I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the original Into the Spider-Verse was an absolute gamechanger for animation. Not just because it was a near masterpiece of visual storytelling that was able to deliver everything that any hardcore comic book or casual fan could possibly want in an animated Spider-Man flick and then some, but was once again proved that animation should be allowed to stand as it’s own medium and NOT as a genre. For many years, animation tends to get a rep for being simply made for kids. Movies such as Minions, Trolls, The Emoji Movie, and even to some extent The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Yes, I’m going there!) gave the impression that animation seem to only exist to keep the kids entertain for an hour and half with flicks that don’t have much meaning or substance behind any of it.** Then, once the kids grow up, they simply move on from animation and stick with strictly live-action movies as those seem to stand out more as being movies for “grown-ups”. However, over the past few years, I would argue there seems to be a renaissance and evolution with animation that you could argue started with Into the Spider-Verse.
Animated movies such as The Mitchell vs The Machines, The Bad Guys, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish, and (hopefully) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem have used the Spider-Verse animation style as not just a template for breathtaking animation but to tell engaging stories with that animation, the kind of stories that simply could not be told in any other form of medium. It wasn’t just the amazing visuals and set pieces of The Last Wish that engaged folks last Holliday season, it was the superb character development, resonate themes, and the way it used the visual and set pieces to tell a story about life and death and why you should never take any for granted. As animation continues to move forward, the recent success of it can all be tie back to the original Into the Spider-Verse, which, just like the best of animation, was able to not just be a movie strictly for kids, it was for everybody.
After having our minds blown in 2018, there was no doubt gonna be a sequel. Five years later, we have Across the Spider-Verse, the anticipated follow-up which was delayed from it’s initial release date of October 2022 and was even titled Across the Spider-Verse Part 1 until it got changed. And if there’s anyone that believed that a follow-up towards the original couldn’t match or top that bar of quality, to grab a quote that the characters in Across the Spider-Verse say multiple times, “the sky is the limit”.
While it may not match the level of surprise that Into the Spider-Verse had and may leave plenty feeling frustrated albeit amused as it’s notable cliffhanger ending, Across the Spider-Verse makes for another marvelous cinematic experience and will instantly go down as of the most definite middle film chapters in recent memory, perhaps all time. Everything you loved about the original is still present here, the themes and messages that the original got across is expanded to even greater affect here, there’s plenty of callbacks, references, Easter eggs, and fan service galore that will put plenty of smiles on faces, and even if you are left underwhelmed with the way things wrap up, you will no doubt be anxious to see the next one come spring time next year. Across the Spider-Verse not only helps showcases the bright future of animation that awaits us but perhaps the bright future of cinema in general, assuming the right lessons are actually learned, something which Hollywood always tend to drop the ball hard on every time.
Plot Synopsis: Taking place after the events of Into the Spider-Verse, we visits Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), on Earth-65, who is struggling to live up to her father’s expectations. Her father, George Stacy (Shea Whigham) is unaware that Gwen is actually Spider-Woman, who the police captain has a vendetta against because he believes that she was the one responsible for the death of his daughter’s best friend, Peter Parker.
One night in Manhattan, Gwen ends up in an encounter with the Vulture from another alternate universe. It’s then she is approached by two distinct Spider-People, Jess Drew (Issa Rae), a pregnant Spider-Woman who is also a member of the Spider-Society, and Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), the leader of the Spider-Society, who arrive using portal-generating watches and helps Gwen subdue the Vulture. Things take a tragic turn when Gwen is confronted by her father and reveals her identity to him. Being in a shock of disbelief, Captain Stacy attempts to arrest his own daughter but Gwen is able to escape through a dimensional portal with the other two Spider-People after Miguel grants her membership in the Spider-Society.
In Brooklyn on Earth-1610, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is learning how to balance his personal life with his life as Spider-Man. His grades are slipping albeit still averaging around A’s to B’s instead of perfect A+’s and he is struggling to live up to his mom (Luna Lauren Velez) and dad’s (Brian Tyree Henry) expectations. He encounters a new enemy known as the Spot (Jason Schwartzman), a scientist whose has an vendetta towards Spider-Man because he was responsible for having his body infused with portals after the Alchemax collider explosion. At first he’s written off as being another disposable bad guy until things take a turn for the worst and the Spot might just be responsible for not just the creation of Miles as Spider-Man but also could lead to the destruction of the Spider-Verse as we know it.
