There is something special about Spiderman. Though not the most powerful superhero, he is unmistakably charming, with a good sense of humor, which was probably why his movies were the ones to launch the modern superhero genre. And because he is not so grim and serious, somehow the same characteristics spill over into his world, and as a result we get a very entertaining set of villains, just like for Batman.

Spiderman movies accomplish something that his comics can never do; the movies put us in his perspective, they bring out what it is like TO BE Spiderman, to be swinging about amongst the skyscrapers, to be jumping from high towers, to feel a constant vertigo, to see the world not the right way up but in a dizzying, roller-coastery, kaleidoscopic way. Into the Spider Verse takes it to the next level. The animators made NYC unrealistically tall so that spiderman’s jumps last way longer than physically possible, a lot of animation is done on two’s to make him look more fluid, there are action blurs, wide-lense cameras, and what not. And every Spiderman jumps and swings in their own style, adding personality and character to these motions. And the jump scene when Miles finally turns into Spiderman still gives me shivers.

I love that the soundtrack deviates from the traditional orchestral music. (Is there nothing that is ordinary about this movie?) One of my favorite bits about the soundtrack is the various motifs that play for the different characters. Most of the soundtrack is very contemporary, a lot of hip-hop, very aligned with Miles Morales personality. In my mind, the motif for Prowler is now the sound of purple. And the final end-credits scene is sooo trippy!

I also love the story. Instead of having multiple superheroes with all kinds of superpowers, which come in handy at just the right time against just the right kind of villain, all the protagonists have basically the same superpowers but slightly different personalities, slightly different stories, slightly different ambitions, but they still manage to bring in different things to the table (I love how Porky brings out a hammer to beat up Scorpion). And by doing this they somehow bring out the pillaring morality of the movie, that anybody can be a Spiderman behind the mask, you do not have to be born on a different planet or be born a billionaire.

But what makes the movie so great is simply the amount of work that has been put into its making. Not just any kind of work, but very dedicated, systematic work, guided by people with vision, people who love comics.

I have seen this movie three times in theaters and a few more times by myself, and I just cannot stop loving it. I really really hope this heralds a new age of superhero movies, a new age of animated movies, not movies like it but movies that are original like it, movies that require a lot of artistic effort and movies that are way out there experimenting and movies made by people who love movies.