Phil Lord—one half of the duo responsible for The Lego Movie and 22 Jump Street—cowrote this animated Marvel Comics adaptation, and like the films he codirected, it exhibits a free-for-all wackiness reminiscent of 1930s Looney Tunes. Set in a parallel universe, the story follows a mixed-race teenage boy who transforms into Spider-Man after some baddies kill the original Spidey, Peter Parker. Those same villains have also opened up a portal to alternate realities, and soon enough, the young hero finds himself fighting crime alongside every iteration of Spider-Man in the Marvel canon. Maintaining a breathless pace, the filmmakers pile up sci-fi conceits, one-liners, and a melange of animation styles; as opposed to lots of other comic book adaptations, this actually captures the sensation of getting absorbed in a comic book. Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman directed.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse IMAX 3D
PG • 1 hour 57 min • 2018
