2019 Film Reviews - 38: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse [dir. Bob Persichetti & Peter Ramsey; 2018]

This alternative take on the Spider-man franchise - in which several Spider-heroes from parallel universes are brought together to battle the Kingpin - certainly offers a feast for the eyes. The Lichtenstein-inspired drawings - confidently using bold lines and textured dots - pop with life and vitality, propelling the action from one frame to another (sometimes literally: the film makes frequent use of comic-book-style frames and layouts). The plot is little more than a bit of inspired silliness and the influence of The Lego Movie’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller isn’t as subversive as it might have been - I’d presumed the downright bizarre Peter Porker character was their invention, only to be informed that he’d already appeared in a few comics - but as far as movies in this genre go, Spider-verse was unpretentious, pleasantly diverting and harmlessly forgettable.

Dariush