Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was my most anticipated movie of 2023. Into the Spider-Verse is my 2nd favorite movie of all time and I had the highest expectations possible for this sequel. Boy did it exceed those.
Across the Spider-Verse follows Miles Morales as he continues to grow as Spider-Man while learning how to balance his life as both a hero and a son. He learns that his actions from his fight with Kingpin had consequences not just for him, but for all other Spider-Men across the “Spider-Verse”.
For starters, Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld are nothing short of incredible. The story really dives into their relationship and where it had left off as the first film ended. Both carry emotional storylines and ate up all their scenes. They truly have great chemistry and it shows. The returning cast (Brian Tyree Henry, Jake Johnson, Lauren Velez) pick up exactly where they left off. Velez and Henry specifically are given more scenes with Moore, and they capitalize. Again, the story dives into their relationships as Miles is getting older and they come to terms with the fact that he’s becoming a man. That type of story will always get me invested.
Oscar Isaac is introduced as Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099) and is a force. In a room full of wise-cracking Spider-Men, he caused so much tension due to his demeanor. He was just so intimidating, kind of like Mahershala Ali as the Prowler in the first film. New Spider-Men Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Andy Samberg, and Karan Soni were perfect in their roles. They each brought enjoyment and uniqueness to their hero portrayals.
The story is a perfect continuation of Into the Spider-Verse. The multiverse established from the first film is fleshed out and we begin to see the gravity of those events in relation to the universe. As I said earlier, the relationships between Miles and Gwen and Miles and his parents are given the proper time to develop. I loved being able to see them have real-life conversations and interactions, as I think it just helps with the immersion. All this led to more emotional moments later on in the movie as Miles learns what really is happening.
Across the Spider-Verse dives into the lore and does something unique: explicitly establish the canon. There are certain events that happen in a Spider-Man’s life that leads them to be who they become. This is the first time I’ve seen that acknowledged in the movie itself. It leads to visuals from all other Spider-Man mediums depicting these events and it made the scenes so much more devastating knowing that these individuals understand the sacrifices they’re signing up for when they put on the mask.
The Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman) is our main antagonist in Across The Spider-Verse and his ties to Miles are also quite devastating. While the clip of the “ATM heist” released on Twitter was pretty comedic, The Spot becomes a menace really quick.
The visuals were nothing short of a spectacle either. After Into the Spider-Verse, the animation style has been replicated in multiple movies and shows. I was worried that the look wouldn’t be as impressive now but that was quickly dispelled. The animation allows for the use of colors to aid scenes by matching the emotions we are supposed to be feeling through the characters. It also helped distinguish the new worlds we are introduced to and the new Spider-Men we see. This film also blends some live action into the animation. It looked good for the most part, but it never lasts too long which I appreciated. If I did have criticism for the film, I’d say that sometimes the color changes became a bit much to absorb. It never overwhelmed me, but it stood out how drastic the shifts would be.
Final Thoughts
Man oh man what a sequel Across the Spider-Verse was. The writing was able to nail the comedy I was expecting and the emotions I was hoping to feel. This film has everything to make the Spider-Stans happy as well as someone who is new to the character. Coming into a movie with high expectations is always risky but this movie is so much fun to watch and so easy to love. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is my easy frontrunner for my favorite movie of the year and joins the first in my top 5 films list.
