Metacritic score: 87
No Spider-Man movie should ever leave its audience asking: What made this one different?
Rest assured, true believers: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won’t let you down.
The new animated movie is a sleek and soaring, a wonderful paean to the spirit of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s legendary webslinger, embodying the relentless hope and optimism of its hero in such a classic way.
It also breaks exhilarating new ground — via dazzling fight scenes and thrilling action sequences that live-action filmmaking doesn’t always allow for — in a way that feels tremendously innovative, while still traditionally Spidey.
Through the story of a new Spider-Man, one Miles Morales, writers Phil Lord (who co-directed the film) and Rodney Rothman seem to inherently understand the wide array of joys, fears, and uncertainties that all kids experience, and that all adults are familiar with. Into the Spider-Verse treats its characters’ emotions with care and validity, all the while trying to solve a puzzle that has long stumped people of all ages: Who am I supposed to be? And the scarier follow-up: What if I don’t deserve that identity?