Gwen is able to transport her way towards Earth-1610 to reconnect with Miles and also secretly tracks the Spot across dimensions. However, there may be things that Gwen is not telling Peter that could lead to consequences and getting Miles sucked into a battle he was never destined to be a part off. The two then must take a journey across the Spider-Verse where they along with plenty of other Spider-people that are part of the Spider-Society must stop the Spot from invading the Spider-Verse before he is able to put an end to everyone and everything Spider-Man related.
Just like the original Into the Spider-Verse, it is absolutely incredible with how it’s able to hold up together and never feels weighted down by anything. Despite all of the characters, plots, arcs, themes, and fan service that can be found here, it all flows incredibly well and never feels disjointed or loose. Nearly every single moment or scene that can be found here serves a purpose of some sort. Whether it’s to deliver a spectacular action sequence, a slow but meaningful character moment, or include an obvious call-back that will make fandom cream in their pants, it’s all there for a reason and will never take you out of the movie. Whether you look at the movie as being a visually dazzling animated spectacle, an Easter egg flick, or an earnest character study of arguably the most iconic superhero of all time, Across the Spider-Verse is able to have all of it’s cake and eat it fully with immense satisfaction.
Miles Morales is still here and still makes for arguably the most unique version of Spider-Man that has ever appeared in movie form. If the first movie was about Miles learning to come to terms with his own version of Spider-Man, then this one is about him learning how his own version of Spider-Man is different compare to every other version. While the traditional beats of the character such as the constant struggle of balance between having a normal life and a superhero life along with struggling to connect to friends or family members are still present, it’s strictly Miles’s hand on the wheel this time. Only he can drive forwards towards his own future in ways that no one Spider-person can. He might be Spider-Man but just because he is Spider-Man doesn’t mean he has to follow the traditional path of those that came before or after him, or at least that’s what Miles himself believe. While we will have to wait until the next one to see how that plays out, it’s quite fascinating to see the next step in Mile’s story be about him trying to write his own chapter to his own Spider-Man instead of just copying from any other version.
Just like with the original, there’s is a splendid supporting cast of Spider-Men and Spider-Women that each will have at least one favorite among the fans. Issa Ree’s Jess Drew makes for a unique spin on the character as being the cool, soon-to-be Spider-Mom, that’s able to be a badass of her own while also not having to keep her identity a secret. Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk gets plenty of laughs and a handful of standout moments as this pop rock version of the web swinger. Karan Soni’s Spider-Man India…basically speaks for himself but in the best way possible. And of course, it’s delightful to see Jake Johnson’s Peter B Parker return in a more mature role where we see Peter having his own kid after getting back with Mary Jane Watson and now has to be a hero not just for himself but for his own daughter as well.
The one main standout in terms of the new characters comes from Oscar Isaac’s Miguel O’Hara or Spider-Man 2099. While the Spot might technically be the main bad guy of the picture, there can be a strong argument to be made that the actual antagonist is no other than Miguel himself. He seems to be the one person that believes that Miles being Spider-Man is a mistake and is the one thing that could ruin the so-called “canon” of the Spider-Verse. While I’m sure this is clearly meant to be a jab at obsessed fanboys that rejected the idea of someone other than Peter Parker being Spider-Man because…reasons and why getting worked up over what it is or is not canon in anything is ridiculous, it does make for a great contrast with Miles’s goal throughout the movie. Miguel is someone that wants everything to be set in stone, Miles is someone that wants to move that stone towards anywhere where his head is at so it could make for a possible, brighter future. While you can understand both points of views, Miles and Miguel have their own personal reasons for doing what they do and clearly feel in the right even if they might be clearly in the wrong.
