Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse broke new ground when it hit theaters in 2018. Its animation style was revolutionary, and the story was extremely fun and creative. It’s heavily been considered one of the best comic book movies ever and even won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The sequel, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has a lot to live up to. Does it meet the high expectations left by the original or does lightning fail to strike twice? Let’s swing through every dimension-hopping detail to find out.

The Good

Across the Spider-Verse is wonderfully well-animated. It completely one-ups the first film. The comic book aesthetic is recreated well while also blending a wide variety of animation styles together. It’s probably the most animation styles ever used for a single movie. It all works together to make a visually-stunning treat for the eyes.

The emotional weight of the film is palpable. The filmmakers perfectly capture the very real stresses of growing up. Even though the movie is an over-the-top science fiction adventure, the emotion and heartfelt moments between characters feel grounded and easily relatable. This pulls in the audience even more to this captivating coming of age story.

The web-slinging action is extraordinarily thrilling. The high-flying acrobatics, hand-to-hand combat, dimension-hopping battles, and the chase scenes are impossible to look away from. The fast-paced action done in the beautiful animation is one of the most captivating sites seen on the big screen. It’s some of the most entertaining action in a superhero flick.

There are plenty of fun references to the greater and seemingly endless Spider-Man IP, but it never feels too fan-servicey. It actually all feels organic. It provides the same “spot the reference” fun that Ready Player One or Space Jam: A New Legacy do, but it feels like it’s much more a part of the story. None of these references linger too long, feel out of place, or distract from the rest of what’s going on.

Throughout the movie, there’s a sense that there’s more going on than what’s on the surface. This leads to a lot of suspense and genuine surprises. There are a lot of plots and subplots, but it all works to tell one coherent story, which is quite an impressive feat. The audience is kept guessing what could possibly happen next and they’ll never know. Everything about the story is written masterfully.

One of the many elements that makes all of this work so well is the music. Both the soundtrack and the score are insanely good. Not only do they convey the tone of each scene perfectly, but they also allow the audience to feel the same emotions the characters are feeling. When Gwen is overwhelmed, the chaotic drumming takes over. When Miles panics or feels alone, the music matches that.

The Bad

The movie is especially great throughout, but when it finally ends, it’s extremely abrupt. The entire moviegoing experience involved the audience cheering, clapping, laughing, and gasping along with the film just for there to be collective disappointment felt  throughout the theater. We know that another movie is on the way and that this is just the first half of a two-part story, but The Empire Strikes Back still felt like it had a climax and an ending despite still being left open. Across the Spider-Verse ends right before what would feel like the third act. Thankfully the next installment is less than a year away and will give any necessary closure to this story.

The first movie introduced audiences to a group of other colorful Spider-people like Spider-Ham, Spider-Man Noir, and Peni Parker. They bond with Miles throughout the film, and they all feel much less alone after meeting fellow Spider-people. However, they’re barely in this new one. They’re technically on screen for mere seconds, and their absence is certainly felt. Peter B. Parker and Gwen show that they care about Miles and want to look out for him in this tricky situation, but the others would too and they don’t really get the chance to show the same connection. There’s a hint that they may return in the next movie, so hopefully that is the case.

One Spider-Man is apparently able to outsmart and outrun hundreds of others. This seems pretty unbelievable. Since there is only one Miles Morales, one could suppose that it just shows how unique and strong he is. Still, we did see him struggle and make a lot of mistakes stopping a robbery earlier in the plot. This is just a nitpick though, as it all does work in favor of the story.

Conclusion

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is nothing short of spectacular. It’s one of the greatest feats accomplished by any comic book or animated movie ever. It’s emotional, action-packed, funny, and extraordinarily well-animated. It’s tremendously entertaining and gripping from start to finish. The characters and their emotional motivations make this movie stand out as something special. It’s a bit of a shame that it ends so abruptly and that the absence of some fan-favorite characters is far too noticeable, but it appears that both issues may be resolved with the upcoming Beyond the Spider-Verse. Until then, we still have a beautifully crafted thrill ride in Across the Spider-Verse to keep us occupied.

Rating: 9.5/10

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