SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Blu-ray Review

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital)

Release Date: March 19, 2019

Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Video: 2.39:1 1080p Widescreen

Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, French (Canada) Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, English DVS 5.1

THE RATINGS

The Movie Itself - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Video Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Audio Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Special Features - ★ ★ ★ ½ ✰

Overall - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

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THE FILM ITSELF Our Reviewer's Take
Believe the accolades. A trip to the Spider-Verse is one totally worth taking.
Reviewed by Gavin King

A quote from film critic Peter Travers of Rolling Stone on the back of the Blu-ray case of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse reads: "Not only the coolest Spider-Man epic ever, it's one of the best movies of the year." This isn't a hyperbolic marketing tactic. This is a brilliantly constructed and gorgeously animated work of heart (and art) that breathes so much fresh air into the animation department. It's inventive, smart, wild, irreverent, knowing, colorful, dreamlike, and a straight-up blast from beginning to end. It's without a doubt my favorite animated film of 2018 and one that will be remembered by film connoisseurs for years to come.

Web slingin' Spider-Men!

Meet teenager Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), your typical high school pal with plenty of friends and a loving family. One night after a hectic school day, he meets up with his Uncle Aaron (voiced by Mahershala Ali) to paint some graffiti in a nearby abandoned subway station. While creating his latest work of stylized art, Miles is bitten by a radioactive spider with the name "Alchemax" engraved onto its abdomen. He fends it off like it's nothing but begins to realize some strange things the next day. He's become noticeably taller, his hands stick to anything he touches, and he can turn invisible. Cool stuff, but Miles still wonders; what in the world is happening? Is it puberty? Apparently not, he finds out when he returns to the location of the spider bite. He discovers what's supposedly the "one and only" Spider-Man (voiced by Chris Pine) battling the gigantic, hulking Kingpin (voiced by Liev Schreiber). Spider-Man and Miles come face-to-face during the fight and come to a dramatic realization - the two are related in very similar ways. Before he can find out more, Spider-Man is defeated by Kingpin's monumental forces. Miles manages to escape back home where he hears the confirmed news that the "one and only" Spider-Man has been confirmed dead. At his grave, Miles comes into contact with - if you can believe it - another Spider-Man? That's right, Miles meets Peter B. Parker (voiced by Jake Johnson), who shares the same characteristics Miles has recently been infused with. The two reluctantly join forces to put a stop to evil Kingpin's menacing actions, and along the way learn that they just might not be the only "Spider-People" out there.

As has already been said by hundreds of film buffs, this is such a fresh, invigorating, captivating film. Kudos to masterclass animated film phenoms Phil Lord and Chris Miller for inventing such a unique style of animation; it's no surprise it's so effective considering their talent in past passion projects such as the modern classic The Lego Movie. The entire film is essentially designed to make viewers feel as though they've stepped into the pages of a comic book. Small little homages like blocks of text describing the details of the story and Ben-Day dots that further reinforce the authentic page-by-page feel are simply the icing on the cake. There's no shortage of insanely intelligent, smart, and clever touches sprinkled throughout the entire runtime - yes, even those credits, believe it or not - that brings the viewer closer to the film's central conflict, characters, locations, and universe.

So how many of you want a cookie?

