When I first saw the previews for this movie, not a single thing about it seemed appealing to me. Cartoons are not my favorite, the idea of more Spider-men other than Peter Parker scared me, and I just felt like it was a movie only fifth grade boys should see. However, when raving reviews started pouring in from sites like IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes, I decided to see what all the hype was about.

The opening scene was similar to that of any movie with a young male protagonist. A teen outcast moves to a new school under the discipline of his strict, yet loving father with high expectations and feels out of place in his new environment… Been there done that. The scene itself wasn’t terrible, but I definitely wasn’t floored by originality.

Miles, the main character, was lovable and sustained a nice arch throughout the movie, but his hero’s journey wasn’t unlike any other teenage protagonist’s. However, I really enjoyed the relationship between Miles and Peter Parker from the alternate universe because it had the perfect blend of playful banter and heartfelt sentiment and their connection didn’t feel forced. Overall, character development is definitely one of this movie’s stronger points.

I think the reason this film is so highly-rated by critics is the unorthodox animation and the killer soundtrack, because those elements are what sets it apart from any other cartoon or action movie. I loved how it was animated to look like a comic; that contributes to the superhero theme really nicely. The current and fun soundtrack also helps tie the movie together and keeps the younger audience engaged. The opening song, Sunflower by Post Malone, is one of my new favorites and I think it fits into the movie perfectly.

In my opinion, “Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse” is not as good as critics claim it to be, but is still entertaining and great for superhero fans. The plot is mostly formulaic with a few surprising points, and the theme to “never give up” isn’t exactly groundbreaking inspiration. It wasn’t a terrible movie, but I just don’t see how it to stands out in any particular way among other films of its kind and earned higher ratings than Oscar front-runners “A Star is Born” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

IMDB’s Score: 8.7 My Score: 6.4