Here’s our review for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” that follows up from the Oscar winning film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”…
By Damon Martin — Editor/Lead Writer
Animated films have been wowing audiences for decades but there was something wholly different about “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” when that movie was first released in 2018.
Yes, it was another “Spider-Man” movie, which might seem like overkill considering the ongoing live action films starring Tom Holland but there was something really remarkable about the way Christopher Miller and Phil Lord brought that story to life while putting the spotlight on Miles Morales rather than Peter Parker.
It was a stroke of genius that was universally beloved and the film ended up taking home a well-deserved Academy Award for Best Animated Film.
Fast forward five years and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is landing in theaters this week as the first of two films — the second is set for release in 2024 — that reunites us with Miles, Gwen Stacy and a whole new cast of characters spanning the multiverse where Spider-Man is the predominant hero meant to save the world.
This time around, Miller and Lord came up with the story, they helped write the screenplay and produced the film but they handed over directorial reigns to Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman. It’s a hard act to follow obviously given the adoration that the first film received so it was a daunting task for the new directors to try and follow up with not only a compelling story to serve as a sequel but also matching the kind of creative animation that exploded all over the first film.
Thankfully a lot of time was taken to develop this sequel and it shows from the very first second of the film until the last. There are a few minor issues along the way — we’ll get to that later — but “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” really does extend the idea that animation can go further than anyone could have possibly imagined while offering a much different kind of movie than you’ll see across any live action film, including those produced by Marvel Studios.
With that said, let’s get to our full review for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”…
PLOT
More than a year has passed since Miles Morales got his powers and became the only Spider-Man in his world and he continues to serve the people of Brooklyn while still trying to survive as a 15-year-old high schooler. Meanwhile in another corner of the multiverse, Gwen Stacy laments that she still can’t share her secret with her father — he’s a studious police captain with less than flattering opinions on the mysterious Spider-Woman — and much like Miles, she’s missing the exploits she shared with the other Spider-Men and women the last time they teamed up to save the multiverse.
Before Gwen can get too sad about no longer being about to traverse between dimensions, she actually receives some visitors from another part of the multiverse. It’s through that encounter that Gwen discovers there’s actually a Spider Society — a group that’s tasked with protecting the very integrity of the multiverse by sending back dimension hopping villains to their own worlds — and before long, she finds herself part of the team but that also leads her back to a reunion with Miles on his world.
But it turns out there’s a whole new threat coming after them from a power hungry enemy capable of crossing over between worlds in a blink of an eye and it’s not long before Miles ends up in conflict with his fellow heroes after figuring out what exactly needs to happen to save the multiverse from collapsing on itself.
ACTING, DIRECTING AND SCRIPT
Let’s start with the script because that really does steal the show in this film, especially when it comes to both the story and the dialogue shared between these characters. This is another stellar example of writers truly understanding the characters in these stories because there’s a multifaceted and nuanced approached to every single person in this story with surgical like precision used to dissect the relationships shared between Miles, his parents, Gwen Stacy and the other Spider-Men from across the multiverse.
By the end of this film, you’ll really care about these characters and there’s real emotional turmoil attached to those kinds of feelings.
Now it’s difficult to imagine such an overwhelming story taking place in live action but the script in this film plays to its strengths by leaning into the animation, which allows them to take risks that just can’t be taken otherwise.
Add to that, there have definitely been more than a few truly compelling versions of Spider-Man over the years but it could easily be argued that what we’ve gotten out of Miles Morales through two films thus far might just be the best interpretation yet.
When it comes to the voice actors, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” has once again nailed every single character because those returning are already tailored made for these parts but the new additions are also perfectly cast. In particular, hearing Daniel Kaluuya — who might just be the best actor working today — was outstanding and Oscar Isaac provides a forceful take on Spider-Man 2099 not to mention Issa Rae and Karan Soni also giving standout performances.
Now it’s hard to judge direction in an animated movie but given that the trio leading this film were taking over for a pair of Oscar winners, this was always going to be a tough act to follow. It could be argued that the direction does get a little muddled at certain points — the various crossovers into different kinds of animation gets a bit soupy at times and there are moments where it just feels like graffiti being splashed across the screen — but those are fleeting and don’t distract from the majority of the movie, which is just stunning.
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE MOVIE?
There are only two very minor flaws that have to be pointed out but also can’t be ignored.
First, the length of the movie at 2 hours and 16 minutes feels slightly excessive if only because it felt like there were a few bloated scenes that could have been shaved down during editing. Those extra minutes don’t ruin anything and for the most part, you’ll breeze through this film without realizing how long you’ve been sitting in the theater but it can’t be ignored than slightly tighter storytelling in a few key moments would have probably paid off here.
Second — and this is an odd one — but to be clear, this is part two of a planned trilogy and the film ends without a genuine conclusion, which seemed to confuse a lot of the moviegoers sharing the theater with me during my viewing.
Did I know that this sequel was going to lead into a third film? Absolutely but admittedly there wasn’t a ton of marketing around this movie that teased an eventual trilogy.
The ending in the film is still satisfying and it pretty much guarantees that you’ll come back for the next sequel but there was a much bigger cliffhanger in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse” than say “Avengers: Infinity War,” which felt like a slightly more complete film even if the entire world knew another movie was set to follow. “The Empire Strikes Back” is another classic example — yes, a third film was always coming but if you watch that sequel, there’s still a complete enough story that you don’t necessarily feel jaded about waiting for the next one.
There might be a slight hint of that kind of emotion when “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse” ends but there’s no doubt you’ll want to return when the third film debuts in 2024.
FINAL VERDICT
Overall, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is an almost perfect follow-up to an Oscar winning film and that’s not easy to accomplish. There’s a ton of emotion at the center of this movie and you’ll feel more than a couple of tugs on the heartstrings before it’s over. Now let’s do it all over again next year!
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” earns 4 out of 5 on the Skolnick Scale:
