**NO CRITICAL SPOILERS** This movie is a revolution in the world of animated films. In an industry where so many aesthetics of different movies feel the same, there is little variety in the actual animation style big (and really bad, mainstream) studios such as Dreamworks and Illumination keep churning out. Films like Into the Spider-Verse show how much potential the animation medium still has left to uncover as a whole. By adopting a comic book theme, appropriate to the universe of Spider-Man, Into the Spider-Verse has a specific animation style consisting of not just wonderful character designs that seem realistic and stylized at the same time, but also lots of cut frames that make the action seem less fluid so that it actually looks like transitioning pages in a comic book. (Technically speaking, the film runs at 12fps instead of the standard 24 for snappier poses so it looks like a comic book.) And it's not just the animation; this movie excels in so many other aspects. It's one of the most innovative Spider-Man films to come out in recent times, completely removing Spider-Man himself from the role of the protagonist, replacing him with Miles Morales, a protagonist that comes across as exceedingly fresh, especially after being fatigued with so many pieces of Peter Parker media. The other characters are interesting, too. Peter Parker from the alternate universe is equally as interesting, representing a failed version of the hero that we had known to come and love. He manages to be equally as entertaining as the original, with an added, almost permanent dry sarcasm to his voice with every joke, signifying that he is perfectly conscious of his traits and has accepted his identity as a failure. And it raises so many interesting questions. What would've happened if this Peter Parker that we had come to know for so long had given up on life? What if he didn't have the strength to get back up and fight? This movie addresses that motif along similar lines. Gwen is also similarly interesting enough, and while she does have her own backstory, she isn't given as much screen time, and it looks as though part of her character was scrapped halfway through development. It doesn't matter, though, because, as Spider-Woman, with striking character design, she symbolizes a fresh perspective in this superhero world. She's really entertaining to watch on screen, and the chemistry she shares with Miles Morales proves to be convincing. The other Spider-People, involving a black-and-white WWII based crime detective, an anime girl from the next millennium (as an avid anime consumer, I find this reference to be absolutely wonderful), and even a cartoon news-reporting pig, are all great as characters, but never expanded to their full potential, and it's fine. Miles Morales' screen time is already being stolen enough. However, they have striking and amazing character designs that are absolutely unforgettable. The crime detective's got a black-and-white theme that becomes a running gag, the anime girl looks fantastic as a 2D character integrated into a 3D world, and the pig has cartoony squash-and-stretch animation that's a joy to watch on screen. Miles' uncle is an absolute phenomenon. He has a very important and involved role that makes the stakes feel so much more personal. Speaking of personal. Kingpin as the villain is absolutely fantastic, just fleshed out enough to be a villain, and though he has a tragic backstory, the film doesn't try to make that an excuse for his actions, and that's why he works so well as a character. (Dogo won't let me write much more.) The lighting, backgrounds, music, themes, and literally every other piece of this film is fantastic, but there's so much more to expand on, and the film warrants for a sequel. Do I care about its supposedly glaring flaws that other reviewers went to such lengths to show? No. Do yourself a favor and don't hold a bias against this film just because it's PG and animated. Watch it. 5/5.

**NO CRITICAL SPOILERS** This movie is a revolution in the world of animated films. In an industry where so many aesthetics of different movies feel the same, there is little variety in the actual animation style big (and really bad, mainstream) studios such as Dreamworks and Illumination keep churning out. Films like Into the Spider-Verse show how much potential the animation medium still has left to uncover as a whole. By adopting a comic book theme, appropriate to the universe of Spider-Man, Into the Spider-Verse has a specific animation style consisting of not just wonderful character designs that seem realistic and stylized at the same time, but also lots of cut frames that make the action seem less fluid so that it actually looks like transitioning pages in a comic book. (Technically speaking, the film runs at 12fps instead of the standard 24 for snappier poses so it looks like a comic book.) And it's not just the animation; this movie excels in so many other aspects. It's one of the most innovative Spider-Man films to come out in recent times, completely removing Spider-Man himself from the role of the protagonist, replacing him with Miles Morales, a protagonist that comes across as exceedingly fresh, especially after being fatigued with so many pieces of Peter Parker media. The other characters are interesting, too. Peter Parker from the alternate universe is equally as interesting, representing a failed version of the hero that we had known to come and love. He manages to be equally as entertaining as the original, with an added, almost permanent dry sarcasm to his voice with every joke, signifying that he is perfectly conscious of his traits and has accepted his identity as a failure. And it raises so many interesting questions. What would've happened if this Peter Parker that we had come to know for so long had given up on life? What if he didn't have the strength to get back up and fight? This movie addresses that motif along similar lines. Gwen is also similarly interesting enough, and while she does have her own backstory, she isn't given as much screen time, and it looks as though part of her character was scrapped halfway through development. It doesn't matter, though, because, as Spider-Woman, with striking character design, she symbolizes a fresh perspective in this superhero world. She's really entertaining to watch on screen, and the chemistry she shares with Miles Morales proves to be convincing. The other Spider-People, involving a black-and-white WWII based crime detective, an anime girl from the next millennium (as an avid anime consumer, I find this reference to be absolutely wonderful), and even a cartoon news-reporting pig, are all great as characters, but never expanded to their full potential, and it's fine. Miles Morales' screen time is already being stolen enough. However, they have striking and amazing character designs that are absolutely unforgettable. The crime detective's got a black-and-white theme that becomes a running gag, the anime girl looks fantastic as a 2D character integrated into a 3D world, and the pig has cartoony squash-and-stretch animation that's a joy to watch on screen. Miles' uncle is an absolute phenomenon. He has a very important and involved role that makes the stakes feel so much more personal. Speaking of personal. Kingpin as the villain is absolutely fantastic, just fleshed out enough to be a villain, and though he has a tragic backstory, the film doesn't try to make that an excuse for his actions, and that's why he works so well as a character. (Dogo won't let me write much more.) The lighting, backgrounds, music, themes, and literally every other piece of this film is fantastic, but there's so much more to expand on, and the film warrants for a sequel. Do I care about its supposedly glaring flaws that other reviewers went to such lengths to show? No. Do yourself a favor and don't hold a bias against this film just because it's PG and animated. Watch it. 5/5.