Re-Reviewed: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was virtually perfect

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse remains a fan-favorite and it’s easy to see why.

When it comes to solo Marvel Comics characters starring in their own feature films, there’s one name that stands out above the rest.

Starting in 1977, Spider-Man has had 12 feature films spread across six franchises. And that doesn’t count the third installment in his MCU-adjacent Sony series starring Tom Holland currently scheduled for release on December 17, 2021.

What that does include is 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. This animated feature was a critical and commercial success, and may in fact be the best Spider-Man film of all time. There’s even an argument to be made that it might be the greatest superhero film of all time.

Spider-Man gets animated

The Wall-Crawler has a long history in animation, though the majority of it has been in the form of TV series. There have been several over the years, though the first one in 1967 remains the most memorable. That’s mainly because no one could figure out what his webs were attached to.

Animated feature films are a much greater rarity for Spider-Man, particularly ones that have received a wide release in theatres. Live-action films, on the other hand, have proven to be much more fertile ground for the Web-Slinger.

In addition to his multiple solo outings, Spider-Man has made appearances in several MCU films with more on the horizon. When it comes to feature films, he has certainly been more prolific in that style of movie.

That’s part of what made Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse so special. It’s rare to see an animated feature film with this character. That being said, this wasn’t the only reason why this movie was a standout success.

Building the Spider-Verse

Plans for an animated Spider-Man movie involving Phil Lord and Christopher Miller became a topic of conversation in 2014. Rather than focusing on Peter Parker, the movie would star Miles Morales, a newer version of the Web-Slinger originally from the Ultimate Marvel universe.

From there, the story was fleshed out to include other alternate universe versions of Spider-Man. That included classic iterations of the character such as Gwen Stacy, Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir, Peni Parker, and even Peter B. Parker.

The narrative was straightforward. Kingpin was trying to find versions of his dead wife and son from another reality to replace them. When he opened a test portal, the alternate reality versions of the Web-Slinger appeared in Miles’ home reality.

This worked out well for him. Morales had only recently acquired his powers and his reality’s version of Peter Parker was killed by Kingpin. He would need the other Spiders’ guidance, experience, and more to help him find his destiny.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse dominates

The movie hit theatres on December 14, 2018, to near-universal acclaim from virtually everyone who saw it. That includes fans, critics, and pretty much everyone else trying to make any kind of Spider-Man film.

Almost every piece of the puzzle was perfectly put into place. That included the unique art style, the score, the voicing, and the story itself. All of it came together to create something that no one saw coming and nearly everyone loved.

This is a work of art that is accessible to any demographic. Anyone remotely interested in Spider-Man or comic book movies in general was entranced by this film, and rightfully so. It fired on all pistons. There’s nothing that needs to be changed.

It hasn’t even been three years since the movie came out but the industry moves at a brisk pace. Fans forget some films quickly since multiple new releases come out every week. But Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse will remain a classic for years to come, not to mention a fan favorite.

Have you seen Into The Spider-Verse? If so, are you a fan? Let us know in the comments below!