And of course, we can’t talk about Across the Spider-Verse without mentioning Gwen Stacy as Spider-Woman played by Hailee Steinfeld. To put it simply, this is as much her movie as it is Miles, if not more so. Not just because the movie basically begins and ends with her along with giving her the most complete arc of the movie but it also highlights why Across the Spider-Verse stands out as being more than just another animated movie for kids. With the way each scene is framed, lit, and colored involving Gwen Stacy, it’s able to tell her story in a way that you simply couldn’t tell in live-action or any other form of media. It’s the visual storytelling and the wonderful animation that’s able to carry Gwen’s story about coming out as a superhero, dealing with the aftermath of it, and how she might have to leave those she previously loved behind if they can’t accept her for who she is really is. There are plenty of people that have made connections to Gwen’s story in ways that I’m not sure was intentional or unintentional by the filmmakers but even then, it makes for some masterfully creative storytelling and is honestly the most engaging part of the movie.
Which also has me going into the big debate this movie has had in terms of potential criticisms. There are many folks that have claimed that the movie feels like a “Part 1” and doesn’t work at it’s own thing but I honestly disagree. As I said before, if you look at the whole movie from Gwen’s point-of-view, it’s a complete story arc that has a beginning, middle, and a end. And heck, even if you at it through Miles’s point-of-view, he still has meaningful character growth throughout the movie and does have an arc of his own right where he tries to take matters into his own hands instead of just letting faith trying to write itself. Does the movie set up the next arc for the next movie right at the end of this one? Absolutely! However, there’s enough material in here that easily stand out as it’s own movie.
When it comes to production values, it’s quite amazing how much can be done with animation with a budget of just 100 million dollars. The animation might just be the very best I’ve seen in any movie to date. Not only does the whole movie look AMAZING but just about every single frame of animation is able to tell a story in it’s own right. The set pieces are absolutely spectacular, the characters are as expressive as they can possibly be, the editing is Oscar-caliber, and even the soundtrack somehow manages to outdo the previous movie. The main standout scene is no other than the chase sequence with every Spider-person known to demand. If that scene really took four whole years to create like it’s been reported, then those four whole years were put to perfect use. Every ounce of hard work and effort that the team of animators led by director Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson is on full display throughout the entire 140 minute long runtime and every minute of it is put to great use.
And if you haven’t figured it out by now, the voice acting in the movie is just perfect. Every single actor or actress gives a performance that don’t just feel like they are doing it for a paycheck, they are clearly doing it because they are immensely IN LOVE with their roles! I think almost any person on the planet who has liked Spider-Man have imagined themselves playing any version of Spider-Man. With the way the cast is able to deliver their vocal performances, they don’t just feel like another actor or actress, they feel like one of us who have wished to be Spider-Man someday. And to not get too deep into spoilers, there is one cameo in the movie delivered by a well-known Spider-Man actor that just brought a tear to my eye. It’s was only one line of dialogue but I get the impressions that actor has waited a LONG time to be able to deliver it and it shows in just that one scene.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse shows that the Spider-Verse can in fact make lightning strike twice. Everyone involved with the making of this movie wanted to take everything to the next level without holding anything back and they are able to exceed greatly. While we might have to wait to see how they stick the landing with Beyond the Spider-Verse next year, this is no doubt another important milestone for animation. Just like how these Spider-Verse movies prove that Spider-Man belongs to everyone, so does animation. And there should be no one out there that should say otherwise.
Even if we somehow manage to find ourselves in the alternate Spider-Verse in which the next movie ends up being disappointing, Across the Spider-Verse should not be looked anything as yet another reminder of what these movies can do when the heart and passion is there. As I said in the beginning, the sky is the limit. And I don’t think there has been a movie in recent memory that fits that meaning entirely than Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.
** I know that The Super Mario Bros. Movie is MUCH better than those other movies but let’s be honest, that movie was strictly made for kids (and fans) first and everyone else second. Don’t deny it!
Other comments:
- No, there is no post credit scenes but stay anyway to pay respect to those that worked so hard on this movie for the past five years. It’s the least we can all do.
- When it comes to the theory around Gwen Stacy, I said it’s more head canon right now but I can totally understand why certain groups connect to Gwen on that level. It makes me wish more storytelling involving representation was anywhere near as creative.
- Miles’s mom is hot. Just saying!
- I can’t recall the last time in recent memory where my theaters was on complete cloud nine throughout the whole movie and even when it was over. These movies are really something special!
- When it comes to complaints of sound editing, it really only became noticeable to me during the opening scene of the picture. After that, it was just fine for me.
- Your move now, Tom Holland!
- Again, sorry it took so late to get this review up! If you want know exactly why, read my blog update I just published.
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