Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a fun-filled adventure full of excellence and takes everything we love about the original film and cranks it up to a whole new level.
After reuniting with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man (Shameik Moore) is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on handling a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Comic book movies are an art form that requires balance to tell the story, and this film has a lot to tell. The pace for the most part was good, providing enough time for character development, and managing not to lose itself. It keeps things slow enough that there is real development and build-up. This dynamic is very impressive and keeps things engaging and doesn’t skim over the action.
The voice acting is so good in this film and is on so many levels with what you get in live-action movies. Oscar Isacc is still going strong as the ant-hero is known for playing. His moodiness, anger, and darkness are blended into the character. However, there is also hurt, anguish, and fire that he shows so well. Hailee Steinfeld is just perfect as Gwen. Steinfeld is vulnerable and strong, becoming a more realistic character that is really fun to watch. And then, there’s Shameik Moore. Moore is just fantastic as Miles, with the tone, vulnerability, and maturity that still have hints of immaturity.
The animation style really captures how beautiful this movie is. Accompanied by the blurry backgrounds, the movie has a bold art direction that truly brings out the comic book spirit. It respects both worlds while keeping things easy to follow and discover so you can really appreciate the Spider-Verse and what it has to offer.
The action is a huge step up from the first film. The opening scene itself paints some exciting things to come, and then the fight scenes and adventure transform into something that’s fun and exciting. The chase scenes had energy, with a style that flowed very well and showed off the heart of the animation, and felt like the comic book and fan art colliding into a cascade of color and energy.
Overall, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is worthy of some high praise. It’s a rare sequel that does things right, taking what the first film laid out and building it up to something is purely entertaining. The bold and beautiful art style has been redefined and does most of the storytelling alone, but the movie also integrates story, morals, comedy, nostalgia, and action that really feels like the strongest storytelling in a superhero movie. Loved the passion of balancing so much in one movie without losing track of the story. There were some pacing issues and sound flops, but they were minor when it comes to the movie overall and as the middle film of a trilogy, but also make it stand out on its own.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters.
What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments
