Venom has released in theaters, which means that there have been SEVEN Spider-Man movies. With so many out there, it might not seem like Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse will be worth your time and money. I’m here to say that this movie will be one of the best of the year and might be the best Spider-Man movie yet. Why?

Well besides the stunning animation, seriously spectacular action set-pieces, original soundtrack by Post Malone, and the massive stakes that the trailers convey, you should be excited about Miles Morales. Miles Morales has been around since 2011, but he hasn’t swung into the mainstream audience’s screens until this year. He was featured in the PS4 Spiderman game that came out just a month ago, but his big debut will be this film. Most people just consider Miles to be the “Black Spider-Man” and a copycat of Peter Parker. This could not be farther from the truth. Miles’ backstory is much more interesting and unique than Peter’s story that you have heard a billion times by now. In Miles’ universe, Peter Parker is dead. Miles’ uncle is a super-villian named “The Prowler”. He uses high-tech to rob banks and try to stay out of debt and has an interesting relationship with Miles. Miles’ uncle is actually in Spider-Man Homecoming. He is the man that the Vulture sells weapons to. He is played by the legendary Donald Glover, and he mentions his nephew in an interregation with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. In comparison, Miles’ dad is a New York cop. This sets up a natural emotional conflict. The Prowler inadvertently brings a radioactive spider home that bites Miles and gives him similar, but not identical powers. Miles’ friend Ganke suggests he take the mantle of Spider-Man that is currently vacant. He agrees, and he starts his career of crime-fighting. His dad hates Spider-Man, not knowing he houses him, and he faces conflict with his criminal uncle. The new movie seems to act as a great origin story for Miles’ and also an amazing telling of the popular Spider-Verse story. In that story, the many different universes of Spider-Man are collided and the different portrayals of Spider-Man (including Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, the original Peter Parker, and even Spider-Ham!) have to join together and defeat evil. The movie looks like an emotional, beautiful, and action-packed piece of entertainment that I hope will make animation seen as less of a kid’s medium and more of an universal way of telling stories. The movie is directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the team behind 21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie, and the first Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. Alex Hirsch, the man behind Gravity Falls, also contributes his genius to the movie. Make sure to catch Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse when it swings into theaters on December 14, 2018 and if you want to catch a five-minute preview of the film, stick through the end credits of Venom.

Here’s the link to the most recent trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg52up16eq0