The hardest films to write reviews for are ones I loved, or films that are so overwhelming I’m rendered incapable of gathering my thoughts to accurately express them in writing. “Spider-man: Across The Spider-Verse” is both, a film that I couldn’t believe I was witnessing and one that is so packed full of everything I have been struggling to write a single word about the experience. Everything from its visuals to its bold expanded world building to its leveled up character development, “Across the Spider-Verse” feels like it has a hundred movies over decades packed into a singular film. What’s even more astonishing is that that is a compliment instead of a detriment, because somehow, against all odds it works. All of it. The big risks and wild swings and caution to the wind approach pays off huge, and manages to elevate the already high bar set by its predecessor into new heights. Take notes, this is a new step forward for animation, and all other attempts are going to pale in comparison. “Across the Spider-Verse” sets a new precedent for what animation can do, and on visuals alone it is a historic moment that deserves to be herald as the pinnacle of modern technical mastery.
I’ve seen this a lot in other reviews, but I’m going to echo its sentiment because I believe it is worthy comparison. This is “The Empire Strikes Back” of Spider-Man films, a brilliant middle film that draws from its predecessor instead of rehashing it and drives the story to new uncharted worlds that feel both resolute and unresolved simultaneously. “Spider-Verse” is most certainly almost too much movie, and were it not so visually incredible and emotionally charged this would probably hold the film back from greatness. Thankfully the creative team spent 5 years making sure everything they were trying to do could be done and be done right. Nothing feels forced or worse, part of the superhero machine that falls victim to profit over purpose. No, this is a sequel that, while it does feel overstuffed at times and comes just shy of getting into the sequelitis territory, knows what it wants, knows why it wants to do it, and then executes it to near perfection.
I understand the misgivings when we try to compare it to “Into the Spider-Verse.” It’s no secret that the first film was lightning in a bottle, a once in a life time animated explosion that swept us up into a whole new world of possibilities both for the genre and the character itself. “Across the Spider-Verse” won’t be able to recreate that particular magic, and though we had high expectations for the sequel, it would be wrong to expect it to be that again. But what it does do is further what made its predecessor so beloved in the first place, and push the limits of its own ceilings it levied on itself 5 years ago. The film is elevated not only by its own animation abilities, but also the characters themselves through a bold and wildly creative story that still has a lot more to tell. This is a glorious spectacle of animation, a visual feast that feels like a tapestry come to life.
The magnificent strokes of moving paintings and individualization of every single character in every single frame is enough to herald the film’s greatness on those merits alone. Yes, “Across the Spider-Verse” is so visually stunning you don’t even really need a story to recognize its mastery. But it does have a story as large and bombastic as its animation, which only adds another web of level ups for the film. I am purposefully not giving a synopsis recap or revealing anything about the story because I want everyone to experience the film as blindly as I did. It certainly requires you to know the events of the first one, but its expansion is so vast and its character growth so meaningful you’ll feel thrust into the web of the multiverse and be dazzled by how far the creators want to take it all. The voice casting is simply incredible, the kind of vocal performances that remind you of just how much a good performance can happen when the right person is behind the right character.
Nothing is wasted even if it does become a little too much. There are some lulls, and it certainly starts to feel its runtime in the second act. But it’s inconsequential because the things that are important matter the most and take center stage any time it starts feel as if it’s going to go off the rails and the tangled web is going to snap. You can’t help but root for Miles and feel for Gwen (who is given way more to do this time around and rips into the your heart as much as the titular character does) and laugh at Peter and side eye Miguel and revel in the plethora of added characters that surround the familiar faces. Again, the animation goes out of its way to never blend any Spider-man to the world they’re visiting, rather keep them drawn in their origins. Every single Spider-Man feels wholly unique, with the film demonstrating its care for animator creativity to allow them to keep their ideas intact regardless of where the character is taking up space. The vibrant colors and pallets and vast animation styles that clash and combine in every frame is simply dazzling, and it just has to be seen to be believed.
I don’t feel that any of these words accurately relay how I feel about the film. Even now, I could scrap this whole review and start over and it would be completely different. And thats the beauty of how much is packed here. There is simply nothing like it, not now and probably not for a long time, so we are left to experience something completely new without anyone holding our hand and guiding us through this world except Miles Morales himself. That is just masterful execution and boundary pushing creativity, something sorely lacking in the world of IP cash grabs and unimaginative remakes. Sure, the multiverse stories feel as though they’ve already run their course, and this one isn’t exempt from the same kind of timey wimey wibbly wobbly multiverse mumbo jumbo that gets more confusing the more you sit with it and try to make sense of it.
But if you choose not to do that and just let it waft over you, “Across the Spider-Verse” is a once in a lifetime movie watching experience. One that feels like it’s all too much and not enough, leaving you on the brink of potential payoffs that while they all end on a cliffhanger, feel earned and well deserved. This. Is. Cinema. An animated achievement unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed, and a story that is packed with heart, humor, and purpose. I don’t know that this has the rewatch value of its predecessor, but that is largely because it is serving as the middle film of a larger trilogy. And like “Empire Strikes Back,” it is only herald as the best of the original series because the series is complete. We simply won’t know its value until the story reaches its true conclusion, but I feel confident in saying that even without knowing what will happen, “Spider-man Across The Spider-Verse” is one of the best sequels and best Spider-man movies ever made. Even just on visuals alone it stands tall among its peers, and any misgivings you may have about its narrative composition are overshadowed by its unrivaled execution and powerful performances.
It is everything you’ve hoped it could be and more. It may not have the luxury of being the first of its kind, but it makes up for it with visuals you will never forget and an ambitious story that delivers on everything stories should. You’ll be left full and somehow wanting more.
I don’t know what else to say, really. “Across the Spider-Verse” is worth the wait, a breath of fresh air in cinema, and a historic animated achievement that will be dissected and put back together for years to come in the lexicon of cinema. Yes, it is THAT good.
Here’s hoping “Beyond the Spider-Verse” hits their March 2024 deadline, because I don’t know that I can wait another 5 years to complete this incredible story.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
“Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse” is now playing in theaters. You can watch the trailer below.
