Spider-man: Into the Spiderverse

Yes, it’s a cartoon, and yes, I’m going to review it. I got a cheap Wednesday seat at the local multiplex, and I thought, why the hell not.

So what’s the deal here? Okay, the story is set in an alternative dimension where Spider-man is … different. Following the obligatory lab accident in a facility owned by the obligatory billionaire super-villain, the walls between dimensions are punctured, and Spider-folk from other realities start pouring through. The home-team Spider-man has to stop the villain and get his counterparts home … and that’s all I can say.

So what’s it like? Well, as I said, it’s a cartoon, so I wasn’t expecting to be blown away; but you know what? I think it was …

First off, this film is funny. I mean, really funny. I think it’s one of the best-written super-hero animations I’ve ever seen. The dialogue is crisp and tight, the animation is superb (though I found the 3D conversion hard on the eyes), and the action sequences are spectacular. There are some moments that are quite tragic, and others that are quite poignant (Stan Lee, making what was probably his final cameo appearance, brought a lump to the throat). 

These three are going to save the multiverse … believe it or not.

And the last ten minutes? A psychedelic roller-coaster without equal. I loved every second of it. 

Can you have too many Spider-men? No, apparently you cannot.

Nine out of ten.

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