Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.
- Released: 2023-06-02
- Runtime: 120 minutes
- Genre: Action, Animation
- Stars: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Issa Rae, Jake Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Vélez, Rachel Dratch, Jason Schwartzman, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham, Daniel Kaluuya, Greta Lee
- Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Justin K. Thompson, Kemp Powers
Comments
- boss-981-447297 - 2 June 2024
Solid Spiderman flick, but not nearly as great as many would say.
I'm a bit late for this review. I watched it last weekend (june 2023) in a good IMAX theater, and again, I have to say that this is the way to watch it: in the biggest theater you can find, with the largest highest resolution screen available, and with the loudest sound system possible. You will want it to cover the children screaming during the session.
My initial reaction was, "Wow, this is great!". You won't regret going to watch it in a good theater. It's a feast for your senses. The animation, again, is gorgeous. They expanded what they did in the first movie and went overboard. The action sequences, in particular, are fantastic. Even after dozens of Marvel movies, this one does feel fresh and exciting to watch. I will definitely re-watch it on Blu-Ray.
The technical aspects are mostly great. The direction is good. Editing is good. The casting is spot on once again. Soundtrack, visual effects, etc. There's not much to complain about here, mostly nitpicking.
Now, the story gives me pause. And to be fair, this is chapter 1 of a 2 part story. So many elements here need the next movie to see if they'll pay off.
One example is the shift in Gwen's role. In the first movie, she was a very good support character. But in this second entry, they moved her to protagonist territory. One can argue that this movie is as much about Miles as it is about Gwen. It's a bold move, and Gwen is really a good character. But again, I hope they don't screw her backstory up with unnecessary politics, as some theories have been arguing over TikTok. I don't think they would be stupid enough to waste a billion-dollar franchise in stupid niche politics, but again, we need the finale to know for sure. So her story will only pay off if they keep they don't side-track her.
On Miles's side, they wanted more character development, but they tried too hard to make us like his family. For example, they wanted us to think of his father as "endearing," but they shot too far and almost came up as "goofy" to me. The mother, they wanted to make her look wise, and they gave her the "with great power comes great responsibility" part. But it was many paragraphs long. Super long speech that I think shot too far. It was a bit too much. They could have cut some of that. It was not too much to the point of exhaustion, but it was too close.
I really liked Oscar Isaac's take on Miguel O'Hara. I remember reading the 2099 series in the 90s when they were released. And they make it justice here. But again, I think they went a bit too far in the "justified totalitarian" approach. It's just half the story, however. We need the next movie to know for sure.
There were many comic reliefs, such as the Spider India guy. That sequence was great. Completely unnecessary for the story but entertaining nonetheless.
Spider-Punk walked a fine line in politics between being cool and another mindless ideologue. As with Miguel, we need the next movie to know which. He stole the scenes he was in, though, that's for sure.
Now, we have to hold our breaths here. One way this story could go very wrong is to argue that maybe spiderman doesn't need a traumatic canon event, maybe there's a compromise, like Spider India. If they do that, they destroy spiderman. The way for the 3rd act to go on is to validate that yes, in order to be the best spiderman, one has to endure the most traumatic loss and stand up. That's the core of the character. They better keep it intact, otherwise this whole series becomes automatic nuclear trash.
All in all, it's an overall very well-balanced movie, with good character development, backstories, and action sequences to spice them up. It had the cruel job of being the middle of the road, paying off the first movie and setting things up for the third act. I don't think it's Empire Strikes Back level, but it's not too shabby. It's a very competent second act.
I think it's a very solid 7 out of 10. And this score can change depending on the third movie. If it pays off, it becomes an 8 out of 10. If the storytelling betrays the expectations set in this episode, it flops to a 5 out of 10. - granstonmenyelek - 6 May 2024
Gretest Movie of 2023
I completely understand your excitement and enthusiasm about this movie. It is truly a remarkable gem that has captured the hearts of many viewers. The storyline, characters, and overall production are just flawless. It's not every day that you come across a movie that leaves such a lasting impression on its audience. And it's even more rare to find an animated movie that can compete with live-action movies. But this movie has done just that, and it has set a new standard for animated movies. It's no wonder that you can't wait for the third movie to come out, as the second one has already exceeded your expectations. I can only imagine how much more incredible the third one will be. I hope that it will continue to live up to the high standards set by its predecessors. Overall, it's fantastic to see a movie that has the ability to bring so much joy and excitement to its viewers. - oigbide - 28 March 2024
"Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go. Nah. I'mma do my own thing."
