With a great movie comes the great responsibility of making a worthy sequel. Not only does Across the Spider-Verse reach the incredibly high bar set by its predecessor, but in many ways, raises it.
The amount of time, effort and passion that was poured into this film is simply staggering. It breathes new life into the term “comic book movie”, and sets a benchmark for animated movies in general. Every single frame looks as if it were torn straight from the pages of a comic book, with hundreds of different art styles effortlessly blending into one cohesive vision. There’s an almost overwhelming amount happening on screen at any given time, but not a single detail feels out of place. Trust that I’m not exaggerating when I say, this movie is a work of art.
The visual splendour might be the main draw, but a strong story and a touching emotional core give so much meaning to the artistry. Don’t forget, Spider-Man is just a kid, with the weight of the world - no - the Spider-Verse - on his shoulders. He’s doing his best to keep his family safe and live up to the lofty expectations of being a superhero. The movie doesn’t lose sight of that, spinning an impactful and meaningful web that binds it all together.
Shameik Moore brings Miles to life again with another excellent performance. We’re catching up with him over a year after the events of the first movie, and he’s growing into the hero of NYC. Moore’s voice work has matured alongside his character, and adds a necessary layer of depth that comes with that newfound responsibility. Hailee Steinfeld is phenomenal as Gwen Stacy, bringing a refreshing emotional complexity to the role, and she kind of steals the movie because of it. Every actor, both returning and brand new, delivers truly outstanding work here. A couple of my favourites were Karan Soni’s Pavitr Prabhakar, and Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk.
Across the Spider-Verse is visual and emotional art, painted onto the canvas of cinema. Hundreds of unique visual styles come together magnificently, tied together by a story and characters bound to resonate with audiences of all ages.
4.5/5