And that brilliance doesn't only extend to the presentation of the film. The inhabitants of the Spider-Verse aren't simply shoe-ins on a checkoff list designed to sell vinyl figurines and other merchandise. These are varied, alive characters with unique personalities that may differ but never cease to enthrall. We could talk about the brooding yet interesting Spider-Noir (voiced by Nicolas Cage), who supposedly "fight Nazis" and resides in the 1800s. Or there's anime Peni Parker (voiced by Kimiko Glenn) and her lovably Big Hero 6-like robot friend SP//Dr. And we can't dismiss the hilarious Spider-Ham (voiced by John Mulaney) whose style is clearly inspired by old-fashioned cartoons of the golden age. The filmmakers could have easily made all of these "Spider-People" a bunch of regular 'ol humans with a touch or two to differentiate them all, but they instead took the rewarding road out and brought distinct life to each and every one of their personalities and designs. It's only bettered by the fact that they all boast their own peculiar little animation styles - Spider-Ham is a bit smeary and cartoonish, Peni's style features a slightly lower frame rate as per anime trademark, and so on. Each character is also incredibly well thought-out in a narrative sense. There's the high school kid who wants to please his parents. There's the middle-aged dude with the lowbrow demeanor. There's the teenager who's just trying to find her place in the world. There's an amazing, wonderfully emotionally resonant moment later on in the film where Spider-Ham tells Miles, "The hardest part about this job is you can't always save everyone." This isn't simply a pew-pew-pew superhero jaunt with sparkly colors, loud sound effects, and iconic costumes, though those who find pleasure in taking the film that way will have plenty to satisfy their needs. At its core, this is a film about finding your inner superhero, not so much in the way you sling a web or jump from building to building but finding the innermost emotions that make you who you are as an individual. It's exceptionally written and the film's ability to tell a story beyond all the superhero-laden artificialities is striking.

So yeah, wonderful themes, wonderful screenplay, wonderful voice acting, wonderful animation, wonderful characters... If I were to ramble on about the rest of what makes this film so exceptional, I'd likely bore all of you kind fellows to death. It's been said before, and I'll add to the list: this film is a masterwork. I could go on and on but you've probably heard plenty from other, more talented reviewers praising the film's excellence to unimaginable heights. So I'll just close off here and order you all to go watch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Because it's as good as you've heard. I'm not just another movie buff jumping on the "Spider-Verse is amazing" bandwagon just because. Watch it for yourself and you'll understand why it's being hailed as one of the finest animated triumphs of the twenty-first century. Trust me - you won't regret it. In fact, you'll most likely be swept away in its fantastically immersive little utopia. I've said what needs to be said. Put on your superhero gear and enjoy.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Blu-ray - Video Quality

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's Blu-ray presentation... just wow. This thing is stellar. And this is being said during a time when UHD content is in full swing. But make absolutely no mistake: this Blu shines from minute one to 117th. I've already discussed the visual inventiveness of the film above, so I'll keep a chunk of this brief, but the image is eye candy in every imaginable way. The high def source never fails to burst out the filmmakers' hard work; every single small detail and nook and cranny is rest assured accounted for. From tiny bits in Miles' apartment to sleek and modern designs inside Alchemax labs, it's nothing but the best around here. Small fades and the aforementioned Ben-Day dots and other intentional comic book imperfections are just as impressive; as the filmmakers claim, "You could pause almost any moment in the movie and it would look like a page from a comic book". Colors are eye-gougingly extensive and borderline brilliant; the unequivocal highlight is no doubt the splashes of technicolor during tense battle sequences, especially during the film's final act. Seriously... you'd have to be a cynical grump to find fault with this presentation. No issues with black levels, no issues with compression artifacts (in fact, even if there are any, they're intentional)... Spider-Verse on Blu-ray doesn't disappoint in the slightest. Go Spider-crazy!

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Blu-ray - Audio Quality

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse blasts off with an absolutely prodigious and totally assertive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track that will test the muscles of your surround sound system. (For the record, the companion UHD release does boast a Dolby Atmos soundtrack... but that's beside the point.) You know you're in for one hell of a fun track when the power gets going right away with the opening logos; glitching noises and Daniel Pemberton's awesome score submerse the stage with amazing command and prowess. But that's only half of it... moments of battle are nothing short of astounding audio-wise, and the listening area is seamlessly transformed into a chaotic Spider-Verse tussle. Slick dynamics, loud sound effects, and thick bass all do the trick in most every scene they're called upon. The subwoofer is not afraid to get dirty. Whereas some animated movies' sound mixes tend to keep bass action less-than-heavy so as not to scare the little ones in the audience, Spider-Verse breaks convention by using the low end as a critical component to further grasp listeners right into the vortex of all the onscreen activity. Again, Pemberton's score sounds incredible in the mix no matter what the mood of it may be. Ambience is phenomenally realized; NYC streets, school clamor and chatter, a vast forest during the Alchemax escape, and plenty more further prove the track's sublime ability to make the listener feel like a Spider-Man. Dialogue sounds clear and sharp through it all, never tinny and perfectly coordinated with the screen. To say it's a great little track would be an understatement; even without overhead components the UHD brings to the table, it's powerful, detailed, smooth, pounding, and altogether totally satisfying.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Blu-ray - Special Features

