Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse swung into theaters in December of 2018 and immediately captivated audiences with its revolutionary take on the beloved superhero genre and breathtaking animation style. Directed by the talented trio of Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, and Bob Persichetti, this animated masterpiece defied conventions and soared to unprecedented heights.

The film successfully introduces the concept of the multiverse and seamlessly weaves together the stories of various Spider-People from different dimensions. At its core, the film follows the journey of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a teenager grappling with newfound powers in the wake of the death of his universe’s Spider-Man. His world is spun even more out of control as he meets alternate universe heroes that make him question if he is ready for his new responsibilities.

Accolades poured in for the film, with the crowning achievement being the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. This recognition affirmed not only the technical brilliance of the animation but also the emotional depth and storytelling prowess that elevated Into the Spider-Verse beyond the status of a mere superhero film.

As first time viewers delve into the intricate web of dimensions and the extraordinary journey of Miles, it becomes clear that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is more than a cinematic experience – it’s a groundbreaking achievement that redefined expectations for animated storytelling in the West and left an indelible mark on the superhero genre.

In this Movie List from The Film Magazine, we are highlighting the 10 best moments from the film that define why Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse continues to enthral audiences, and we will explore its legacy as one of the best comic book movies of all time.

Follow @thefilmagazine on X (Twitter).

10. Welcome to the Spider-Verse

This is how you start a movie.

The rising intensity of the opening music. The glitching of the studio logos. The flashes of graffiti. Then blam: the intro fully kicks in and we are treated to the visual feast that is this movie. An explosion of colours and funky graphics inform us that Into the Spider-Verse is unlike any other comic book movie in that it is unashamed of its genre.

Following this is the opening monologue from Peter Parker (don’t get too attached), beginning the recurring “Alright, let’s do this one last time” gag. Peter, voiced by Chris Pine, gives a brief rundown of things most audiences will already know, narrating his life and the responsibilities that come with being Spider-Man. Yes, we’re technically seeing another screen Spider-Man origin story, but the writers make this one concise and fresh. This self-awareness lends itself nicely to some humorous moments, such as detailing the smaller Spider-Man duties, like having his own cereal or recording a Christmas album. 

Furthermore, there are plenty of references to Spider-Man in pop culture for fans to feast on. Did anyone expect them to reference the abominable Spider-Man popsicle? The animators even draw comparison to other Spidey iterations on screen, like the upside down kiss, the train scene in Spider-Man 2, and the legendary dance scene from Spider-Man 3.

It is the film’s thesis statement: funny, fast-paced and visually spectacular. The perfect introduction to one of the most unique comic book movies. Simultaneously, these opening 2 minutes are a celebration of all things Spider-Man, and a reminder why the iconic hero has endured for so long on page, on screen, and in wider popular culture.

Recommended for you: 10 Best Moments from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy

9. Meet Miles

A film is arguably only as good as its characters, and a film filled with fantastical Spider-people could have a hard time making its protagonist stand out. Within seconds of meeting Miles Morales, its clear audiences have a beloved hero to root for.

The first time we see Miles, he is caught up in his passions: artwork and music. His singing is gradually drowned out by his parents calling his name. He is pulled out of his daydream and into an all too relatable scenario – a teenager late for school. 

This quickly transitions to a high-energy montage showcasing Miles’ daily life, complete with the vibrant backdrop of Brooklyn. We are immersed in the sights and sounds of Miles’ world as they see a new side to him. As he walks through his neighbourhood, he is cool and approachable. His effortless charm makes him instantly likable. The dynamic animation, coupled with a hip-hop soundtrack, creates a sense of kinetic energy that mirrors the pulse of Miles’ urban environment. As Miles parades through the streets, leaving stickers of his artwork, he trips and is caught by his dad, a police officer. We are reminded that, despite his coolness, he’s still an awkward kid. These relatable struggles form the necessary strong connections between Miles and each of us.

These first moments with Miles do more for the film’s central character than a lot of comic book movies manage to do in their entire runtime. Miles’ humour and occasional awkwardness make him endearing. He embodies the youthful enthusiasm and idealism associated with adolescence, making him a perfect vessel for audiences diving into this larger than life story.

