TL;DR – A pure delight from start to finish in an absolutely stunningly realised world.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene

Disclosure – I paid to watch this film

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Review –

If there is ever a tough act to follow, it is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. A film that shifted an entire film production style that many movies like The Mitchells vs. The Machines and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish have taken onboard since. Indeed, I loved the movie so much that it sits on My Personal Top 10 Animated Films of All Time. There is no way a sequel could like up to that legacy … but hear me out … what if it could.

So to set the scene, It has been one year since the event of the last film, and Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) has been struggling with being all alone again after finding a kindred spirit with Miles (Shameik Moore). However, when a Vulture (Jorma Taccone) from a Renaissance-style universe trashes the Guggenheim Museum, she discovers that the Spider-verse is not closed off. But also her dad George Stacy (Shea Whigham), finds out she is Spider-Woman, and tries to arrest her. This could have ended badly without the rescue from Miguel O’Hara / Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) and Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman (Issa Rae), for a Spider-Society is protecting the Multiverse from all threats, and Gwen is the newest member.

Right from the start, I must be clear that this is an absolutely stunning film at nearly every level. The art, the music, the acting, and the narrative all work together to make something that is just a delight to experience and not just once. Walking out of that cinema today, I knew I would be seeing this film on the big screen more than once to experience that world and its characters again. Rarely does a film elicit that kind of response from me. Miles might be the character of this generation, and Shameik Moore captures that essence perfectly.

 The art design and application in the first film were revolutionary in several ways. At the very least, it set the new standard for animated comic adaptations. The sequel takes that high bar and soars above it. There are moments when the film honestly took my breath away with how stunning it looked. We see many different New Yorks/ Manhattans throughout the film, and they all feel fully realised like you were glimpsing into possible realities. There is this moment when they shift the focus of gravity, and you see the city in a new light, and I audibly gasped when they revealed Mumbattan for the first time.

Across the Spider-Verse is a film that looks wonderful on both the macro and micro levels. For example, this might be some of the best food animations that I have seen outside of a Studio Ghibli film. The film is filled with all of these small touches you won’t notice the first time you watch, but they build the texture you need and give you something new to find on each re-watch. I would love to know if you understand Spanish or Marathi if you get more layers of this film. On the Macro level are these large action sequences with characters presented in different animation styles. Sometimes with dozens of different characters on screen at one time, and through all that chaos, I could always follow what was going on.

The music is once again a film highlight, with a perfect mix of Daniel Pemberton’s original score and needle drops that fit perfectly with their created world. Without this layer of storytelling, much of the emotion would have fallen flat because it perfectly encapsulates the worlds they are visiting and their feelings. It can be a riot of sounds at times, but it always captures the vibe of the moment. I also liked how they took the themes from the first film and shaped and reworked them for this new context.

From a narrative perspective, I think it was a good idea to start the film by focusing more on Gwen’s story. We knew the rough outlines of her story from the first film, but this fleshed it out and gave the needed context. Hailee Steinfeld is one of our best younger actors, and she completely captures the energy of someone caught in one moment of her past while smashing out a killer drum solo. You need this foundation for much of the narrative structure to hold up. This also gives us more time to live in her world and see the pastel watercolour landscape’s beauty.

A lot of the narrative of this film is focused on family, and on that front, I am happy that we got to spend more time with Miles and his parents, Jefferson Davis (Brian Tyree Henry) and Rio Morales (Luna Lauren Vélez). It is essential to cement those relationships we were introduced to in the last film and build upon them. They are Miles’s primary motivation, and you can feel the pain that he can’t be honest with them. It is a testament to this film’s writing that a movie with such wild characters can still feel grounded. The tendrils of family find their way through every aspect of the film, which is stronger for them.

Of the supporting cast, only Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) makes a significant appearance in the new film. On the one hand, this is a bit of a shame we lose some of those characters from the last movie. However, it does give us room for new and wonderful additions to the universe. Though on Peter B. Parker, every moment with Mayday was a delight. Karan Soni brought a smile to my face as Pavitr Prabhakar / Spider-Man India and his joyous romp throughout the film. Daniel Kaluuya revelled on the screen as Hobart “Hobie” Brown / Spider-Punk, encapsulating his world. Also, Oscar Isaac gives a performance as Miguel O’Hara / Spider-Man 2099 that feels very in your face but is full of nuance. There would be no superhero film without a villain, and Dr Jonathan Ohnn / The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) was a fascinating choice. He probably gets the most significant character growth throughout the film, with shifts from bumbling to menacing depending on the moment. Also, there are so many Spider-Men/Spiders-Man/Spider-People, I am not sure of the pluralisation, that there will be at least one that will have you point at the screen if involuntary recreation of the meme.

In the end, do we recommend Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? Absolutely without reservation. I was captured by the animation, music, and story every moment I watched this film. You could feel the whole audience get swept away by the narrative, and that ending hit entirely as they wanted it to. I am so glad we have gotten more of this world, and I can’t wait to see Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse next year.             

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Directed by – Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson
Screenplay by – Phil Lord, Christopher Miller & David Callaham
Based on – Spider-Man by Marvel
Music by – Daniel Pemberton
Edited by – Mike Andrews
Production/Distribution Companies – Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Marvel Entertainment, Arad Productions, Lord Miller Productions, Pascal Pictures & Sony Pictures
Starring – Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, Mahershala Ali & Oscar Isaac with Shea Whigham, Greta Lee, Andy Samberg, Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Dratch & Jorma Taccone and Kimiko Glenn, Taran Killam, Josh Keaton, Metro Boomin, Mike Rianda, Zoë Kravitz, Peter Sohn, Peggy Lu, Donald Glover, Andrew Garfield, Denis Leary, Tobey Maguire & Cliff Robertson   
Rating – Australia: PG; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; New Zealand: PG; United Kingdom: PG; United States: PG