‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Movie Review: The Spider-Verse Gets an Upgrade
Photo from Sony Pictures Animation
From Jeff Nelson
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse rightfully won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film and a special place in the hearts of superhero fans everywhere. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse grows exponentially in scale and spectacle without losing an ounce of its charm.
Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) speak directly to the audience in voice-over narration as a reminder of their innate connection that extends beyond their superhuman powers. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits the ground running with a bombastic prologue that positions Gwen as an equal protagonist to Miles through multiversal-threatening foes and young adult woes.
Marvel has its fair share of uninspired antagonists who don’t actually pose much of a threat to the hero in question. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse pokes fun at the franchise’s most generic bad guys who will be definitively stopped by the time the end credits start rolling. Miles and Gwen underestimate their foe, who barely appears through long stretches of the film’s story. The Marvel Cinematic Universe spent years building to Thanos in the Infinity Saga, but this Spider-Man sequel pits relatable human dilemmas at the core of its stakes.
Miles yearns to make a difference in the world beyond the suit, but he’s simultaneously stuck in the past, unable to shake the loneliness of existing as the universe’s only Spider-Man. He continues to hold palpable romantic feelings toward Gwen, who is also seeking to find a place where she feels accepted. The Spider-Man IP was always about how a superpowered teenager juggled his fantastical world with his empathetic adolescent problems, which remains Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s greatest strength.
This sequel’s 140-minute runtime is packed with flashy action sequences and an overwhelming surplus of Easter eggs, but it’s the family drama buried within that earns its length. The repetitive exposition is fluff, although the running themes between parents and children that hop from one universe to the next are commanding and sincere.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse boasts stellar animation that sets the stage for its visual techniques from the start in the studio logos. The vivacious use of color plays into the web-slinging action, but it’s most impressive in the film’s quieter moments. Textured hues melt, flash, and burst onto the screen in a way that communicates the protagonists’ innermost feelings. The comic aesthetic beautifully translates to the silver screen, but perhaps the most impressive accomplishment is its ability to bring multiple animation styles to the same world in a way that feels fluid and organic.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a highly-stylized extravaganza that improves on its predecessor. It’s an action-packed crowdpleaser on all fronts, yet the family drama is what truly transforms this sequel into one of the best comic movies in years.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse hits theaters on June 2nd, 2023.
Rating: 4.5/5
