Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Cert: PG; Now showing The plan was this: Avengers: Infinity War was to hold sway over 2018, with every other caped crusade or super-powered escapade doomed to be swept aside by the $2bn-grossing awesomeness of that behemoth.

No one told Sony, however. Just as the year draws to a close, it slips in an animated offering made for a fraction of the budget that is the most entertaining, dynamic and innovative superhero release in yonks.

We meet young Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), an Afro-Latino teen and science whiz living in Brooklyn who is bitten by your typical radioactive spider. His world is naturally turned upside down by the new powers, and following a chance encounter, he is taken under the wing of the real Spider-Man (whose mojo has deserted him).

Looming in the underworld is hulking crime boss Kingpin, whose tamperings with a portal zaps in a small and intriguing variety of SpiderMan equivalents from other dimensions. Miles needs to get up to speed quick on the SpiderMan game if he is to help them defeat Kingpin and get home.

Neither a spin-off nor a shameless jumping-off-point to some franchise assault, this is that rarest of things — a replete, self-contained Marvel film that dazzles with wit, ingenuity and heart. An all-star voice cast includes Lily Tomlin, Mahershala Ali and Nicolas Cage. Visually, this is a major spectacle of 2018 that brings us to new territory.