As I made this list, I wanted to give an overview of film history, honing in on pieces that are important in Western (especially American) cinema’s evolution. While the Koker Trilogy is undeniably great, its reach in shaping the broader cinematic medium, especially in the West, is limited (despite reflecting present-day leanings towards found footage and maximal realism). I have also chosen to avoid films I have not seen all the way through. I’ve seen the Odessa Steps segment in Battleship Potemkin and studied Eisenstein’s revolutionary editing techniques, but I could not recommend a film I have not seen as one of the best of all time no matter the expert consensus.

Another factor in my selection process was the overall trajectory of the filmmaker(s) involved to the best of my knowledge at the time of writing. While The Matrix is a great movie and highly regarded within its era, the Wachowskis’ later works have polarized audiences and critics considerably. It’s important to note that my list leans heavily male, reflecting both a historical bias in the industry and my personal gravitation towards directors who cater to male viewers. This list also restricts itself to feature-length films, ruling out shorts like the Lumiere brothers’ 50-second The Arrival of a Train. I also tried my best to include a variety of genres, otherwise this would devolve into a list of the 10 best crime films of all time.

With these considerations in mind, here are my selections for the 10 Best Films of All Time. You may have seen some, but I encourage you to watch those you haven’t, as they are sure to entertain and enlighten in various ways. These films are presented in no chronological order because ranking them is an impossible task, as they are each exceptional in their own right.

Follow me on X (Twitter) – @JacobFilmGuy

10. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Do you hate the idea of silent movies but are curious about giving one a try? Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin may be an easier starting point, as their comedic styles have a timeless appeal that resonates across generations. However, if you find yourself intrigued by the dramatic offerings of 1920s cinema, The Passion of Joan of Arc should be your first choice.

This film immerses viewers into Joan of Arc’s harrowing trial for heresy at the hands of English-aligned Frenchmen during the Hundred Years’ War, faithfully adapted from the event’s historical records. The director, Carl Theodor Dreyer, is hailed as one of the silent cinema’s maestros, standing tall among Europe’s early cinematic innovators.

As a silent film, it places emphasis on the visual aspects of film in a way that theater cannot replicate, showing the unique artistic power of cinema to put viewers right in the face of subjects. Renée Jeanne Falconetti’s portrayal perfectly conveys Joan’s torment and unwavering resolve. Dreyer’s directorial style is uniquely his own, blending techniques from various European cinematic movements to craft this masterwork.

Created on the cusp of the sound era, it may even be considered the pinnacle of the silent era, representing the apex of a crescendo that laid the foundation for the visual elements of the movies we know and love today.

9. Seven Samurai (1954)

Akira Kurosawa worked in many genres and eras, but is best remembered for his films about historical Japan. Rashomon and Yojimbo have stood the test of time, but Seven Samurai is undoubtedly his greatest work. It’s a simple story of a ragtag group of warriors who come together to defend a village from bandits, told exceptionally well in a way only film can.

Seven Samurai may be the breeziest three-hour film of all time, with not a moment wasted and excellent pacing to boot. The group’s interactions with each other and the villagers are what really make the film, and frequent Kurosawa collaborator Toshiro Mifune stands out for his attitude and posturing as a 16th century ronin. Kurosawa and cinematographer Asakazu Nakai’s talent as visual artists is shown in the stunningly composed shots that capture the Japanese countryside, intense action, and the good but complex nature of the film’s heroes.

The film also represents a cultural exchange between Western and Eastern cinema that will continue as long as those traditions exist – John Ford was an influence on Kurosawa whose films inspired directors like Sergio Leone, George Lucas, and the folks at Pixar who made A Bug’s Life… not to mention the film’s influence on the concept of team-ups in general.

No matter what type of film or genre you prefer, Seven Samurai and its influence is nearly inescapable within cinema.

Recommended for you: Akira Kurosawa, Toshiro Mifune: Cinema’s Greatest Collaborations

Of course, for any movie critic, there are films that rise above the rest. I have chosen ten films that have shaped me as a person and made this world a creepier, scarier, funnier, and more interesting place to live. These are my 10 Best Films of All Time.

Follow me on X (Twitter) – @emii_grant

10. Coraline (2009)

Are you a child looking to dip your foot into the wonderful world of horror? Coraline is a great place to start.

The film is as magical as it is scary – an impressive boast for a film with a PG rating.

Coraline Jones marches us through worlds we could have never imagined and somehow even makes rats feel ethereal and otherworldly. 

