15 Jun Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Review by Amaru Moses

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDERVERSE

Only twice in my movie watching lifetime has a film left me sitting in the theater, staring at the credits, utterly speechless. The first time was in 2010 after the screen went black on the spinning top in Inception. The second time was in 2018 as E-40 waxed poetic over the backdrop of West Oakland freeways in Blindspotting. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now the third. There was so much to process after watching Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) journey across the Multiverse, meeting a cavalcade of Spider-People across dimensions, trying to find a way to save their worlds from extinction. It took two watches to properly put together words substantial enough to describe what I had watched because this film is grand in every sense of the word.

The film begins with Gwen narrating the words, “Okay, let’s do things differently this time. A lot differently”. And this sequel is truly different from the original, expanding upon and overtaking what made Into the Spider-Verse so spectacular. This is a much darker film, covering emotional themes and topics that are thought-provokingly beautiful. That emotion is exhibited, first and foremost, through transformative animation which tops what we thought couldn’t be topped after the first film. Each frame is a painting upon a painting upon a painting, as each Spider-dimension has its own unique animation style. We get the comic-book-like visuals from Miles’ world, well-polished 3D animation we’re used to from other films, 2D paper-pencil renaissance like animation, and numerous other dazzling forms that I don’t have enough time to list. The ever-changing, neo-noir, watercolor visuals of Gwen Stacy’s universe alone are beautiful enough to evoke tears. But what makes the visuals so transcendent is how well they blend the animation styles together when the spider-people dip in and out of each other’s universes, overlapping their distinct designs in jaw-dropping fashion.

These visuals are paired with an evocative score and pitch-perfect soundtrack (produced by Metro Boomin) that use a combination of moving themes and timely needle drops to highlight the outstanding performances from a vastly talented ensemble. Each character (and there are a lot of them) brings something special and unique no matter their screen time. Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) is an absolutely anarchic scene-stealer who I need more of right away. Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Sani) and Ben Reilly (Andy Sandberg) are hilarious additions. The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), Jess Drew (Issa Rae) and Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) bring tantalizing gravity and conflict to the plot, and George Stacy (Shea Whigham), Rio (Luna Lauren Velez), and Jefferson Morales (Brian Tyree Henry) have their own exceptional emotional journeys trying to navigate parenting their extraordinary spider-children. Velez in particular stands out as much as Henry did in the first film. In between the kinetic action scenes and stunning visuals, Miles and Rio have several resonant conversations about acceptance and family that will tug at your heart and push Miles’ story forward in grounded and authentic ways.

The authenticity of everything on screen is part of what elevates this movie past more than just an overload of fan service and nostalgia. There are tons of Spider-Man easter eggs, cameos, and references that could easily have felt like unnecessary fluff with no weight. But there’s so much care that goes into every single detail in every single frame which shows the creators deeply cared that each finger-pointing moment had a reason, a resonance, and a rationale for being there. The combination of its visuals, music, voice-acting performances, easter eggs, and references create an epic amount of stimuli thrown at you over two hours and twenty minutes. But all of this isn’t what makes this film so epic. Amongst the sheer vastness of it all, it’s the impactful and emotional story that shines the most. A story that belongs to Spider-Gwen as much as it does to Miles Morales.

Both of their characters have thematic arcs that are deeply introspective, hitting on every essential Spider-Man message that comic-book and movie fans have connected to for decades: sacrifice, self-doubt, responsibility, and finding your place in the world. Their profoundly personal stories elevate everything around them. From their charming chemistry to the insecurities they’re forced to confront when at odds with enemies and loved ones, you are genuinely invested in how each of their stories will unfold both together and separately. Without giving too much away, you are left wanting to immediately continue one narrative thread (Beyond the Spider-Verse can’t come soon enough), while another thread is satisfyingly closed before the end credits. It’s not hyperbole to call this sequel the Empire Strikes Back of animated and comic-book movies. It has been 13 years since the last animated Best Picture Oscar nominee. There shouldn’t be a 14th.

Review by Amaru Moses