Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is Sony’s animated Spiderman flick with a focus on the young and ambitious Miles Morales as opposed to Peter Parker.

Set on restoring his loving family, the villainous Kingpin builds a portal to retrieve his wife and son from another dimension. In the process, realities collide as various Spiderman characters are torn from their universe and brought together on “Earth 16-10,” or Miles’s comic book universe.

The ensemble of ‘Spider-people’ include Miles Morales, a young prodigy braving a new school and struggling with his sudden superpowers, a mid-thirties Peter Parker from a universe where his personal problems have gotten the best of him, the young charismatic ‘Spider Gwen,’ or Gwen Stacey, a teenage girl battling villains and the loss of her best friend, Spider-man Noir, a brooding vigilante who fights crime in the 1930’s, Penni Parker, a young girl with a psychic link to her Spider-like mech suit, and Peter Porker, a pig version of Peter Parker donned “Spider Ham.”

It’s refreshing to see a Spider-Man film headlining a different Spider-man besides Peter Parker. Although the original web-slinger will always be in our hearts, it’s time for some new storylines to make it into cinemas. Miles Morales is a fourteen-year-old who loves art, science, his family, and rapper Post Malone. Despite being voiced by 23-year-old actor Shameik Moore, Miles’s character in Spider-Verse feels very much like your average teenager. He’s awkward, spontaneous, and pursues his passions to no limit. These are all easily relatable characteristics for a young audience.

The animation style in Spider-Verse is incredibly innovative and deeply satisfying. The motion of the characters is very comic-like, making the film feel like a comic book come to life. Because of their style choice, the artists were able to incorporate more comic aspects into the film without making them feel out of place. Miles’s inner dialogue is portrayed through text bubbles, and his spider-sense is distinguishable through shapes that appear above his head.

For so long, many CGI films have followed the same design or format, making them feel like cheap knock-offs of one another. The humor and storylines are often repetitive and overused, not to mention stale and devoid of deeper meaning. Animated films have begun to feel like a quick way to make a buck and a ploy for advertisement. Hopefully, Spider-Verse will make animated adaptations more respected and demonstrate that there is incredible potential within the art form.Courtesy of Sony Animation

The film managed to pay homage to original designs and art styles from the comics within the animation. Some characters have exaggerated appearances, such as the Kingpin’s large size. This style of drawing the billionaire was coined by artist Bill Seinkiewicz, who was more than happy to see his version of Kingpin presented in Into The Spider-Verse. Artist Sara Pichelli, the co-creator of Miles Morales, contributed to the film by drawing a comic book cover of Miles that was used in his origin story sequence. Both artists were very pleased to see their interpretations of iconic characters reach a wider audience.

Although Miles Morales has been an incredibly popular character for years, this is his first time in a theatrical release. Miles is Afro-Latino, which was celebrated by fans on his introduction in the comic Ultimate Fallout #4. Many fans stressed the importance of diverse representation in comic books and fictional media. Spider-Verse is a huge hit with younger audiences, so it’s great to know that Afro-Latinx children will be able to see characters like themselves represented in popular media.

All in all, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is a beautifully told story with mind-blowing animation. The plot is raw and emotional, but also knows when to not take itself too seriously. Although the live-action superhero flicks may be star-studded and exciting, nothing can even compare to Spider-Verse. Say sayonara to repetitive storylines and bland action sequences, starving fans. This is the way comic book movies were meant to be made.