When ‘Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse’ first came out in 2018, it could only be described as revolutionary. From its comic book inspired animation style, to its story and characters full of heart, it raised the bar for what animated movies — and even superhero movies — could become. Since then, we’ve seen some incredible animation follow in the footsteps of Miles Morales; some of my personal favourites include ‘The Mitchells vs. The Machines‘ and ‘Puss In Boots: The Last Wish’.
However, it’s one thing to create something with lasting impact, it’s another thing entirely to exceed already-astronomical expectations. In a media landscape so saturated with unnecessary reboots and lukewarm sequels, we’re delighted to report that ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’ webswings over the bar with practiced ease.
The sequel picks up with Miles Morales in the near future, now a well-established friendly neighborhood Spider-Man with a few notches on his belt. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, he finds himself catapulted across the multiverse and facing down a new threat that has him second guessing what it truly means to be a hero.
Even within its opening moments, it is clear that ‘Across The Spider-Verse’ far surpasses the first movie from a visual standpoint. The sequel is immediately more vibrant, comicky, and experimental in all the right ways. The amount of unbridled creativity and care that is poured into every frame of animation is evident, with so many blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moments that you’ll never want to take your eyes off the screen.
But what truly makes the sequel stand out is its portrayal of the multiverse in a uniquely visual way; using different art styles and animation techniques to represent each universe, then combining them to form one beautifully contrasting whole. This sets the scene for the literal multiverse of Spider-Verse references that appear throughout the movie, ranging from the live-action movies to the classic comics and cartoons, and even the video games.
‘Across The Spider-Verse’ truly feels like one big love letter to Spider-Man, even more so than the first movie. It takes the audience’s familiarity with the character and uses it to their advantage, presenting a meta-narrative that comments on the franchise and its long history, without ever losing sight of why people love the character so much in the first place.
The sequel understands that this isn’t our first rodeo with Spidey, and it succeeds in presenting familiar themes through fresh lens. We get to spend a lot more time with Miles and Gwen in this movie, diving deeper into themes of identity and responsibility through their individual stories. Especially amidst the Spider-Man fatigue in the cinematic universe, stepping away from Peter Parker and giving way for new Spider-People is a decision that works extremely well.
Solid performances from the voice cast complete the experience, especially Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld who continue to shine as Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy respectively. Fans will also enjoy the excellent additions to the cast, including standout performances from Oscar Isaac as Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099), Karan Soni as Pavitr Prabhakar (Spider-Man India), and Daniel Kaluuya as Hobie Brown (Spider-Punk).
All in all, the Spider-Verse franchise continues to stay at the top of their game and we can barely wait to experience the resolution to this incredible trilogy. Just, cross fingers it won’t take us another five years to get there.
