by Josh Sewell
The official Marvel Cinematic Universe might be in a slump these days, but Sony apparently didn’t get the memo. The studio just followed up their groundbreaking animated smash Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with a sequel that is somehow even better and more epic – something I would’ve never thought possible.
I was out of town for the press screening of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and was almost instantly deluged with comments on social media throwing around terms like “masterpiece,” “Best Picture contender” and “greatest superhero movie of all time.” I was skeptical, because surely people don’t exaggerate on the internet, right?
Regardless, I knew I had to catch up with the flick as soon as possible if I didn’t want all the fun surprises ruined beforehand. (Granted, when you teach and write about pop culture for a living, spoilers are an occupational hazard; but I still try to avoid them if at all possible.)
So, are the reviews and audience word-of-mouth true? For the most part – shockingly – yes. Somehow, the creative team behind the original (including Phil Lord and Christopher Miller), along with newcomers Dave Callaham, Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson have added even more depth and complexity to the story of Miles Morales. They’ve also exponentially opened up the characters’ gorgeous worlds and crafted a story with huge emotional stakes.
In the midst of big changes at home and school, Miles (Shameik Moore) reunites with the Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) from a different dimension. After tailing her on a covert mission, he’s catapulted across the Multiverse, where he learns about the existence of the Spider Society.
The team of Spider-People (and other beings), led by futuristic Spidey Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), is charged with protecting the Multiverse from unraveling. However, when the heroes disagree on how to defeat a new villain, Miles finds himself in conflict with the other team members and must set out on his own to prevent a personal tragedy.
A decade or so ago, a movie on the scale of Across the Spider-Verse would’ve been an impossible sell to general audiences. But thanks to recent superhero movies like Avengers: Endgame, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and indie fare like Everything Everywhere All at Once (and the original Into the Spider-Verse, of course), pretty much everybody understands the concept of alternate realities, dead characters coming back, time travel, etc.
Because the creative team understands most viewers are starting from a new baseline, it allows them to go even crazier with storytelling and visual concepts. Every shot feels like we’ve been transported in the pages of a comic book. There are even a handful of scenes that have editor’s notes in the bottom corner to explain terms and references casual moviegoers might not understand.
There’s so much attention to detail that repeat viewings are mandatory. Every sequence is so packed with sight gags and easter eggs that I’m sure a ton of stuff flew right past me. I look forward to revisiting it soon to discover what I missed.
Despite running almost two-and-a-half hours, the movie never slows down - even in the first half when the action stops to focus on Miles’ fraying relationship with his parents. His struggle in deciding whether to reveal his secret identity to them is just as important as the big, interdimensional battles that come later.
A key contributing factor to those emotional moments is the commitment and enthusiasm of the massive voice cast. There’s no phoning it in for a paycheck here; everyone gives it their all and treats the story seriously instead of dismissing it as kid stuff.
My only concern – which isn’t a big deal overall – is that the marketing appears to have dropped the ball letting general moviegoers know Across the Spider-Verse is half of a two-parter that ends on a giant cliffhanger. I was aware of it going in, because I’m a big nerd who keeps up with these things, but several people in my audience, particularly young children, audibly groaned or threw up their hands when the screen went black and “To Be Continued…” popped up. This is very much the Empire Strikes Back of the trilogy.
Fortunately, we won’t have too long to wait (unless the current writers’ strike and possible actors’ strike push the release date back). Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is currently scheduled to hit theaters on March 29, 2024.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is rated PG for sequences of animated action violence, some language and thematic elements. Now playing in theaters.
Grade: A
Regardless, I knew I had to catch up with the flick as soon as possible if I didn’t want all the fun surprises ruined beforehand. (Granted, when you teach and write about pop culture for a living, spoilers are an occupational hazard; but I still try to avoid them if at all possible.)
So, are the reviews and audience word-of-mouth true? For the most part – shockingly – yes. Somehow, the creative team behind the original (including Phil Lord and Christopher Miller), along with newcomers Dave Callaham, Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson have added even more depth and complexity to the story of Miles Morales. They’ve also exponentially opened up the characters’ gorgeous worlds and crafted a story with huge emotional stakes.
In the midst of big changes at home and school, Miles (Shameik Moore) reunites with the Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) from a different dimension. After tailing her on a covert mission, he’s catapulted across the Multiverse, where he learns about the existence of the Spider Society.
The team of Spider-People (and other beings), led by futuristic Spidey Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), is charged with protecting the Multiverse from unraveling. However, when the heroes disagree on how to defeat a new villain, Miles finds himself in conflict with the other team members and must set out on his own to prevent a personal tragedy.
A decade or so ago, a movie on the scale of Across the Spider-Verse would’ve been an impossible sell to general audiences. But thanks to recent superhero movies like Avengers: Endgame, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and indie fare like Everything Everywhere All at Once (and the original Into the Spider-Verse, of course), pretty much everybody understands the concept of alternate realities, dead characters coming back, time travel, etc.
Because the creative team understands most viewers are starting from a new baseline, it allows them to go even crazier with storytelling and visual concepts. Every shot feels like we’ve been transported in the pages of a comic book. There are even a handful of scenes that have editor’s notes in the bottom corner to explain terms and references casual moviegoers might not understand.
There’s so much attention to detail that repeat viewings are mandatory. Every sequence is so packed with sight gags and easter eggs that I’m sure a ton of stuff flew right past me. I look forward to revisiting it soon to discover what I missed.
Despite running almost two-and-a-half hours, the movie never slows down - even in the first half when the action stops to focus on Miles’ fraying relationship with his parents. His struggle in deciding whether to reveal his secret identity to them is just as important as the big, interdimensional battles that come later.
A key contributing factor to those emotional moments is the commitment and enthusiasm of the massive voice cast. There’s no phoning it in for a paycheck here; everyone gives it their all and treats the story seriously instead of dismissing it as kid stuff.
My only concern – which isn’t a big deal overall – is that the marketing appears to have dropped the ball letting general moviegoers know Across the Spider-Verse is half of a two-parter that ends on a giant cliffhanger. I was aware of it going in, because I’m a big nerd who keeps up with these things, but several people in my audience, particularly young children, audibly groaned or threw up their hands when the screen went black and “To Be Continued…” popped up. This is very much the Empire Strikes Back of the trilogy.
Fortunately, we won’t have too long to wait (unless the current writers’ strike and possible actors’ strike push the release date back). Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is currently scheduled to hit theaters on March 29, 2024.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is rated PG for sequences of animated action violence, some language and thematic elements. Now playing in theaters.
Grade: A
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
Comments
Post a Comment