This alternative take on the Spider-man franchise – in which several Spider-heroes from parallel universes are brought together to battle the Kingpin – certainly offers a feast for the eyes. The Lichtenstein-inspired drawings – confidently using bold lines and textured dots – pop with life and vitality, propelling the action from one frame to another (sometimes literally: the film makes frequent use of comic-book-style frames and layouts). The plot is little more than a bit of inspired silliness and the influence of The Lego Movie’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller isn’t as subversive as it might have been – I’d presumed the downright bizarre Peter Porker character was their invention, only to be informed that he’d already appeared in a few comics – but as far as movies in this genre go, Spider-verse was unpretentious, pleasantly diverting and harmlessly forgettable.
Dariush
