All right, let’s do this one more time: (cue propulsive, impossibly cool hip-hop beat): in 2018, despite an oversaturation of ‘Spider-Man’ movies, and just two years after Marvel introduced yet another actor as the character in live-action (just two years after ditching the previous guy), Sony did the unimaginable with “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” Not only did they craft a thrilling, ingenious, inventive, highly original, and entertaining ‘Spider-Man’ like never before, they created the best-animated superhero film ever, and arguably one of the all-time superhero films ever. Yeah, they did that.
And now, they’ve arguably topped it. Well, almost anyhow.
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And for that achievement, lets credit producers/creative brains trust Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and the talented writers and directors (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman). Fast forward a belated five years later, and somehow this team—with an entirely new lineup of directors, Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson — has astonished with the jaw-dropping, eye-popping splash page excellence of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”
And yes, they’re doing it one more time, but with intention, flipping the script and trying to put the audience on the back foot by upending your expectations. And mostly, they succeed, and then some. Suffice it to say, ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ is remarkably impressive again and next-level ups its game, especially in the animation department. Narratively, ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ is deeply emotional, with several poignant themes about the crucible that all Spider-People have to endure: horribly personal and tragic events that forever change who they are, define them, and transform them into the hero we know today.
The plot of ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ seems complex, and maybe it is to explain it all. But the story about its rich and dimensional characters— the more important part— is essentially simple. Following the events of ‘Into The Spiderverse,’ one year later, two Spider-People, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld) are a little lonely and lost in the world without one another. Relegated back to their own respective universes, they yearn for the adventurous experience they shared, miss the friendship they made, pine for the way that another Spider-Person made them feel less alone in the universe, and maybe even long for the romantic tingle that oh-so-briefly began to spark with one another.
Each has serious family issues, too, Gwen with an overbearing police chief father, Captain Stacey (Shea Whigham), hellbent on bringing Spider-Woman to justice for the presumed murder of [a spoiler we won’t spoil], and Miles, continuing to have issues with his worrisome parents Jefferson Davis (Brian Tyree Henry) and Rio Morales (Luna Lauren Vélez), both of whom really get to shine in this packed installment.
What kicks the plot forward—which is arguably not as interesting—is the appearance of The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), a former scientist turned disfigured villain that wants the ultimate revenge on Miles Morales for ruining his life. Something of a joke, through different machinations not worth mentioning, The Spot grows powerful, suddenly threatening the existence of the multiverse. Cue: Gwen Stacy, whom the Spider-Society has recruited to stop him. Who? A special forces team led by the angry, militant, and humorless Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) and his lieutenant Spider-Woman (Issa Rae), who guard the multiverse for anomalies. Gwen travels to Miles’ universe—and isn’t supposed to interact with him—but it all goes wrong, awry; Gwen can’t help herself, and things spin out of control.
Like most megaverse movie tales, one misstep has greater consequences that echo out across the multiverse, and this film, in that sense, is no different. Chasing the spot becomes a universe-hopping experience, and along the way, they collect and add to their team Pavitr Prabhakar aka Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), the British Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), and some familiar faces like Peter Parker (Jake Johnson) and some who will probably stand out in the next installment Scarlet Spider (Andy Samberg).
However, ‘SM:ATSV’ goes well beyond that with moving themes of identity, home, family, belonging, and trying to find the place where we all fit. That said, the film’s one tiny design flaw is that plot which borders on multiverse madness, overkill maximalism by the end of the film (though it’s also thrilling and breathtaking).
Surprises and cameos abound in ‘Spider-Verse 2,’ but honestly, they are the least successful part of the film (maybe another tiny flaw), fan service that threatens to ruin the integrity of an otherwise super genuine film (and to potentially be uncharitable, it feels like the work of Amy Pascal or Avi Arad with connective Spider-World-Building). That blip aside, ‘Spider-Verse’ is largely incredible.
Visually, it is stunning, with multiple design styles for each character, vivid, hyper details, and rapid-fire collage of images so enormous, grand, and tactile they will give you the experience of thinking you’ve actually seen it in 3D. Not enough can be said about those dazzling visuals other than it’s probably winning the Best Animated Oscar again, just based on how cutting-edge it is and how their style continues to break ground (the oil-painting, oil-spilling, oil-breathing pastel hues that embody the emotional backgrounds of the Gwen Stacey story alone merit an entirely separate story).
Emotionally, ‘Spider-Verse 2’ is often touching, heartbreaking and sad, with moments that cut you so deep you will weep. The family stories of Miles and Gwen and how they’re so desperate to connect but lying to their parents to protect their superhero identities are crushing. The longing ache the film often provides is so moving and unusually powerful for this kind of superhero film. Miles Morales is faced with a universe-threatening dilemma that’s also personal, and the way it clenches up with fear, agony, and “NO! I can fix this!” desperation is so wrenching.
If there’s one small problem (ok, we’ve mentioned three in total), it’s that ‘Across The Universe’ is a part one, and thus an incomplete story that concludes in 2024’s ‘Beyond The Spider-Verse.’ The film does land well, but it’s no ‘Empire Strikes Back’ in this regard—perhaps the best sequel ever to end with similar ellipses, but still feels like a completed story. ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ teases even MORE, MORE, MORE at the end of the film, and if we had one note of caution for the filmmakers, it’s that. ‘Across The Universe’ is terribly exciting, kinetic, overpowering, and filled with the kind of cinematic awe that the movies were made for. But the film does threaten to buckle in that humungous third act, so proceed with caution, folks.
Nevertheless, the filmmakers should take pride in what they’ve achieved, how they’ve earned it, the story they’ve told, and the impeccable, thrilling animation craft that’s collaged, fragmented, and leaps off the screen into your eyeballs. For that alone, they should take a bow. [A-]