Five years after swinging the doors off the whole superhero multiverse thing, the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse springs into action to deliver an arachnid-sized punch of fresh, inventive, and emotionally compelling spider-story that’s a true eye-popping wonder. Directed with electrifying visual panache by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, our reunion with Miles Morales, Gwen Stacey, and a host of countless other spider-variants across an ever-expanding multiverse elevates the stakes in this second installment, ambitiously pushing the creative and narrative boundaries along the way.
Shameik Moore returns to voice Miles Morales, Earth-1610’s newly-minted Spider-Man. Following the events of the first film, Miles has settled into himself though finds balancing his regular teenager life amongst his superhero duties a constant battle with equilibrium itself. However, it’s Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy who really swings into the spotlight this time as her personal story opens this next chapter, which introduces us to her estranged police officer father and friend-turned adversary Peter Parker. Separated by infinite time and space barriers, Gwen and Miles are doomed to live out their teenage years in mutual solitude. Each must carry the burden of being their universe’s Spider-Person and it’s a weight they must bear alone.
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This changes when Gwen is introduced to Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) and Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), two additional Spider-People from alternative dimensions who, alongside an innumerable number of other Spider-Folk, belong to a mysterious universe-saving Spider-Collective. Leveraging their multiverse-jumping tech, Gwen navigates her way through various inter-dimensional portals to find her way back to Miles, though her motives to return to his world reveal an even more complicated – and far-reaching – plot. Nevertheless, the pair’s kinetic symbiosis forms the bedrock of this installment; the simmering spark between Gwen and Miles making up the emotional core of the sequel, their shared experiences and obvious mutual crush grounding the narrative in something real and tangible despite the chaos around them.
The script from Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham takes an Empire Strikes Back-esque turn, their sequel embracing a decidedly darker tone that correctly challenges expectations. In its exploration of the concepts of determinism, nihilism, and hope, the script playfully toys with the how IP and cannon itself serve to create a limited number of outcomes in modern storytelling. So too does the narrative grapple with the harsh reality of life’s inevitable pain and how our futile attempts to prevent harm can often only serve to underscore our ultimate powerlessness. This presents an intriguing counterpoint to the iconic Spider-Man adage, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’. Here, responsibility takes on a new meaning, leaving Miles and co to wonder: When does one with power need to relinquish it to truly act in the collective best interest? These philosophical questions haunt Across the Spider-Verse writ large while threatening to strip Miles and Gwen of their own sense of empowerment within the narrative.
The true marvel of this entire venture though is the groundbreaking animation. It evolves beyond its already eye-popping predecessor in breathtaking and dynamic ways, merging a spectrum of styles from comic book detail, to anime, Renaissance, pop art, two-dimensional, watercolor, live action, and even Lego. The styles aren’t just for show; they highlight the unique identity of each Spider-Character, subtly showcasing a world where people of diverse races, genders, sexuality, sizes, and abilities coexist. The film never proselytizes about diversity, instead opting for a more organic, unspoken representation. It’s a radiant celebration of unity in multiplicity, painted across a broad canvas of stylistic wonder.
The result can be a bit frenetic and dizzying, particularly in the blitz of action sequences, but beneath the polychromatic explosion of sound and fury, franchise honchos Lord and Miller are signifying quite a lot. A welcome departure from the empty spectacle of the majority of superhero adventures of late. With pretty much every avenue for originality explored, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse soars high, demonstrating once again that the Spider-Verse is one of the most innovative and exciting spaces in modern animation and the world of superheroes. It’s a stunning feast for the senses and a thoughtful exploration of the complexity of heroism that concludes with a tantalizing cliffhanger, leaving your spidey senses tingling for whatever is to come next in the Spider-Verse.
CONCLUSION: ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ is a mesmerizing animated spectacle that treads new ground, challenging the conventional tenets of power and featuring an introspective exploration of the ideals of heroism through a visually stunning multiverse. Opening new windows for where the larger story can go while remaining an engaging entry in itself, this is bar none the most exciting thing happening in the multiverse of super-movies.
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By: Matt Oakes
Started blogging about film in college when the university paper wouldn’t have him. Dislikes your consensus film Twitter favorites. Devotee of horror movies that make him die a little inside. Catches films at festivals when he can. Proud SFCS and OFCS member and Tomatometer-approved critic. Editor-in-chief of Silver Screen Riot.
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