Homem-Aranha: No Aranhaverso

A coming of age movie for the whole animation genre, which stays true to its medium while nicely embracing the comics medium.

A really moving movie with an ambitious approach, that surprised me at how much spiderman is instilled in my psyche...even as much as Superman is.

The movie simply embraced how the character is a cultural phenomenon, and stopped treating it as merchandise.

There's hardly anything I would improve about this film. The visuals, concepts, soundtrack, characters, pace, humor and animation are all some of the best I've ever seen in any film; I was worried the hype would ruin it for me, as it always does, but not even the group of kids in the theater who wouldn't stop loudly talking could ruin it for me. It is visually engaging and beautiful in every scene, not to mention with an incredibly unique art style, and is honestly something other animated movies should have to look up to for a long time. The only real issue I can think of is the flashing lights, which really alienates any epileptic audience, but even then it's done so in a beautiful and artful way.

So many have commented, so I will be brief. From an intriguing plot to wonderful characterizations using drop dead animation, this film works. About ten minutes into it it thought, "This is just a kind of hip hop version of Spiderman." But the main character is suddenly thrust into a world which he must learn quickly to manage. The canon takes a turn here toward incredible creativity. I avoid mainstream animation, but this has restored my faith.

The worlds of superhero movies and superhero comics are not as similar as they seem on the surface. Currently, film studios are all about the "extended universe", seeing how many different titles and characters they can shove into one franchise (Avengers, X-Men, Justice League), making for an easy way to squeeze a few extra bucks out of their lesser known properties. Comics have this as well, of course. However, they also have something modern movies haven't really tapped into yet: story one-offs, a chance for a storyteller to create a unique tale and not be constrained by the implications on or from the larger universe. Spider-Verse gets to do just that, while playfully taking on the fun (if convoluted) absurdity of extended superhero universes. Listen, I hear you. "How could we possibly need another Spider-Man movie?" Spider-Verse understands that question and has a take on it. Yes, Peter Parker is here. In fact, there are two Peter Parkers. There's also a Spider-Woman, a Noir Spider-Man, an anime Spider-Girl/Robot, and a Spider-Pig. At the center though is Miles Morales, an Afro-Hispanic Brooklyn teen who must help these other Spider-People get back to their own planes of existence. He fights with his cop dad, he adores his shady uncle, hates being simply the smartest kid in the room, and just wants to do something that matters. Being Spider-Man wasn't his idea, but hey, when a radioactive spider gives you powers, what choice do you have? Look, I don't have any sort of hot take on this movie. It looks great, the humor pops with surprises, the voice casting is beyond perfect. It's simply a stylishly exciting and refreshingly unique take on the superhero genre, and sometimes that's more than enough.

Heads-up: I'm only going to be talking about Peter Parker in this review. I'll make a separate one for the film laterm I just feel like he deserves his own review. That's how great Peter is in this film.

Into The Spider-verse reminds us why we love Spiderman so much, and does so in an original and humane way.

I used to love Spiderman as a kid. I got obssessed with the cartoons he starred in as well as the original movie trilogy, one that actually helped me get interested in the character and marvel as a whole. But my love for this character, as most things, dissolved and it never got around to build itself up again, even after constant remakes and wonderful performances. I never felt that spark again, that love I felt for this charming dude was gone, dead.

Then Into The Spider-verse came, and my whole world turned upside down. I felt a fire inside my stomach. There it was, that long-forgotten love for Peter Parker, one that I thought I would never experience again, expanding continuously as the movie progressed, hitting me in all the right places.

I'd even dare to say that this movie made me understand the reason as to why spider-man is universally loved:

He's an everyday guy with super powers, that's it. He's flawed but pure at heart. He's relatable. He belongs to the people. He's one of us.

This movie's fresh take on Peter Parker is exactly what we needed to fully grasp that, how compelling this character can be without using any of his super powers. This version of Peter Parker is fat, subtly depressed, and tired, yet he's the most charming and lovable version of this character yet. It's something we haven't seen in quite a while, the genuine humanity that makes Peter Parker such a charismatic character, and one can only be thankful for it.

Spider-man is cool again, but in a totally different, and perhaps even better, way. Just your everyday dude taking a leap of faith, giving the audience who relates to his struggles courage to do the same. This is what Spiderman can be and what he should be. A character that's ours, a character that teaches you that anyone can be a hero, that's the real Spiderman. This is the true Homecoming. Spiderman is freaking back! Welcome home!