"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is a great follow-up that builds off the themes introduced in 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. From what was such a great origin story that helped Miles plant his feet and feel secure, I was wondering how things would progress from there. Instead of regressing Miles to make the plot move forward, we are introduced to several internal and external conflicts that feel completely natural. Miles' struggle with responsibility is a Spider-Man staple and his grappling with telling his loved ones about an important side of himself and stopping lying is compelling to watch. The audience can see and feel his turmoil with his heavy secret, as well as see things from his parents' perspective, as they watch their child refuse to open up to them. This movie puts a magnifying glass on Miles' relationships, examining them in ways that are realistically brutal. Miles' relationship with the Spider-People he met in the last movie, specifically Gwen, is expanded upon, adding complexity to this new world he's a part of.
Characters are the strength of this movie and where it really shines. The movie surprisingly starts with Gwen and goes through her origin story and struggles in a sequence that is depicted with rich colors, creating a thick level of emotion. We're there just long enough to adapt to her world and get more insight into Gwen's character before we switch to Miles' tackling the common Spider-Man theme of responsibility.
The meta-narrative of Miles not being recognized as a "true" Spider-Man is used to great effect and is shown to be pretty nonsensical. Spider-Man has existed in many different shapes and forms, and Miles is just another example of this. We see him triumph through loss and take on the responsibility of being Spider-Man, even when it's hard. It's a great follow-up to the idea of anyone wearing the mask that was so prominent in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."
The animation is pristine and is not afraid to get wild, featuring stop-motion animation for the Lego Spider-Man and constantly moving colored papers attached to Hobie Brown's model. Even the start of the movie shows some beautiful watercolor-like texture for Gwen's home dimension. For the most part, everything involving the visual art of this movie was nothing short of perfect. However, some of the scenes with the Spider-Society and character models definitely took me out of the movie. Specifically, the Spectacular Spider-Man looked off, with his 3D model and short stature just looking way too specific and different from everyone else. Some specific designs, like his, felt either improperly done or just phoned in to not give the animators the ridiculous task of making sure that every Spider-Person looks perfect.
Even compared to the first movie, "Across the Spider-Verse" is an ambitious visual accomplishment. The mixing of live-action and animation was done surprisingly well. Donald Glover's Prowler didn't look so separate from the animated characters that it broke my suspension of disbelief. It just worked to add to the concept of the multiverse with vastly different worlds. Seeing his character was somewhat jarring, but not to the point where I felt less immersed. However, the scene with Spot and Mrs. Chen from Sony's Venom was short but the worst piece of fanservice in this movie. Spot being placed in the real world, where all of the background and items are real, made the moment look like a commercial that features a cute animated mascot. It goes too heavy on the live action, for a character that is completely unmemorable in regards to the Spider-Man mythos and even in the "Venom" movie alone. Peggy Lu's acting here is completely wooden, feeling like a caricature of what her character is supposed to be. Out of the entire movie, it was the one scene that I thought was too awful.
One of the hardest parts to deal with in this movie is how unfinished the ending feels. And that's because the ending isn't an ending at all. It's just a setup for the next movie. I'm not opposed to two-parters or movies that build bridges between each other, but a lack of a definitive ending hurts the film in this case because of how much time is spent building up to that moment. Most of the third act is spent gaining momentum for the next movie, instead of focusing on itself. This is why, in part, some of the big reveals didn't work for me. When Miles tells his mother about how he was rejected by the Spider-Society, which serves as a follow-up to their conversation on the rooftop, and tells her that he's Spider-Man, it falls flat as a prelude to a twist. It was such a raw and genuine moment that's wasted on Earth-42 Rio, who's not his mother. I feel like any future moment of an identity reveal is just crippled by Miles already being so vulnerable here. Creating a shocking moment and leaving the audience wanting to see more should not come at the expense of character development.
Most of my problems with "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" are just small things. However, these small things do add up. While my problems with the film prevent me from holding it in the same bracket as its predecessor, I still have a lot of love for it. There's a sense of newfound maturity present here as we get a deeper look into preexisting relationships. It takes the concepts set up in "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and transforms them into something both familiar and new. Miles' strong bond with his family is kept, but it is also used as a source of bigger conflict. Miles' newfound friends drive him and are also a source of conflict due to their betrayal of him. Also taking into consideration the inspired visuals, this sequel feels like a step forward and a continuation of the previously established breakthroughs. Not everything that "Across the Spider-Verse" tries out works, but the level of innovation cannot be understated. More than anything, this film is a testament to the creativity of animation.
