Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

Hip-hop meets web-slinging, soaring film music.

Image source: https://www.amazon.com/Spider-Man-Into-Spider-Verse-Lenticular-Cover/dp/B07NKVMNC9

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Soundtrack by Multiple Artists

Rating: 10/10

When I first saw Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, my first thought was I loved the animation style. The comic book-esque style with hints of more 3D elements and different styles of animation depending on which universe a character came from were certainly some of my favorite aspects of the movie. Of course, my next thought was how incredible the soundtrack was. I (along with thousands of others I’m sure) listened to Sunflower by Post Malone and Swae Lee a lot more than I could count. The easy beat and light feeling of the song make it simple to hum along to. Not to mention the song just makes you feel good.

Of course, the rest of the album also stands out from other film soundtracks. Rather than a simple collection of instrumental pieces that all have similar motives like some soundtracks, each song on this album sounds like a song you would hear on the radio. In fact, the entire soundtrack plays like a top album released on iTunes. The music directors for the film truly wanted each song to be unique. By having a different artist on each song, their vision was able to stay in place.

Of the many Spider-man movies that are made, most of the music is simply a riff of the classic Spider-man theme (I mean no offense to Michael Giaccino and the Spider-man: Homecoming soundtrack, because it’s fantastic, but still it is just the theme amped up). The first song on the Into the Spider-verse album, What’s Up Danger by Blackway and Black Caviar, is an interesting take on film music. Though at first listen it might sound like a normal hip-hop song that could put a fighting spirit into even the most downdraught, as you listen, the stereotypical film elements come out in the instrumentals. Like other classic film scores, there are big, soaring instrumental breaks. Honestly though, any movie whose character is essentially flying at some point should have a score that seems to soar.

One of my personal favorites from the album is Home by Vince Staples. Sometimes it can be hard to explain why your soul is drawn to certain songs. Is it a certain rhythm that you like? Maybe there’s a lyric that speaks to you. But with this song I can’t exactly place what makes it one of my favorites. There’s definitely a combination of the main rhythmic motive constantly under the melody and that slight, classic film score sound I touched on before. But honestly this is one of those times where I’m at a complete loss of words. It’s just a great song.

Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse was a groundbreaking film for so many reasons, and the score needed to match those ideals. From what I’ve mentioned before, I firmly believe it did match the amazing energy the film put into the world. If you haven’t listened to the album or seen the movie, you’re missing out on something special.