Full Reviews For SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Land Alongside The Movie's Rotten Tomatoes Score
You've seen the social media reactions but the embargo has lifted on reviews for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and they point to this being quite possibly the best animated movie of 2018...
It's been quite the year for Sony Pictures. Venom debuted to mostly negative reviews but has so far made over $800 million at the worldwide box office and now weeks before Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swings into theaters, it's being declared one of the greatest animated movies of all-time and compared to top-tier superhero movies like Spider-Man 2 and Black Panther!
As of right now, Into the Spider-Verse has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes with a "Critics Consensus" that reads, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse matches bold storytelling with striking animation for a purely enjoyable adventure with heart, humor, and plenty of superhero action."
Now, we've rounded up reviews (all spoiler-free, of course) from a number of outlets, including the trades, entertainment websites, and noteworthy publications. We even have some video reviews!
To check these out, all you guys have to do is click on the "View List" button down below.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse represents some of the best superhero storytelling on the market. The frenetic animation and freewheeling story offer audiences a sense of boundless dynamism. It’s not the first time a director has attempted to incorporate comic book iconography into a feature-film adaptation — see also: Ang Lee’s Hulk and Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World — but it’s the most appealing. Watching Into the Spider-Verse evokes feelings of sitting cross-legged on the floor of your bedroom, eating cookies and immersing yourself in outrageous, mostly inviting new worlds.
SOURCE: The Wrap
That’s sort of what Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is about, but in the end it plays more like a celebration of both insane comics continuity and the mutable nature of superhero identification. Characters endlessly derived from a single superhero power-set can be hackneyed, but when the movie bands a bunch of those characters together with a lead Spidey of black and Latino heritage, it’s making a convincing case for how familiar superheroes can refresh themselves when new faces take up the mantle. For that matter, it makes a cleverly self-serving case for an animated spin-off of a much-adapted character. This is the seventh Spider-Man feature film in 16 years, but this universe has rarely felt so fresh.
SOURCE: AV Club
Filmmakers may never recapture the magic of Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 2,” but with “Into the Spider-Verse” it seems a few of them have finally realized that they don’t have to keep trying. [B+]
SOURCE: IndieWire
This is not to deny the pleasures and welcome arrival of this fresh new approach to all things Spidey, the new cast of characters and the adventurous approach to animation that invigorates before staying too long at the party. There will almost certainly be more to be heard from this group of hipster crime fighters, who here have begun to carve out a fertile new neighborhood both in Brooklyn and the Marvel-Verse.
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter
Am I being too harsh? Spider-Verse has plenty of small delights, and it looks unique. You walk away wondering what a Miles Morales adventure will look like when it’s doesn’t also have to be meditation on the cruciality of the Peter Parker monomyth. (I liked it more than Homecoming, and it sure as hell is better than the Amazing Spider-Mans.) [B-]
SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly
The anxiety of power masked with a sense of quippy humor—saving the world and living up to the demands of heroism—has always been the central defining hallmark of “Spider-Man,” a vulnerable humanity we can all empathize with. And Lord and Miller and their team have distilled and redefined the concept for a whole new generation. Entrusted with the great responsibility of this iconic character, Lord and Miller and the “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” team deliver an eye-popping web of delights that will leave you smitten and blithely ensnared. [A-]
Diversity in Hollywood has been an evolving image and machine, with some studios stepping up to the plate in a big way. Sony Pictures Animation should be applauded as a trailblazer for not only changing the image of an already very familiar figure, but expanding that conversation into gender, socio-economic critiques, and the sub-division of society’s interpretation of what a superhero is, and what is their purpose. The directing team of Bob Persichette, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman‘s singular vision is a collaboration of geniuses, searching not only for perfect optics but a respectful interpretation for all engage. What a downright magnificent motion picture for the world to indulge. [4/4]
SOURCE: Awards Circuit
That Miles Morales can share the screen with one of the most recognizable icons in all of pop culture and still clearly be the hero of his own story is impressive, and a testament to the obvious love that went into crafting both the character and his world. Delivering that kind of emotion in a movie this big and brash is no small task. It’s the kind of achievement that brings to mind the adjectives usually attached to one of Peter Parker’s comic books. Amazing. Spectacular. Sensational. Welcome to the big time, Miles. Let’s do this again soon. [5/5]
SOURCE: Den Of Geek
Filled with high-flying superhero action and winning character-driven comedy, Sony's $90 million-budgeted Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is a quirky, charming, moving and thrilling superhero spectacular. It’s, perhaps by default, the best big-screen superhero toon since Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and it uses its fantastical premise to reassert the core of the character’s appeal while existing as an “everyone into the pool” love letter to both the characters and its enduring fan base. Sony’s decision to reboot with The Amazing Spider-Man back in 2010 and then again in 2015 via the MCU has led to Spider-Man becoming a go-to punchline for Hollywood’s obsession with IP recycling. That’s fair, but as long as we get moves as good as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, I’d be more than happy to watch Spider-Man forever.
Although the threads left hanging for a potential sequel may be somewhat more fascinating than the fairly by-the-numbers origin story of Miles, the multiverse does provide a unique twist on Miles' coming-of-age hero tale from awkward teenager to self-confident superhero. Still, at the end of the day, Into the Spider-Verse is Miles' story and his first big-screen starring turn will undoubtedly leave viewers wanting more from this Spider-Man. So it's a good thing Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sets up a sequel. [4.5/5]
SOURCE: Screen Rant
Sony knocked it out of the park with this one. It's the perfect movie to see with family over the winter holiday.
