Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse - Movie Review

Introduction

"So Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is the sequel to the widely beloved and visually dazzling "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." This time around, there's a super-secret society of super Spider-Men, and Miles Morales is like, "I'm not a part of that." There's a new villain called Spot, causing problems. More development with Miles Morales and all the visual bedazzlement the first movie had, that you're hoping the second movie has. And absolutely, yes, it has it.

The Delight of Spider-Man Cameos

Do You know what I liked about this film? Actually, what I really appreciated about this film is that it's "Across the Spider-Verse." We've all heard about these Spider-Man cameos, Spider-Men or Spider-Man, or Spider-Man's name is Spider-Man. So, I'm gonna go ahead and say Spider-Man's plural. But lots of cameos, right? All the Spider-Man cameos, Scarlet Spider cameo. Admittedly, as a Ben Reilly fan, totally cool with that. Or '90s Ben Reilly fan, anyway. And they could have rested on that. They could have been like, "Cameos, Easter eggs. Those are fun. That carries the film." Also, "We're gonna blow their synapses out of the water with the visuals." So that's enough. We don't need more. And it has fun with that. Absolutely, it has fun with the Easter eggs. The visuals just blow your hair back. But it doesn't lean on it too much. If it didn't have the Easter eggs, it still would have been an amazing film. That's what it's supposed to be. It's supposed to be icing on the cake, not the whole cake.

Engaging Personal and Family Dynamics

I was actually surprised in the first hour or so in this film. You get some web-slinging, absolutely. But for the most part, the heart and soul of it is some really personal family dynamics going on here. Miles Morales, as well as Gwen Stacy. A lot more Gwen Stacy and her world, her life, than I was expecting from this film. I appreciate that because that's a real question in a superhero film. How engaging is the film when costumes are not at play? When you're dealing with the humans behind the mask? And the answer here is very. It's very engaging. This movie is a gripping character piece that's also a superhero movie. Those are my favorite superhero movies. You know, when "Into the Spider-Verse," how Nicholas Cage as Noir Spider-Man kinda stole the show, and he was just amazing in that respect. This time around, it's Daniel Kaluuya voicing Hobie. The world just needs more Hobie in everything.

Spot: A Complex Villain

They actually do a very interesting thing with the villain in here, Spot. The concept of ally and enemy is a very complex issue in here, which I feel is Spider-Man to the core. It's very Spider-Man theme, and it's in here. It's alive and well in here. But Spot is one of those enemies that could have been so done, just comes across as a freak-of-the-week villain in a TV series somewhere. And then this villain just grows as a problem, and that was a huge problem. And is actually kind of amazing, granted the animation absolutely aids in making Spot work. It's part of the magic of the Spider-Verse animation.

Captivating and Unique Animation

And now we get to talk about that animation, which is so unique. It kind of reminds me of the first time I saw "The Matrix," where you walk out of "The Matrix," you're like, visually, that was just on another level. And only "The Matrix" feels like "The Matrix." A very unique experience. Then other movies are like, "Hey, we'll incorporate some 'Matrix' tactics into our movies." And that's awesome because that's a film that changes the industry. But still, even after that, only "The Matrix" feels like "The Matrix." Same as Spider-Verse. You've seen other animations incorporate Spider-Verse-style animation in their animations, but only a Spider-Verse film apparently feels like Spider-Verse. It's like you can take any frame from "Across the Spider-Verse." Granted, you can take any frame from "Into the Spider-Verse" as well. But for the sake of this video, in which this is a review for "Across the Spider-Verse," right? You could blindly grab any frame from this movie and be like, "Yep, gonna blow that up. That's a painting that's in my house," and it'll look amazing.

Also, the visuals of the world were content with the character they're telling the story of. Like when you're with Gwen Stacy in her world, it looks like the Spider-Gwen comic, at least how I remember it looking. Then you're with Miles Morales, and it looks different than that. So it gives the visual style more character. Just outside the action, the world itself has a visual aesthetic that's unique. It has its own flavor based on the character they're telling the story of at the time, in the moment.

Balancing Length and Engagement

And I'll be honest with you. I found out that this movie clocks in at 2 hours and 20 minutes, essentially when I was at the theater about to watch the film. I was like, "Oh, man, is that gonna feel too long?" Overall, a product of our experience. And lately, when a movie clocks in at 2 hours 20 minutes, two and a half hours, it generally feels too long. I always walk out of that movie being like, "They could have shaved time." I did not feel like that here. When this movie ends, and it ends on that note of, "It's, uh, what? That's where you end? Oh, I can't wait for the third movie."

Yeah, I mean, I can't see the future, don't have a crystal ball or anything. But I'm just saying, that was definitely the feeling at the time. That's the feeling I'm going to hold to until I'm in the theater watching the third film. That's gonna stick with me. But the other feeling I got was I could have actually been in this chair after two and a half hours of watching this movie. They could have just rolled me into the next film for another two and a half hours, and I would have been cool with that.

Conclusion

Guys, in the end, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is one word: epic. The voice acting is amazing. Oscar Isaac as Miguel Spider-Man 2099. Dude, the action feels intense. It feels fast. It feels heavy. It's a fun action film, absolutely. But one that doesn't rely on the multiverse for the sake of multiverse. We've seen that a lot. It's like multiverse because multiverse. Why multiverse? Because it's awesome. This uses the multiverse in a way that has personal stakes with the main character involved.

It's an animation that shows how animation hits differently than live action, but also shows why, in some cases, animation is just the better way to go. It's a comic book movie that entertains you when the great comic book is going down, but it's also a relatable character piece with Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales. And that's what's important. I'm gonna remember this theatrical experience, and "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is awesome. Tacky. I genuinely cannot wait for the third film.

All right, so "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," have you seen it? Or which one do you prefer? Do you prefer "Across the Spider-Verse" or "Into the Spider-Verse"? Whatever you think, comment below and let me know.