‘Spider-Man’ On The Big Screen: His Films Ranked From Worst To Best

1. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

Chock-full of breath-taking animation, witty dialogue, and tense action scenes, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse feels like a comic book come-to-life on the big screen.

The casting in Into the Spider-Verse is superb, with each voice perfectly fitting their character. Shameik Moore turns in a wonderful performance as Miles Morales, bringing the new Spider-Man to the big screen for the first time. Moore is able to seamlessly flow between a sense of confidence and vulnerability that adds to Morales’ shaky journey of self-discovery as he tries to figure out his place in a spider-filled world. Morales certainly has his fair share of jokes, but the comedic center of the movie is the classic Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man or at least a schlubby version of him played by New Girls star Jake Johnson.

There are a lot of praiseworthy things in Spider-Verse, but I’d be a fool if I didn’t mention the stunning animation first. Into the Spider-Verse utilizes a unique blend of 2D and 3D animation, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It’s slick, colorful and filled with little dots to give it a dynamic, pop-art feel. Thought captions and sound effect blurbs even pop-up on the screen, grounding the advanced animation in the flat comic book universe it’s depicting.

Using animation instead of live-action really allows each fight sequence to pop off the screen. The way each Spider-Man carries themselves in battle reveals something about their personality and it’s enjoyable to watch Miles slowly develop his own fighting style as he gains more experience behind the mask.

New York City is an essential element in Into the Spider-Verse. Miles, just like the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, is part of a community, and seeing him interact with random passersby makes his surroundings feel more real and lived in. The inclusion and focus on street-art and hip-hop also made Brooklyn, Miles’ home borough, feel more like a breathing, vibrant setting where Miles could really change and grow instead of a static place that capped his potential.

Underneath the grand, multiverse plot is a personal story that examines what it means to be a hero and epitomizes what the late, great creator Stan Lee stood for. Superheroes are at their most interesting when they are real people with real problems under the suit, and Into the Spider-Verse has no problem peeling away the perfections and looking at what it truly means to be an inspiring hero like Spider-Man.

– Nick Kazden