9. Gone Girl (2014)

“Cool girl is hot. Cool girl is game.” While “cool girl” status isn’t attainable, watching Gone Girl and memorizing the infamous monologue gets you part of the way there.

Perfectly cast with Rosamund Pike as a psychotic and whip-smart writer, Amy, and Ben Affleck as her sloppy, loser husband, the two are a match made in hell.

As feminist as it is deranged, Gone Girl will keep you enthralled whether it’s the first time or the hundredth time you’ve watched the film. 

Recommended for you: David Fincher Movies Ranked

The Spider-Man franchise has gone through more reboots than any other comic book character since Sam Raimi first brought him to the big screen in 2002. Over that time, whoever currently fills out the spandex has faced a variety of crazed scientists, criminals and rivals brought up to Spider-Man’s level by advanced technology, superpower-bestowing industrial accidents and cunning exploitation of the hero’s secret identity.

4 iterations of Spider-Man, 10 movies, many bad guys to fight, but which were the biggest threat to him and his nearest and dearest? A web of spoilers lies ahead in this edition of Ranked from The Film Magazine: Feature Film Spider-Man Villains Ranked.

Follow @thefilmagazine on Twitter.

16. Aleksei Sytsevich / Rhino – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

“I am the Rhino! I told you I’d be back!”

A Russian mobster embarrassingly foiled by Spider-Man during a heist involving an armoured truck and a lot of plutonium, Aleksei is only too happy to don a rhinoceros-shaped mech suit (like you do) gifted by Oscorp’s Special Projects division to get his own back.

Aleksei is small-time, a wannabe tough gangster shown to be humiliatingly inept in his two fights against Spidey that bookend The Amazing Spider-Man 2. The usually-excellent Paul Giamatti is outshone by his forehead tattoo and is reduced to shouting in an outrageous accent straight out of a terrible Cold War action movie as he is webbed up and pantsed in his civilian clothes and then defeated in freeze-frame in his stupid robot rhino form.

15. Harry Osborn / Green Goblin – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

“You don’t give people hope, you take it away. I’m gonna take away yours.”

Peter Parker’s childhood friend returns to New York to say goodbye to his terminally ill father and discovers he carries the same genetic blood disease that makes you grow talons and turn green. Harry discovers that Spider-Man’s altered blood may somehow offer a cure but, when the hero refuses him, he takes an untested spider venom formula that warps his body and mind, leading him to take vengeance against the Wall-Crawler.

We’re told rather than shown that Peter and Harry have a history here and expected to buy Dane DeHaan’s twitchy take on the character’s rapid physical, mental and moral decline simply because we know a Green Goblin has got to show up in this Spider-Man universe some time, somehow.

In the race to set up a Sinister Six spin-off movie that never happened, all of Harry’s characterisation seems to have been excised so we’re left with a petty arch-nemesis who meets the Webslinger precisely twice and decides to kill his girlfriend on a whim because it took him a ridiculously long time to remember his company had made a battle suit with a bodily repair function and only used it after he’d already taken the uglifying spider-formula.

14. Eddie Brock / Venom – Spider-Man 3 (2007)

“Oh! My spider-sense is tingling… if you know what I’m talking about!”

A shady and arrogant photographer and rival to Peter Parker at the Daily Bugle who gets taken over by an alien symbiote and plans to take revenge on Parker for the part he played in Brock losing his job.

Before Tom Hardy took the role down the schizophrenic antihero route, Topher Grace brought a very different version of Eddie Brock to life. First he’s just a jerk competing with Peter for a staff photographer job before his faked photos get him blacklisted. Then, coincidence of coincidences, he goes to pray at the same cathedral where Peter is trying to separate himself from the personality-altering symbiote in the bell tower above. The symbiote jumps to Eddie and he immediately goes all the way bad and hatches a plan to make Peter/Spider-Man suffer.

Very obviously a late addition to Spider-Man 3’s plot by a reluctant Sam Raimi, Venom is only really in the film for the final action scene and is a very simplistic, weirdly camp take on the character who fails to leave any real impression.

Recommended for you: 10 Best Moments from Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man Trilogy

The ceremony will seemingly go ahead, despite TV network NBC dropping it from their schedule. This decision followed a controversial report about the awards that revealed that there were no black people included in the 87 members of the HFPA. This is the body of journalists that vote at the awards. This shocking lack of diversity resulted in many celebrities shunning the show, including Tom Cruise who handed back his three Golden Globes.

