Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Movie Review: SPOILER ALERT
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It is another animated, fun-filled adventure with Miles Morales, Spider Gwen, Peter B. Parker, and a whole bunch of other Spider-Men…across the spider-verse…
I think what makes this sequel fun is how it really hones in on the chaos of the multi-verse, creating a situation where you are seeing hundreds of thousands of Spider-Man characters converging in one location. It’s chock full of humorous references and Easter eggs that die-hard Spider-Man fans would go crazy for. For instance, there is a Donald Glover cameo in the movie. I didn’t understand exactly what his cameo was referencing, but I loved getting swept up in the excitement of the theater.
The trailer shows Miles getting chased by a bunch of Spider-Men, which seems to insinuate that maybe he did something wrong and is being treated as the bad guy. And in this film, watching that play out was very interesting. It’s almost like a Thanos mentality, where you know that you want to be on Miles’s side because he is the “good guy” and the “main character”, but I do see where Miguel is coming from. From Miles’s POV, it’s a question of “do I follow the status quo” and save the world? Or do I listen to what my heart and soul is telling me because every fiber of my body does not want to sacrifice my loved ones for the “greater good”?
As a viewer, we all accept that heroes do not accept the status quo and greatness is not achieved by being a sheep and doing what people tell you to do. Sometimes it’s about breaking down barriers that no one would have expected could be broken. But I will admit that I was frustrated that Miles was this little delinquent trying to break the system and potentially destroy many, many worlds in the pursuit of saving his own. Maybe that’s the rule-follower in me screaming. But nonetheless, I am excited to see how the story continues to play out Part 2! I loved the ending and seeing Miles end up in a completely different world and meeting the antithesis of himself.
I don’t think anyone needs to be reminded about how amazing the animation is in this movie. It challenges the traditional ways that we have enjoyed animation and brings a comic-book feeling into every scene. I will say that this movie uses a lot of “glitchy” effects that feel borderline seizure-inducing. For instance, at the very opening of the film, you will see all of the studio title treatments like “Marvel”, “Sony Animation”, “Columbia”, etc. glitching out. After a certain point, I was getting a big overwhelmed by that glitch effect.
My favorite animation moments were the ones that felt like a direct lift from a comic book page. For instance, there is a scene where Gwen is talking to her dad. Gwen is on one side of the room, and her dad is on the other. A white line is in the middle, separating them like they’re in a comic strip. Moments like these really pay homage to the roots of Spider-Man as a comic book.
Overall, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is another masterclass in amazing animation that also capitalizes on our generation’s love for Spider-Man and the craziness of the multiverse. It is fun, heartfelt, and a great time for everyone. There’s often a lot going on in any given shot, which is an incredible feat for these animators, but the heart of the story never gets lost even with all of the chaos.