Go for the seven different versions of Spider-Man and stay for the animation. It's trippy, beautiful and will make you want to go out and buy a comic book. You're probably going to want to see this one twice to try and soak in all of the Easter eggs. [A]
SOURCE: Insider
Honestly, I love this movie and I love that it exists. I love that Sony took a risk on a (yes) somewhat complicated premise and turned it into something unique and funny and daring (and weird). I don’t always love the concept of “rooting” for movies to be financially successful, but I do hope Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse succeeds and sets off, not just a few more of these Miles Morales Spider-Man films, but also a whole plethora of studio-backed animated superhero films that can take real chances. This animated movie has more heart and emotion than most live actions films of this genre.
SOURCE: Uproxx
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hits all the marks to be an all-around moviegoing blast. Miles Morales has a memorable big-screen debut thanks to a compelling story and strong performances from its heroes and villain. Alongside Peter Parker, Miles’ journey from everyday teenager to a genuine city-saving superhero is one of the best Spider-Man movie stories ever. The addition of other multiverse characters doesn’t overshadow Miles’ story, though Kingpin does get a bit shortchanged. Taking a bold departure from the Pixar animation style we’ve come to expect from mainstream animated films, Into the Spider-Verse delivers a dynamic visual experience unlike any other. [9/10]
SOURCE: IGN
If Sony really wants to find a way to separate itself from Marvel, DC, and every other comic book adaptation out there, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to jettison its upcoming live-action Spider-Man spinoffs and just work on expanding the Miles Morales Spider-Verse. The framework is already there, as are a multitude of new characters embodying different takes and new points of view. That’s no doubt why the studio has already quietly started development on a sequel, as well as a Spider-Women movie that will focus on Gwen Stacey and other female heroes. There have been a lot of Spider-Man movies over the last 16 years, but Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is unique in a way none of the others can match.
SOURCE: The Verge
There is a lot to unpack with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and it’s hard for me to do anything at the moment outside of just gush. I’m thrilled we’re getting more movies in this vein, because we need them. In a world as fraught as it is and the emphasis on our heroes being flawed and often lose doesn’t make them more relatable, it just reminds us that things are dour all over. This movie is bright and exciting and funny and happy, and it’s definitely more adult in theme than I expected, but it’s the kind of superhero movie we absolutely need, with good people doing good and reveling in it, the way Spider-Man always should. [5/5]
As a Spider-Man fan almost since birth, I could pretend Into the Spider-Verse is the Spider-Man movie of my dreams, but that would be a lie. Into the Spider-Verse is beyond anything I’ve ever dreamed is possible — even after Sam Raimi gave us his incredible Spider-Man films and Kevin Feige and Jon Watts brought him into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even at their best, the live-action films still seemed bound in little ways by the rules of the real world; Into the Spider-Verse gets to embrace Spider-Man’s weird physicality and kooky imagery in ways they never could. As I wrote here on ScreenCrush a few months ago, this is the best time in history to be a Spider-Man fan. And this movie is yet another reason why. [8/10]
SOURCE: Screen Crush
At the same time, there is something perspicacious and daring about openly telling you that you are being told the same story over and over again, and then doing it again. And there is something marvelously refreshing in the self-awareness that the jaded, fattening Spider-Man exhibits in describing the whole thing as “some sort of silly cartoon,” or in permitting himself to be referred to as “a janky old broke hobo.” By the time the movie’s larger metaphysical point is laid out–which is that joining all of the different dimensions of the various Spider-Man worlds could lead to a destruction of the universe–you will buy it, because the ambience and Into the Spider-Verse will have utterly convinced you. [B+]
SOURCE: Splash Report
With its risky visual storytelling and tender script, Into the Spider-Verse earns the greatest honor that one can bestow on a Spider-Man movie: It somehow makes you want to see more Spider-Man movies. Including at least a few more for Miles Morales alone.
That’s almost a metaphor for how Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse fits into the web of 2018 Spider-Media. In a wide field of Spider-Mans to choose from, it is the strength of Miles Morales’ story that makes him a standout character. And Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has plenty of strengths to go around.
SOURCE: Polygon
There are enough action-packed scenes and surprises to keep the “Avengers” movie crowd wowed, yet what makes “Spider-Verse” an essential entry in the superhero canon is the richness of its good guys. Little girls can see themselves in Gwen and Peni, out-of-shape dudes will get behind 40-something Peter’s hearty appetite and snarkiness, and Miles stands as the most universal of them all, a multicultural kid navigating self-confidence and identity issues with entertaining moxie.
SOURCE: USA Today
From its look, to pulling off multiple character arcs without overwhelming the audience, to telling a story that’s actually worth following, the movie goes a step beyond any other animated movie released in 2018.
Spider-Verse not only returns Spider-Man to his comic-book roots, but reinstates that fundamental idea. In this telling of the story, it truly could be anyone behind that mask — a little girl, a grizzled detective, a middle-aged sad sack, maybe even another unassuming New York kid — and all the people wearing it are better together than they are apart.
SOURCE: Mashable
In the end, while the movie’s wit is its most satisfying selling point, “Spider-Verse” proves too clever for its own good. But in this universe, where audiences are suffering from the very real phenomenon of superhero overload, ambition and originality are to be encouraged, especially it broadens the mythology to include women, people of color, and yes, even that hammiest of scene-stealers, Peter Porker.
SOURCE: Variety
Get ready for the "Spider-Verse" to become your new favorite superhero universe, where porkers can be heroes and a leap of faith grants you access to one of 2018's most memorable theatrical experiences. [4.5/5]
SOURCE: We Got This Covered
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