Additionally, a report by the L.A. Times implied corruption within the association and suggested that voters were often bribed by production companies. The example given was when voters were flown to Paris by Netflix to coincide with the release of the streaming service’s series ‘Emily in Paris’. Despite the show’s mixed reviews, ‘Emily in Paris’ received two nominations including Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

Following the controversy, the HFPA have recruited 21 new members that are predominately diverse and made its existing members take diversity and equality training. A chief diversity officer has been appointed in addition to a partnership with National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to ensure an awards ceremony more representative of the diverse talent that makes up the film industry.

Typically the Golden Globes mark the beginning of awards season, being the second biggest ceremony behind the Oscars. However, it remains to be seen what impact the upcoming event will have with no network to air on and likely little fanfare from the nominated talent.

The nominations themselves seek to highlight the top films of the year. The most nominated films for the 2022 ceremony are Sir Kenneth Branagh’s drama Belfast and Jane Campion’s gripping western The Power of the Dog. Both films are nominated for 7 awards, including Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director. Belfast has already picked up some significant awards including the People’s Choice Award at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. The Power of The Dog meanwhile continues Netflix’s trend of releasing award show juggernauts, with previous efforts including The Irishman and Roma. 

Behind these two are the star-studded Don’t Look Up, Will Smith vehicle King Richard, Paul Thomas Anderson’s love letter to 1970s L.A., Licorice Pizza, and Steven Spielberg’s first ever musical, West Side Story. Each have been nominated for 4 awards.

The winners will be announced on the 9th January 2022.

The nominees in film for the 2022 Golden Globes are:

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Belfast
Coda
Dune
King Richard
The Power of the Dog

BEST MOTION PICTURE – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Cyrano
Don’t Look Up
Licorice Pizza
Tick, Tick … Boom!
West Side Story

BEST DIRECTOR
Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Lost Daughter)
Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
Denis Villeneuve (Dune)

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BEST ACTOR – DRAMA
Mahershala Ali (Swan Song)
Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)
Will Smith (King Richard)
Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

BEST ACTRESS – DRAMA
Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)
Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)
Lady Gaga (House of Gucci)
Kristen Stewart (Spencer)

BEST ACTOR – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Leonardo DiCaprio (Don’t Look Up)
Peter Dinklage (Cyrano)
Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick … Boom!)
Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza)
Anthony Ramos (In the Heights)

BEST ACTRESS – MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Marion Cotillard (Annette)
Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza)
Jennifer Lawrence (Don’t Look Up)
Emma Stone (Cruella)
Rachel Zegler (West Side Story)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOTON PICTURE
Ben Affleck (The Tender Bar)
Jamie Dornan (Belfast)
Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)
Troy Kotsur (CODA)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOTON PICTURE
Caitríona Balfe (Belfast)
Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog)
Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)
Ruth Negga (Passing)

BEST SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)
Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up)
Aaron Sorkin (Being the Ricardos)

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The French Dispatch (Alexandre Desplat)
Encanto (Germaine Franco)
The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)
Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)
Dune (Hans Zimmer)

BEST ORIGINAL SONG 
“Be Alive” (King Richard)
“Dos Orugitas” (Encanto)
“Down to Joy” (Belfast)
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” (Respect)
“No Time to Die” (No Time to Die)

BEST MOTION PICTURE – ANIMATED
Encanto
Flee
Luca
My Sunny Maad
Raya and the Last Dragon

BEST MOTION PICTURE – FOREIGN LANGUAGE
Compartment No. 6 (Finland)
Drive My Car (Japan)
The Hand of God (Italy)
A Hero (Iran)
Parallel Mothers (Spain)

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A memorable acceptance speech from Actress In A Leading Role winner Olivia Colman who got a standing ovation for one of the most endearing moments in recent memory, meanwhile Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper went viral for their hugely passionate performance of “Shallow” from A Star Is Born.

The major controversy of the night was Green Book winning the Best Picture award despite recent commentary from within the industry regarding its problematic premise and presentation.

