Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse review

While the 21st century’s three big-screen Spider-mans – Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland – have all had their own charms in fun live action adventures, audiences finally get the Spider-Man and the Spider-Man movie we have been waiting for in this visually stunning, breathlessly paced animated movie. And we don’t just get one Spider-Man, either, we get six.

In an alternate New York in which Peter Parker has died, teenager Miles Morales gets bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes the new Spider-Man. However, just as he is learning about his webbed powers, evil mob boss Kingpin (Liev Schreiber) opens a portal to other realities and Miles suddenly finds he’s not the only Spidey out there – there’s cartoon pig Peter Porker (John Mulaney), an overweight, depressed Peter (Johnson), Spider-Gwen (Steinfeld), 1930s black and white Spider-Noir (Cage) and Japanese anime Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn). They’ve all been pulled out of their own universes and all need Miles’s help to get home.

While the movie keeps Miles front and centre, introducing us to his hard-working cop dad and slightly mysterious-but-cool uncle Aaron (Ali), all the other Spideys get their origin stories, too, delivered with infectious humour and the occasional sliver of sadness. Together on screen they are a joy to watch, with everyone sure to come away from the movie with their own personal favourite.

There’s a thumping, well-judged soundtrack, too, as well as sharp dialogue and tense plotting that will have you on the edge of your seat. But best of all are the visuals, which are so rich, bright and stylised that your eyes and brain will need time to adjust, and your jaw will be dropped from the first scene to the end credits.

Set in a world where anyone can wear the mask and be a hero, this is a fresh, vibrant, funny and clever Marvel movie that is a fitting tribute to the late Stan Lee, one of the best films of 2018 and the best Spider-Man movie that’s been made so far.