Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Film Review

Two things you should be aware of before walking into Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. One, is that is the first part of a twofer, meaning the film ends on a cliffhanger and part 2 – Beyond the Spider-Verse – will come out next year. The second, is that your Spidey senses are about to overload on even more of that exciting, animated graffiti we witnessed with Into the Spider-Verse, with an even greater emphasis on varying art styles and converging ideas.

The script this round is equal parts broader and smaller in scope, but not as focused or sharp as the previous film. While the multiverse, sorry Spider-Verse, concept is expanded, the story-within-a-story is streamlined into pure simplicity: teenage Spider-Man, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), pines for a girl, and that yearning might inadvertently place him on the path to destroy the Spider-Verse itself.

Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) is the girl in question, and she has returned to her own universe where her dad is a cop in search of the perceived vigilante, Spider-Gwen. Guess he’s never heard the name before. Events occur that connect Gwen with Spider-Woman (Issa Rae), Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), and an entire universe of Spider-People that work to ensure harmony in the Spider-Verse.

So. Many. Spiders.

This organization works on the belief in destiny over choice, that events are preordained or universes crumble. Unlike the Marvel films with Tom Holland, Uncle Ben matters here. Well, Miles was never part of the plan – if you recall, he was bitten by a spider from a different verse – and therefore, his lines are crossed. Where the story goes from here, I will leave to you to discover, as the journey is part of the thrill. Rest assured, there will be even more Spideys introduced as every multiverse collides into an explosive finale that…never happens. As I said, this film has a cliffhanger conclusion.

While Into the Spider-Verse was a stellar Spider-Man tale, the story here finds itself a bit convoluted at times. The overall tale of Miles chasing Gwen, well that’s an absolute delight, and even leads to the greatest Spider-Man shot since 2002’s upside-down kiss, which this film turns on its ear as Gwen completes a 180 to solemnly sit, ironically, upside down. These beats work wholeheartedly and inject a much-needed humanity into a film as ADD addled as this one.

The actual Spider-Verse section of the film, where seemingly every single Spider-Person from every verse pops up, well, that gets a bit much. Not in the “oh they’re trying too hard” or “it’s far too smart for my feeble mind” vein. More so in that toddler trapped in an art school “let’s take everything we have EVER thought of and hurl it at the screen” kind of way.

Across the Spider-Verse is an extremely busy yet engaging film, which pays dividends for repeat viewings. But it’s also far too long, especially for a story that will need another 2+ hours to finish, with a rather rote villain seemingly at its center. Is this The Empire Strikes Back of the Spider-Verse saga or The Matrix Reloaded. We just don’t know yet.

As for the animation, it’s as boldly frenetic as ever. Each style is utilized for an optimized ride that does its best to never slow down. It’s a literal theme park for your corneas. The fantastic soundtrack infuses the eye-popping visuals with a unique tempo only befitting these films and the artistry is absolutely stunning to behold.

The filmmakers decided to split the two movies and only time will tell if this was the right call. As a standalone film, the script could have been pared down to meet the greatness of the first film. That said, the dizzying visuals deserve to be devoured on the largest movie theater screen you can find. There is so much to indulge your senses here, it is almost an embarrassment of riches.

Many have claimed Superhero movies were dying, and yet we have Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Across the Spider-Verse back-to-back. Two visually stunning artistic endeavors with heart and humor aplenty. Sorry, Scorsese, this is still cinema.

Listen to our full review of Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse on this episode of The Hollywood Outsider podcast: