Updated review 4-9-19
I've now watched this movie 10 times since getting it on digital and then Blu-ray and can safely say this is a rare, near perfect movie. This is of course my opinion and I understand why this movie isn't for everyone. Let's break down a few of the reasons why for each of these points.
If we had a list of everything that can be done to make a near perfect movie, this movie checks every box. The visuals have been talked about endlessly. It won an Oscar for them. We know they're great.
The story is great, giving us a new Spider-Man with his own skills and personality that he brings to the table. The script is tight and the production is executed with laser precision.
The voice acting is nothing short of top notch. This is easily the second best thing about this movie right behind the glorious visuals.
Shamiek Moore has quickly grown on me over the ten times I've watched this movie. His range is as good as any veteran actor and he injects so much life into Miles Morales. He IS Miles Morales.
Chris Pine did not phone in the short amount of lines he had whatsoever. Just superb casting because he and Jake Johnson sound pretty similar. And oh boy, Jake Johnson.
I never understood why JJ had gotten so wildly popular over the last several years. With this movie I finally understand. I get it. It clicked. From the moment he pops up in this movie around the 20 minute mark till the end, Jake turns in one of the voice acting performances perhaps of all time. He succeeds in bringing a past his prime Peter Parker to life and runs the gamut of dramatic, sincere, intense, but above all FUNNY. Every single comedic line never fails to make me laugh out loud. Many of the gags pop into my head while I'm working or doing something else and I'll chuckle and repeat the line to myself.
I've always enjoyed Hailee Steinfeld and she shines in this movie along with all the supporting cast.
The greatest thing about this movie also happens to be its weakness. For me, the visuals are second to none. Another review title summed it up perfectly. "The most visually stunning movie I've ever seen". Absolutely agree. And while it takes a little time - usually 10-15 minutes - for your eyes to adjust to the frame rate, some people apparently can not adjust to this. I can imagine how poor that viewing experience would be, too bad really. Another thing is since they didn't use actual motion blur, but instead chose to animate blur-like artifacts and tricks to make it seem like blur, or having images doubled and overlapped for a ghosting effect, it confuses some people into thinking they're seeing the 2 images of the 3D version without the glasses. And lastly, the sheer intensity of some of the rapid action sequences combined with visual aesthetic pushed just beyond the breaking point and then dialed ever so slightly back by the direction team, it's just simply too much for some people. I get that.
As far as continuity/plot holes and things of that nature, I think the movie could actually stand to be about 15-20 minutes longer. There really aren't many issues though so maybe this is just me being greedy for more visuals.
Original review: Sure, we can dissect and critique and praise using any number of words we choose, but in the end to actually appreciate truly great art, it simply must be experienced in the medium in which it was created. For this movie, it was lovingly crafted in 3D, and so in my opinion can only be fully realized by the viewer in 3D.
What is a comic book movie, and what makes it great? From the original Superman where we first saw a comic book hero fly, to Burton's dark and stylized Batman, to the graphic novel style Sin City, live action ensemble X-MEN, Spider-Man, Iron-Man, The Dark Knight, the entire MCU....all of these are comic book movies, and depending on your personal definition probably range from good to great. And they're all live action with varying degrees of special effects, and some with animation. If you had to pick ones that 'feel the most like a comic book', you'd probably pick Sin City for the overall look, and the phase 3 MCU films for a combination of visuals and capturing the tone and spirit of the comic book story arcs.
But they aren't literally animated comics. The closest to that would probably be the animated movies, right? Like Mask of the Phantasm or any number of the Marvel animated movies. But again those are really 'just cartoons', and I don't mean that in a bad way. They're simply cartoon versions of comic books.
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is quite literally an animated comic book, and yet it is so much more at the same time. It's an explosion of comic book ink and paper, a dizzying palette of superbly rich colors, a jaw dropping display of digital artistry melded with living, breathing characters we care about, a story that is perfectly derived from the very medium in which it is being created and yet not for one single moment ever feels forced or hollow, a soundtrack fused with an endless exploration of a massive city, staggeringly sized scientific chambers, gigantic forests, and neon-electric-digital-dreamscapes of action set pieces that whir and click and come to life exactly as they do in the minds of children reading them on paper.
This movie is breathtakingly good in every aspect. Like-I'm-questioning-my-sanity-is-it-really-as-good-as-I-think-it-is!?!? Yes. Yes yes yes.
Remember the old Sega game Comix Zone? And how it was like "oh wow! It's a comic book come to life!"? This is like that, with modern technology, cranked up a thousand times.
But here's the most important part - *it was all done in the right way, by the right people, at the right time*. It feels like this project was greenlit and handed to the very people who created comic books themselves with a "here ya go, you have full creative control. Oh and by the way you have an unlimited budget! And resources! Have as much fun making a great movie as you possibly can!"
My first job was working in a movie theater. I took full advantage of being able to see free movies. I've built a decent surround sound system with all the creature comforts and have a growing library of movies. From the re-release of the original Star Wars trilogy, to each of the prequels and to the ongoing trilogy today, T-2, Titanic, the original X-Men, Avatar, The Dark Knight, Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War and so many more...I've gone to many, many big movie theater events for the experience. And I can safely say hands down that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 3D is the best moviegoing experience I have ever had. It's that great.
