It’s fair to say, if you’re a Spider-Man fan you’ve been very well served with big screen adventures over the years. Not only are there multiple Spider-Man movies in existence, all featuring multiple interpretations of the Marvel hero, but pretty much all of these movies are good.
Ever since Tobey Maguire donned the red and blue Spandex back in 2002, Spider-Man movies have been fairly consistent in terms of their stories and their quality. Sure, not every film has hit the right mark (Spider-Man 3 and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 I’m looking at you), but even the weaker entries have redeemable features and many fans will line up to tell you what they believe is the best film in the series.
For what it’s worth, the best entry for me (not that you asked) is 2018’s animated tale, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. The film introduces a new Spider-Man in the form of teenager, Miles Morales, and teams him up with various Spider-people from across the multiverse.
Due to the critical and commercial reception to that movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has now been joined by a sequel: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. The new film is now playing in UK and US cinemas, it continues Miles’ story, and may become a contender for the best Spider-Man movie yet.
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse features the vocal talents of Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, and Oscar Isaac. Across the Spider-Verse picks up over a year after the events of the first movie, with Miles now fully embracing his role as Brooklyn’s friendly neighbourhood wall-crawler.
In the film, Miles is doing his best to juggle his home life, as well as his time as a super hero, but he is yet to find the right balance. He’s doing great as Spidey, but not so great as himself, and this is becoming a significant problem.
Because of his new responsibilities as Spider-Man, Miles is skipping school, his grades are slipping, and he’s becoming more distant with his parents. Miles is also reaching a crossroads in his life, where he feels he wants to move beyond Brooklyn to explore the wider world.
But despite everything that is going on in his life, Miles’ biggest concern is seeing Gwen Stacy again. It’s been 16 long months since he last saw Gwen, when they worked together to save the multiverse, and he can’t stop thinking about her.
So when Gwen suddenly appears on Miles’ Earth, he is overjoyed. Especially when Gwen tells him she is part of a ‘Spider Society’, comprised of various Spider-people from across the multiverse.
But what Gwen doesn’t tell Miles is that she is on his Earth for a specific reason. A new super villain called The Spot threatens all of existence and she is in Brooklyn to keep tabs on him.
When Gwen is forced to leave Miles rather abruptly, and head back across the multiverse in search of The Spot, Miles decides to tag along too. However, what he doesn’t know is, he is about to face new dangers as well as an important revelation that could change his life forever.
I’m just going to get this out of the way now and tell you that I absolutely adored Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. This is a truly amazing movie, which deserves the ‘five-star’ rating I’ll be giving it at the bottom of this review.
Not only did it entertain the heck out of me, thanks to its eye-popping visuals, super-sharp humour, and excellent characters, but I completely love the story. There is so much depth and drama in this picture, which doesn’t let up until the very end, and I was hooked from start to finish.
In terms of how best to describe Across the Spider-Verse in comparison to recent movies, this film is the Avengers: Infinity Way of the Spider-Man film series. It is loaded with so much to look at, some very high stakes, a few surprises, and it will leave you excited (and nervous) about what is to come next.
But more importantly, as with its predecessor, Across the Spider-Verse is first and foremost a love letter to Spider-Man. This film takes ideas, characters, and references from all corners of the Spidey mythology, puts them together, and produces something truly satisfying.
With regards to the mythology, Across the Spider-Verse does something which I never expected. It takes something from the comic book mythology, uses it as a key part of this story, and opens up the Spider-Man universe in a whole new way.
There are no spoilers in here from me (I promise), but I will say the film finds a new way to add an extra layer to what we all know about the films. There are certain things we all know about Spider-Man inside and out (the radioactive spider bite, the death of Uncle Ben, etc), but there is something which has been lifted from the comics and from one of the previous movies, and has been repurposed to drive this story forward.
This new spin on an existing plot point not only brings a new element of danger to this film, and potentially other Spidey films, but it also helps knit all of the previous Spider-Man films closer together. Across the Spider-Verse is an important piece of a much bigger picture, and it finds ways to keep this 20-year-old film franchise feeling so damn fresh.
But while the film is big on the Spidey mythology, Across the Spider-Verse also has so much to offer in terms of Miles Morales and his own personal growth. Since he last appeared on screen, Miles has grown both physically and emotionally, and this is explored throughout the film.
It’s rare to have an animated movie ‘age-up’ the lead character, but Across the Spider-Verse does exactly this, to demonstrate the passage of time. And because this film is so committed to showing this is a slightly older Miles, the story is able to lean into this at various points in the movie to show how far he has come from Into the Spider-Verse.
This is a Miles that might have accepted that he is Spider-Man, but when it comes to leading a double-life, he’s still not come out of the super-hero closet. This film looks at this idea, and about what Miles is feeling in relation to this aspect of his life, and it becomes a key part of the story.
The movie also starts to show Miles going through changes in terms of how he views his parents, his responsibilities, and his feelings of love towards Gwen. There are scenes in this movie, which perfectly capture teenage love in all its glory, and are easily some of the most believable romance scenes in a Spidey film.
In terms of the characters in the picture, as with Into the Spider-Verse, this film is loaded with new Spider-folk. Some of them get a few quick cameos, while others get a bit more screen time.
The best of the bunch are Pavitr Prabhaker (aka Spider-Man India) and Hobie Brown (aka Spider-Punk). Both of these characters are superb new additions to the Spider-Man movies, and both get some great lines.
The film’s villain, The Spot, is also great. He’s a lesser-known foe from the comics, but his cartoon-y abilities fit this movie perfectly, and he is a joy to watch.
However, the true gem in this movie – outside Miles Morales – is Gwen Stacy, who steals every scene she is in. Although Miles is the main character in this film, Gwen is too, and the opening prologue which gives her the spotlight for the first ten minutes, demonstrates this quite clearly.
Outside of the above, Across the Spider-Verse boasts some of the best-looking animation I have ever seen on screen. You’ll hear many people call this picture “a work of art”, and it’s true, because there are some scenes which are breath-taking.
Although, I’ll correct the phrase, as I believe there are “several works of art” on display here – not just one. Every world and character has their own unique look and colour palette, which ensures there is so much to see in every scene.
This film bombards the senses with every frame. It is a visual delight, and then some, and if it doesn’t get nominated next year for an Academy Award for its animation, then the whole awards ceremony should be scrapped.
Across the Spider-Verse should also get awards for sound too, as the soundtrack is excellent. The music combines so well with the visuals, that the only way I can describe it is “effortlessly cool”.
I could sit here all day and tell you how great Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is but I’d much prefer to tell you to book your tickets, and take your nearest and dearest with you to your local cinema. This is an event picture for the whole family, and one of the biggest in Spider-Man’s film portfolio, so please don’t miss out.
There is more to come from this universe, but you really need to see what happens in this one first. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a Spider-epic, and it is a great deal of fun too.
Oh, and here are those five stars I promised…
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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