Here is the full list of 2019 Oscars winners:

Best Picture – Green Book

Black Panther
BlackKklansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite
Green Book
Roma
A Star Is Born
Vice

Directing – Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

Spike Lee (BlackKklansman)
Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
Adam McKay (Vice)

Actor in a Leading Role – Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody)

Christian Bale (Vice)
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)
Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate)
Viggo Mortensen (Green Book)

Actress in a Leading Role – Olivia Colman (The Favourite)

Yalitza Aparicio (Roma)
Glenn Close (The Wife)
Lady Gaga (A Star Is Born)
Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)

Actor in a Supporting Role – Mahershala Ali (Green Book)

Adam Driver (Blackkklansman)
Sam Elliott (A Star Is Born)
Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me)
Sam Rockwell (Vice)

Actress in a Supporting Role – Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk)

Amy Adams (Vice)
Marina De Tavira (Roma)
Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Rachel Weisz (The Favourite)

Costume Design – Black Panther

Ballad of Buster Scruggs
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Mary Queen of Scots

Film Editing – Bohemian Rhapsody

BlackKklansman
The Favourite
Green Book
Vice

Original Score – Black Panther

BlackKklansman
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Mary Poppins Returns

Animated Short Film – Bao

Animal Behaviour
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends

Live Action Short Film – Skin

Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother

Sound Editing – Bohemian Rhapsody

Black Panther
First Man
A Quiet Place
Roma

Sound Mixing – Bohemian Rhapsody

Black Panther
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born

Animated Feature Film – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet

Cinematography – Alfonso Cuaron (Roma)

Cold War
The Favourite
Never Look Away
A Star Is Born

Documentary Feature – Free Solo

Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Minding the Gap
Of Fathers and Sons
RBG

Documentary Short Subject – Period. End of Sentence.

Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night At the Garden

Foreign Language Film – Roma

Capernaum
Cold War
Never Look Away
Shoplifters

Makeup and Hairstyling – Vice

Border
Mary Queen of Scots

Visual Effects – First Man

Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story

Adapted Screenplay – BlackKklansman

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Can You Ever Forgive Me
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born

Original Screenplay – Green Book

The Favourite
First Reformed
Roma
Vice

Original Song – “Shallow” (A Star Is Born)

“All the Stars” (Black Panther)
“I’ll Fight” (RBG)
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” (Mary Poppins Returns)
“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs)

Production Design – Black Panther

The Favourite
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma

Film Totals: 

4 – Bohemian Rhapsody
3 – Black Panther
3 – Green Book
3 – Roma
1 – A Star Is Born
1 – Bao
1 – BlackKklansman
1 – The Favourite
1 – First Man
1 – Free Solo
1 – If Beale Street Could Talk
1 – Period. End of Sentence.
1 – Skin
1 – Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
1 – Vice

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Mahershala Ali (left), Viggo Mortensen (right).

When it comes to what it wants to be, Green Book isn’t a tough nut to crack. Following the story of pianist Dr. Don Shirley (Ali) and his driver Tony Lip (Mortensen) as they tour across the South, it wants to be a film about people of different backgrounds coming together to fight racism and promote unity. At the beginning, we learn that Tony and his family are racist. They “protect” women when black workers come over to Tony’s house, Tony throws away the cups those workers use, and they constantly use slurs when referring to black people. By the end, they’re all welcoming Dr. Shirley into their home for Christmas dinner because they are learning to not be racist anymore! These are noble ideas and certainly preferable to the alternative of racism, but it leads to a film that is trite, predictable and contradictory.

The first discordant moment comes when Tony stops to get some Kentucky Fried Chicken. Dr. Shirley has never had fried chicken before, prompting Tony to question how a black man had never tried fried chicken since, you know, all black people love fried chicken. Dr. Shirley rightfully notes that his race is mutually exclusive from his taste in food, but Tony continues to insist that he tries fried chicken, ending with him shoving it into Dr. Shirley’s face to end the conversation. While the movie could have taken a few moments to actually hash out that conversation about stereotypes, we’re instead treated to feel-good shots of Dr. Shirley and Tony eating fried chicken together.

What am I supposed to take away from that as a viewer?

It almost reads like “all lives matter” being used to shut down conversation about police brutality. The well-educated Dr. Shirley can’t even get a few moments to have his voice and views heard? That’s the exact opposite of the message this movie wants to promote! I know Tony is stupid, but a screenwriter more motivated to address racial issues could at least give us a good-faith debate. Just a few scenes later, we see a Southern host cater a fried chicken dinner for Dr. Shirley, and we’re supposed to go, “Oh, this is bad and racist.” But the fried chicken was just as racist earlier. The context and ignorance can’t change anything for a movie-goer in 2018, and the real issues we face today (like white attitudes towards Black Lives Matter or the disproportionate representation of black voices and views in film) are left unaddressed.

