Liam Hoofe reviews Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse The Official Movie Special…
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hit cinemas in the UK last week, and the animated superhero film has received widespread acclaim, with many, myself included, believing it to be the best superhero film of the year.
Receiving rave reviews from both the public and critics, the film has been a resounding success and to celebrate its release, Titan Comics has released a special edition book documenting the making of the movie and taking fans behind the scenes of one of the most innovative superhero films in years.
The movie itself is an innovative and fast-paced affair, and as a result, it can almost be a little difficult to stop and appreciate everything that you are seeing in front of you on the big screen. That’s where this book comes in the most useful- its detailed breakdown of the characters and the animation process really makes you realise all of the hard work and detail that has gone into making this film a reality.
Seeing individual shots from the film really highlights just how striking the animation in the movie is, and how much attention to detail has been put into each and every character.
Talking of characters, the book also provides a detailed breakdown of not just the protagonists in the movie, but also of the villains. Each character is given several pages, with a detailed background, some concept art, and a brief history of their time in the comics. The book also does an excellent job of not pandering to the hardcore comic fans, instead, giving a few references and starting points to those who may have just been introduced to these characters as a result of the movie.
The interviews with the directors here also indicate that the movie was just as fun to make as it was to watch, and interviewing the animators, who were arguably the real stars of this movie, is a really nice touch as well. It would have been interesting to have heard a little bit more from Phil Lord, the movie’s main scriptwriter, especially given how heavily he is referenced by all the other people involved in the creative process, but that’s a minor quibble.
On the whole, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse The Official Movie Special is a fitting companion to one of the most exciting and groundbreaking superhero movies in recent times.
Rating: 9/10
Liam Hoofe
