Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Released June 2, 2023

Written by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

* No spoilers *

Spider-Man has always been my favourite superhero, and 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse (“Spider-Verse 1”) is my favourite movie about the wall-crawling web-head. Better than the MCU/Tom Holland movies and a step above the Sam Raimi/Tobey Maguire trilogy. Why? Because the Spider-Verse movies consistently depict the core of what makes a Spider-Man story so compelling...that being Spider-Man is hard. We all know the famous line, “With great power comes great responsibility” but Across the Spider-Verse (“Spider-Verse 2”) dissects that concept like none of the other stories have. Asking how far that responsibility goes and how much of ourselves we have to lose when bearing the weight of the world (or many worlds) on our shoulders.

When Spider-Verse 1 came out, the multiverse was an obscure concept to general audiences but it left a solid impression with its fresh story and beautiful presentation. Five years later, in a market saturated with multiverse stories (What if…, Loki, No Way Home, Multiverse of Madness, Everything Everywhere All At Once) Spider-Verse 2 faces the challenge of cutting through the growing superhero fatigue and differentiating itself from other dimension hopping stories. I can say with confidence that Spider-Verse 2 completely sets itself apart from the competition and uses the different versions of Spider-Man to deconstruct and delve into this character like no other Spidey story has before.

If you haven’t seen Into the Spider-Verse or hesitated because it is animated, stop reading this and go watch it…now. You are doing yourself a huge disservice by skipping it. Part of what makes these movies so spectacular is how animation allows the creators' imagination to be unleashed. This could never be done in live action. You could pause almost any second of this movie and frame it as a piece of art. Every other theatre experience this year feels bland and boring by comparison. The texture, linework, movement, colour palette, and style of each character and their world is different and perfectly in line with their distinct personalities.

There are so many different characters but the main focus is on Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), who are essentially co-leads. Each showing a different side of the burden they face and the toll it takes on their relationships with their loved ones. Gwen's world is full of chalky pastels and looks like it's a glowing water colour painting. In many scenes the lighting and colours shift as the mood of a scene progresses and I was in awe of how the subtle transitions conveyed the story without saying a word.

Other supporting characters get their worlds fleshed out too, and I was especially happy to see a lot more of Spider-Man India than I expected. The aesthetic of Mumbattan (a hybrid of Mumbai and Manhattan) and the quips from Karan Soni (Deadpool) as Pavitr Prabhakar about Chai-tea and Naan-bread were amazing. Also returning from the first movie is Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta, Bullet Train) as Miles’ father Jefferson Davis. His scenes are full of emotion and the awkward but loving dad energy is perfect.

Spider-Man 2099 is played with cold intensity by the incredibly talented Oscar Isaac (Dune). We barely scratched the surface of his character and I'm excited to learn more about him in the inevitable third part to this series. Daniel Kaluuya (Nope) plays Spider-Punk as an anti-establishment British road man and is an inspired casting choice. Jason Schwartzman (Moonrise Kingdom) as The Spot was bumbling and hilarious but also full of a sinister rage waiting to be unleashed. This movie has so many excellent actors, even if some only have a few lines, that it’s hard to talk about everyone. Hearing a packed theatre go wild with each cameo reveal was a lot of fun. As a hardcore spidey fan I can't wait to comb through and find all the hidden details when I eventually buy this on 4K disc.

The music by Daniel Pemberton is kinetic and relentless for the high intensity action sequences but also somber when things slow down. The way the filmmakers are using sound and music to build the story and emotional moments is exactly what I want in a cinematic experience. Toward the end of the movie the music reaches a tense crescendo ramping you up like the climb on a roller coaster.

Sony has already confirmed a third movie is coming soon (March 29, 2024) and even when Spider-Verse 2 was announced it was presented as a “Part 1”, so don’t expect everything to be tied up in this movie. It is not self contained and we will have to wait at least until next year to see how the journey concludes.

For me Spider-Verse 2 sits right alongside its predecessor as my favourite cinematic depiction of Spider-Man. The filmmakers’ creativity is completely let loose and presented with the most beautiful aesthetic, but the enjoyment of this film is not just superficial. This is an epic story with world ending stakes but the smaller scale emotional drama is what solidifies this as a fantastic piece of art.

9/10 - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a captivating and operatic painting brought to life. If DaVinci's grand murals had a modern film equivalent, I’d have to say this is it. Absolute brilliance.

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