By the way, when I say Tony is “stupid”, that’s not an off-hand insult. The film almost treats Tony like a child in his understanding of racism, so as to expunge him of culpability. This is unsurprising since his son co-wrote the script, but it is another failure to address a larger issue. You know those rednecks that live in isolated small-town communities that voted for Trump due to “economic anxiety”? Green Book could be read so as to excuse those types from their racism. The fried chicken remark is far from Tony’s first expression of casual racism, but we’re almost asked to forgive him because he’s dumb. Stupidity isn’t a Get Out of Racism Free card. Continued casual racism is a problem in our society, and asking viewers to simply move on and not confront that racism is worse. Unity is a goal we should strive for, but not at the cost of having conversations about what’s problematic in our society when it comes to race.

My biggest question is: why this story is even about Tony (screenwriters aside)? This should be Dr. Shirley’s story, and the very fact that he’s relegated to a supporting role in this story about racism is at the very least ironic. Good for Tony Lip that he became less racist, but Dr. Don Shirley was an incredibly brave virtuoso that deserves the spotlight. One consequence of this is that it’s never quite clear to me why Dr. Shirley wanted to go on tour in the South. The film mentions a story about Chubby Checker being beaten in Alabama, but never gets to Dr. Shirley’s full motivation. What does he want to gain? What experience is he looking for? What message is he trying to send? My curiosity was left unsated. Dr. Shirley is ultimately there to help Tony in his journey of becoming less racist. His character arc is more about how lonely he is, and that’s apparently solved by being friends with Tony. From the film, you’d think Dr. Shirley was just Sheldon Cooper if he was a pianist. Mahershala Ali plays the role well, but it feels limited by the script.

So what makes Green Book great?

The performances, the music, some small moments of conversation are enjoyable. They aren’t ground-breaking, but they’re good. It’s textbook Oscar-bait, and was almost beat-for-beat what you’d expect this movie to be. What’s great about it is eclipsed by the larger questions that loom over the film, and the (I’m sure) unintentional contradiction to its message. Green Book shouldn’t be in the Best Picture conversation, and is the exact kind of play-it-safe nomination that the Academy should avoid anyway.

Highlights from the winners included an impassioned speech from Rising Star award winner Letitia Wright about her rise from almost quitting the industry to Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, and the endearing acceptance speech for Best Actress from The Favourite star Olivia Colman, who explained that she was to share her award with co-stars Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz, but it was the acceptance speech of BAFTA Fellowship awardee Thelma Schoonmaker that stole the show with a classy, thankful, hopeful and gracious acceptance speech deserving of the Fellowship’s “all time great” status.

The awards, sponsored by EE, are seen as some of the most significant on the awards season calendar, with many of the BAFTA winners also indicating favourites for the coming Oscars. With a field of names that included lots of films and filmmakers not recognised at all in the 2019 Oscar nominations, the BAFTAs this year offered a distinct class of winners that are as follows…

The full list of results from the 2019 BAFTAs:

Best Film – ROMA
BLACKkKlANSMAN
THE FAVOURITE
GREEN BOOK
A STAR IS BORN

Outstanding British Film – THE FAVOURITE
BEAST
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
McQUEEN
STAN & OLLIE
YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE

Film Not in the English Language – ROMA
CAPERNAUM
COLD WAR
DOGMAN
SHOPLIFTERS

Documentary – FREE SOLO
McQUEEN
RBG
THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD
THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS

Animated Film – SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE
INCREDIBLES 2
ISLE OF DOGS

Director – ALFONSO CUARON (Roma)
SPIKE LEE (BlackKklansman)
PAWEL PAWLIKOWSKI (Cold War)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite)
Bradley Cooper (A Star Is Born)

Leading Actress – OLIVIA COLMAN (The Favourite)
GLENN CLOSE (The Wife)
LADY GAGA (A Star is Born)
MELISSA McCARTHY (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
VIOLA DAVIS (Widows)

Leading Actor – RAMI MALEK (Bohemian Rhapsody)
BRADLEY COOPER (A Star is Born)
CHRISTIAN BALE (Vice)
STEVE COOGAN (Stan & Ollie)
VIGGO MORTENSEN (Green Book)