Of interesting note is Sony's addition of the Alternate Universe Mode, which intercuts the Spider-Verse film with scenes from the film in storyboard stages, filmmaker notes, and more. As the back of the Blu-ray case puts it: "Discover alternate scenes, plotlines, characters, and more with the filmmakers as your guide."

- Filmmaker Commentary With co-writer and producer Phil Lord, producer Christopher Miller, directors Peter Ramsey and Bob Persichetti, and co-director and co-writer Rodney Rothman. An excellent commentary track that discusses how the filmmakers got the finished product to be the incredible result that it is.

- "Caught in a Ham" Short (1080p, 4:01) The lovable Spider-Ham (a.k.a. Peter Porker) tries to defeat the maniacal Dr. Craw-Daddy. There's a super humorous bit that pokes fun at the specifics of Adobe Flash that had me rolling.

- We Are Spider-Man (1080p, 7:51) This featurette discusses the themes that make this brand new iteration of Spider-Man so impactful, most notably the character of Miles Morales but also touching on Spider-Gwen and more.

- Spider-Verse: A New Dimension (1080p, 5:09) This piece unlocks the secret to how the filmmakers coined the inventive comic-book animation style you see in the finished product.

- The Ultimate Comics Cast (1080p, 15:02) Talks up the film's diverse voice cast and how their performances brought life to their characters - and the film itself.

- Designing Cinematic Comic Book Characters: Heroes and Hams (1080p, 7:45) Discusses how the filmmakers distinctly designed each of the Spider-Verse's unique characters - how they made each one different from the rest, etc.

- Designing Cinematic Comic Book Characters: Scoundrels and Scorpions (1080p, 5:11) How did the filmmakers make Kingpin so menacing-looking and hulking? What makes Doc Ock such an interesting villain? This featurette talks up how the filmmakers concocted each of the film's iconic villains.

- A Tribute to Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (1080p, 8:34) The cast and crew pay their respects to and discuss the late Marvel legends Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

- The Spider-Verse Super Fan Easter Egg Challenge (1080p, 5:02) So... what did you miss the first time around? The Spider-Verse team is here to uncover all of those hidden little secrets.

- Lyric Videos Include the following: Sunflower by Post Malone, Swae Lee (1080p, 2:47) and Familia by Nicki Minaj, Anuel AA, Bantu (1080p, 3:00).

- Previews Additional Sony Pictures titles.

SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE Blu-ray - Overall Recommendation

There's a reason Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse took home the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. It's absolutely amazing in just about every way. It's a nonstop sugar rush of awesomeness from beginning to end and is guaranteed to have comic book crazies and animation junkies like me grinning like an insane person as they become one with the Spider-Verse gang. The characters are lovable and infectious, the animation is out-of-this-world great, the voice acting is perfectly cadenced with each character's mood and motivations... the list could go on and on but, again, I'd probably dull you all to death. Case in point: Spider-Verse is one of 2018's finest films, and it's made even better through Sony's wonderful Blu-ray package. Tremendously satisfying video and audio quality and a rock-solid array of supplemental material make this one of the year's best Blu-ray releases yet. No shocker here: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse earns my highest recommendation. Pick it up, watch it with family and friends, and be prepared for one heck of an enthralling ride. Enjoy!

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