In my opinion, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is regarded as one of the best animated superhero films of all time and is on my top 3 for best Spider-Man films of all time alongside Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man: No Way Home. The animation of the film was a game changer with its vibrant colorways, spectacular character designs, and visually stunning backdrops. Alongside the animation, the riveting storyline and the amazing character developments fortifies the impact of the film as one of Marvel’s Mt. Rushmore of greatest cinematic pieces. And now with the arrival of its second installment, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, there are a lot of high expectations, and I am glad to say that this movie exceeded all expectations and then some.
One of the biggest things that the audience was looking forward to was the introduction of the different Spider-People all across the multiverse. Although I thought it was a bit shorter than expected, it still got me geeking out, seeing all of the different Spider-Men/Women/Children/Dinosaurs/Cats/etc. from all over the multiverse in one spot. The film placed spotlights on the new characters such as Spider-Punk, Spider-Man:India, Spider-Man 2099, and Spider-Woman. It seems that from online consensus, Spider-Punk/Hobie Brown voiced by Daniel Kaluuya, is the new favorite and after watching this film, you will understand why. Oscar Isaac’s performance as Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 really captures the complexity and aggression of his character.
I was very pleasantly surprised at how much this film was actually centered around Spider-Gwen voiced by Hailee Steinfeld. In an interview, Hailee Steinfeld mentioned that in Gwen’s world, the animation and background will reflect her emotions like a “mood ring” and it was fantastic. If you were curious about Spider-Gwen’s life on her earth from the previous film, you will not be disappointed. Spider-Gwen’s journey will tug at your heart while being one of the best visually stunning scenes in the movies.
This brings us to none other than Miles Morales and what he has been up to. Miles is still a very young Spider-Man and still believes he can do everything and anything. Unfortunately, in this film all of his actions of good deeds have now returned in a way that can basically destroy the entire multiverse. Unfortunately, we will not know how the story of Mile’s ends because guess what… **MINOR SPOILER INCOMING** it leaves on a cliffhanger! That is right. I did not expect Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse to leave on a cliffhanger ending but I am sure glad it did. It got me wanting more at the end while still being fully invested from start to finish. With so many MCU products that will ultimately lead to big ensemble films for an ending, it is refreshing to be caught off guard like this.
The animations of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse continue to be so revolutionary and so different from what formulaic animations from before. I dare say that Spider-Verse’s animation rivals that of the great Studio Ghibli. It really is just that great to me. “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee continues to be one of my all time favorite songs but Metro Boomin’s soundtrack continues to carry the same influence with his production and sets the mood of every scene perfectly. This franchise remains brilliant in every single way and I cannot wait for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse to hit theaters in March 2024. For now, Spider-Man 2 on the PS5 will keep me fed when it drops in the Fall of 2023.