Supporting Actress – RACHEL WEISZ (The Favourite)
AMY ADAMS (Vice)
CLAIRE FOY (First Man)
EMMA STONE (The Favourite)
MARGOT ROBBIE (Mary Queen of Scots)

Supporting Actor – MAHERSHALA ALI (Green Book)
ADAM DRIVER (BlacKkKlansman)
RICHARD E. GRANT (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
SAM ROCKWELL (Vice)
TIMOTHEE CHALAMET (Beautiful Boy)

EE Rising Star Award – LETITIA WRIGHT
BARRY KEOGHAN
CYNTHIA ERIVO
JESSIE BUCKLEY
LAKEITH STANFIELD

Original Screenplay – DEBORAH DAVIS, TONY McNAMARA (The Favourite)
JANUSZ GLOWACKI, PAWEL PAWLIKOWSKI (Cold War)
BRIAN CURRIE, PETER FARRELLY, NICK VALLELONGA (Green Book)
ALFONSO CUARON (Roma)
ADAM MCKAY (Vice)

Adapted Screenplay – SPIKE LEE, DAVID RABINOWITZ, CHARLIE WACHTEL, KEVIN WILLMOTT (BlackKklansman)
NICOLE HOLOFCENER, JEFF WHITTY (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
JOSH SINGER (First Man)
BARRY JENKINS (If Beale Street Could Talk)
BRADLEY COOPER, WILL FETTERS, ERIC ROTH (A Star Is Born)

Cinematography – ALFONSO CUARON (Roma)
NEWTON THOMAS SIGEL (Bohemian Rhapsody)
LUKASZ ZAL (Cold War)
ROBBIE RYAN (The Favourite)
LINUS SANDGREN (First Man)

Production Design – THE FAVOURITE
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDEWALD
FIRST MAN
MARY POPPINS RETURNS
ROMA

Costume Design – THE FAVOURITE
THE BALLAD OF BUSTER SCRUGGS
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
MARY POPPINS RETURNS
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

Make Up & Hair – THE FAVOURITE
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS
STAN & OLLIE
VICE

Editing – VICE
BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
THE FAVOURITE
FIRST MAN
ROMA

Original Music – BRADLEY COOPER, LADY GAGA, LUKAS NELSON (A Star Is Born)
TERENCE BLANCHARD (BlackKklansman)
NICHOLAS BRITELL (If Beale Street Could Talk)
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT (Isle of Dogs)
MARC SHAIMAN (Mary Poppins Returns)

Sound – BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
FIRST MAN
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FALLOUT
A QUIET PLACE
A STAR IS BORN

Special Effects – BLACK PANTHER
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD
FIRST MAN
READY PLAYER ONE

British Short Animation – ROUGHHOUSE

British Short Film – 73 COWS
BACHELOR, 38
THE BLUE DOOR
THE FIELD
WALE

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer – MICHAEL PEARCE, LAUREN DARK – Writer/Director, Producer (Beast)
DANIEL KOKOTJLO – Writer/Director (Apostasy)
CHRIS KELLY – Writer/Director/Producer (A Cambodian Spring)
LEANNE WELHAM, SOPHIE HARMAN – Writer/Director, Producer (Pili)
RICHARD BILLINGHAM, JACQUI DAVIES – Writer/Director, Producer (Ray & Liz)

Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema – ELIZABETH KARLSEN, STEPHEN WOOLLEY (Number 9 Films)

Bafta Fellowship Award – THELMA SCHOONMAKER

Total wins per film: 

7 – The Favourite
4 – Roma
2 – Bohemian Rhapsody
1 – A Star Is Born; Beast; BlackKklansman; Black Panther; Free Solo; Green Book; Roughhouse; Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse; Vice

[DISPLAY_ULTIMATE_SOCIAL_ICONS]

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Directors: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Screenwriter: Phil Lord
Starring: Shameik Moore, Chris Pine, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Mahershala Ali, Brian Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Luna Lauren Velez, Zoe Kravitz, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn, Nicolas Cage, Kathryn Hahn, Liev Schreiber

Sony Pictures Animation’s hotly anticipated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse promised to take the idea of cross-dimensional travel and superhero team ups to the next level through a brand new animation style filled with vibrancy and life. Oh boy did they deliver.

