film that is an absolute delight for Marvel fans.