Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

I'm not sure how in a time when Sony and Disney were battling over the rights for Spider-Man an animated film released at the tail-end of 2018 happened but miraculously fans of the webbed hero were treated to another outing with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

While Thanos was busy collecting Infinity Stones, three directors and two writers (including The Lego Movie's Phil Lord) came together and created something very different from the usual Spider-Man film. Combining modern CGI animation with a comic book style, Into the Spider-Verse follows teenage New Yorker, Miles Morales, being bitten by a spider and finds himself with the same powers as the city's famous wall crawler. Meanwhile, Kingpin is playing with science and causes some dimensional havoc resulting in there being a few more Spider-Man like characters dotted around the city. I'd hate to spoil anymore than I have done so that's the story. Done!

Having only caught glimpses of this I wasn't sure what to expect other than it looked pretty but it's one thing to see a clip and another to watch the film. Right from the get-go we're treated to not only gorgeous visuals but also stellar direction, a fantastic screenplay and a great soundtrack to accompany a film that quite rightly won the Oscar for Best Animation. Above all that is the film's fresh sense of creativity that makes it a joy to watch, while being backed by a clever balance of drama and comedy that's owes much to the talented cast of actors lending their voices.

Without further ado, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a great film and I hope Sony/Marvel see the potential in this creative style of storytelling to make more films like this. Even if you're not into animation, there is more than enough here to win over your attention and keep you invested. As for everyone else and fans of Marvel, this is a very easy recommend.