Into the Spider-Verse is simply an unforgettable animated movie experience, a soft opening drip-feeding the less usual elements of its original visual style and potentially complicated central story arc in a way that was easy to digest, the impactful, exciting and often moving narrative beats consequently hitting you like a rush of blood to the head, the aesthetic wonderment of the film’s comic-book-inspired visuals pulsating from the screen and screaming “look at how cool this is!”

This animated feature is simply bursting with life, every frame filled with colour and an energy to its motion, its youthful exuberance right on the pulse of youth culture from the ideals and concerns of its central character to the fashions and technology used by the cast, right through to the pulsating beat of the soundtrack.

And it’s layered too…

Into the Spider-Verse relies upon some pre-existing knowledge of the Spider-Man universe, sure, and the joyful experience is bound to be increased if you’re at least somewhat familiar with the character, but it offers enough uniquely comic book style explanations to get itself through what would usually be tedious expository dialogue, and ultimately offers a cast made up of some truly fleshed out characters and one of the best central protagonists in any superhero movie ever – Miles Morales is someone you can’t help but want to see succeed. It’s a feeling emphasised by the piece’s unusual take on an origin movie – that being an inter-dimensional team-up of sorts – that (alongside the fantastic and original animation) distracts from some of the movie’s more clear-cut tropes and cliches, creating the feeling of an entirely fresh and distinct piece of work in every aspect.

It is for this reason that Into the Spider-Verse becomes transcendent of what it could have easily fallen into the trap of being: a superhero movie for comic book superhero fans. It simply screams too loudly and holds too tightly to be relegated to such a position; a truly fantastic achievement.

Visually, the team at Sony Pictures Animation have achieved something extraordinary, their new technologies taking the comic book visual form and firmly stamping it into the mainstream cinema experience. The film is awash with colour and an almost palpable electricity as a result, every single frame rendered with some of the most beautiful and striking visuals in any film this year. It’s in this respect that Into the Spider-Verse is really sent over the edge as an overall movie; the visual construction wrapping an otherwise solid picture in something so spectacular and original that it is absolutely monumental, and will guarantee that audiences (if not the industry itself) will look back upon this film as a game-changer and history maker of our time.

This electric, atmospheric festival of colour is simply fantastic; a memorable and hearty superhero film with a revolutionary take on its own medium, a treasure of this year in cinema and absolutely the very best in Sony Pictures Animation’s studio history. This may even be the best superhero film of 2018.

21/24

Perhaps the most shocking moment in Oscars history also occurred in the closing moments of the ceremony when ‘La La Land’ was announced as Best Picture despite ‘Moonlight’ being the actual winner. Unfortunately, the award presenter had been given the envelope of the previous award (Emma Stone for ‘La La Land’) and the entire cast and crew of Damien Chazelle’s famed musical had to be shuffled off stage for the ‘Moonlight’ crew to take their spot.

Among the winners, Damien Chazelle was named Best Director and, in turn, broke history by becoming the youngest ever winner of the award at just 32 years of age, while Casey Affleck beat Denzel Washington to the Best Actor award despite late rumours that the ‘Fences’ star would take home the award on the night.

Here’s a full list of the winners:

Best Supporting Actor – Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling – Suicide Squad

Costume Design – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Best Documentary – O.J. Made in America

Best Sound Editing – Arrival

Best Sound Mixing – Hacksaw Ridge

Actress in a Supporting Role – Viola Davis (Fences)

Best Foreign Language Film – The Salesman (Iran)

Best Animated Short Film – Piper

Best Animated Feature – Zootopia

Achievement in Production Design – La La Land

 Achievement in Visual Effects – The Jungle Book

Achievement in Film Editing – Hacksaw Ridge

Documentary Short Subject – The White Helmets

 Live-Action Short Film – Sing

Achievement in Cinematography – La La Land

 Best Original Score – La La Land

Best Original Song – “City of Stars” from La La Land

#Oscars: Watch @JohnLegend perform ‘City of Stars’ from ‘La La Land.’ pic.twitter.com/tcIksU16HC

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) 27 February 2017

 Best Original Screenplay – Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea)

Best Adapted Screenplay – Barry Jenkins & Tarell Alvin McCraney (Moonlight)

 Best Director – Damien Chazelle (La La Land)

Actor in a Leading Role – Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Actress in a Leading Role – Emma Stone (La La Land)

Best Picture – Moonlight

We had full live coverage over on Twitter @thefilmagazine so go and follow us for more of the same!