SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE (2023)

Like an animated acid trip you never knew you needed, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse dives deeper into the established world of Miles Morales with a stunning visual and emotional film that fires on all cylinders.

As a new villain (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) emerges with an eye on taking down Miles Morales’ Spider-Man (voiced by Shameik Moore), Miles finds himself surrounded by countless Spider-People who, in teaching him about the Spider-Verse, set him out in a race against time to prevent personal tragedy. From the opening scenes, it’s clear that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have not missed a beat since 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse as we’re immediately thrown into an artistic feast for the eyes as we catch up with Gwen Stacey’s (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) reality since the last film’s events. It’s here that we are introduced to Miguel O’Hara (voiced by Oscar Isaac) and Jessica Drew (voiced by Issa Rae), two mature and knowledgeable Spider-People who, along with Gwen, immediately deliver one of the series’ best action sequences to that point. O’Hara in particular walks the line of intriguing and menacing, similar to how Spot is portrayed. Steinfeld is superb throughout here, her character given much more to work with. Once we catch back up with Miles, the fast-paced fun returns as he balances his life as a high schooler with his alter ego. What’s clear from the start is that the balancing act has become much more difficult for the young man, the internal debate over revealing his secret to his parents ever raging. 

What’s most impressive about Across the Spider-Verse is Lord and Miller’s ability to take the complex concept of multiversal connections and canon and boil it down to it’s most simplistic, digestible explanation yet. In doing so, the film pays homage to all iterations that have come before (film, television, comics, video games, etc.) and set the stakes for the rest of this film and beyond. Across the Spider-Verse’s emotional depth is truly a feat, expanding upon the conflicts introduced in the first film and exploring them through the lenses of multiple characters, in a way serving as an allegory for the phrase “everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.” It all plays out in a what quickly becomes a chaotic, yet well-managed outing. Yes, the animation is even better than Into the Spider-Verse brought us, the stylistic changes between characters and worlds satisfying the eyes while the energetic soundtrack sucks you in audibly. The scenes with the various Spider-People are truly iconic, bringing the humor and the meta references that will please both comic aficionados and regular filmgoers alike. The former, however, has a larger playground to explore. 

By the end, the landscape of the series has been irreversibly altered and the trajectory drawn for where net March’s Beyond the Spider-Verse will take us. The ingredients are there, the clashes set, the villain established and ready to unleash. The twists, the turns, the references, and yes, the cameos… they all leave you drooling for more, just as every cliffhanger film should. This is truly incredible stuff.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters on Friday.

Rating: 5/5

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