Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Rating

Director

Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson

Screenplay

Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham

Length

2h 20m

Starring

Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Jake Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, Shea Whigham, Greta Lee, Mahershala Ali, Amandla Stenberg, Jharrel Jerome, Andy Samberg, Jack Quaid, Rachel Dratch, Ziggy Marley, Jorma Taccone, J.K. Simmons, Donald Glover, Elizabeth Perkins, Kathryn Hahn, Ayo Edebiri

MPAA Rating

PG

Original Preview

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Review

Superhero films suffer significantly from the law of diminishing returns as subsequent sequels strain to be better than their predecessors. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse stands out as the antithesis of this notion as it returns to a familiar set of characters with a new and exciting direction.

The film opens not on Miles Morale (voiced by Shameik Moore) but Gwen Stacy as Spider-Woman (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld) as she attempts to prevent destruction in her own timeline while avoiding detection by her police captain father. She gets unexpected support from Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) and Jess Drew (Issa Rae) who reluctantly agree to allow Gwen join the Spider-Society rather than facing her disbelieving father after she reveals herself to him.

It then shifts over to Miles’ universe where a former scientist at the collider that caused all the destruction in the first film becomes The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), a white figure with black splotches all over his body, each a portal that allows him to physically move through space. Miles, who Spot blames for causing his metamorphosis, soon discovers that Spot can hop between universes, forcing Miles to try and follow him through dimensions to try and stop him, a responsibility he feels he bears while trying to escape the pressure building between him and his parents (Brian Tyree Henry and Lauren Vélez).

Numerous narrative lines weave effortlessly through this film, building upon one another and coming together in a fantastic last-act fight sequence. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham craft a heartwarming, heartbreaking, and heart-pounding adventure skillfully blended together by directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. Usually, a surfeit of writers and directors leads a film to feel overstuffed but they manage to make it work.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the first in a two-part series, which forces this film to finish in a “To Be Continued…” screen while still feeling like a fully-realized comic book with its final frame intended to bridge the gap to the next issue. For a series of films that take their artistic inspiration from various comic book styles, it helps bolster the film’s entire package of creative energy. This is a movie that knows its source, honors it, expands it, and allows the audience to enjoy it.

Few animated films can overcome the childishness of the medium that Disney instilled over generations of animated features but Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse does so effectively. This makes it and its predecessor two of the greatest animated adventures ever made. It’s not hyperbole to say they are engaging, entertaining, and rewarding in equal measure whether you’re a Spider-Fan or a newcomer to the series. It might help to get the foundational elements out of the first film but this one does a fine job explaining the connections without dwelling on them just as it does all the plot and action nuances and details that fly at the audience at a rapid pace without becoming confused or jumbled.

Review Written

March 12, 2024