Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, & Justin K. Thompson
Written by: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, & Dave Callaham
Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson
Rating: [5/5]
By now, we know the story of Spider-Man and the plot progressions that occur from the spider bite to the conversation with Uncle Ben, and his eventual death. A set of events predestined to happen in pretty much any Spider-Man story, but Across the Spider-Verse posits what could occur if this cycle somehow got broken and ultimately how it would impact the entire universe of Spider-people. Incredibly inventive and wildly successful in navigating various storylines, this sequel somehow surpasses the first and sets a new standard for superhero films no matter the medium.
Running around with some confidence as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) encounters Johnathon Ohnn (Jason Schwartzman), better known as the Spot. As Miles tries to track the Spot, Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) arrives and they traverse into other versions of Earth. These actions catch the attention of the Spider Society led by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), who begins to get involved.
Following up the smashing success of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse meant this sequel came in with a high bar to clear to match or even supersedes the groundbreaking animation and storytelling of the previous film. Luckily, at least in my estimation, not only does this feature surpass its predecessor, but other than The Dark Knight, I see it as the greatest superhero movie ever released. A bold statement to make given the high quality of films this particular genre has released but this film manages to take so many story elements, emotional beats, and one grand vision distilled into one narrative that completely took my breath away. On many occasions this film sat on the precipice of becoming a mess but it never did as it only continued to get better leading up to its stunning conclusion.
With the introduction of different Earths and the Spider-people who inhabit it, this story moves beyond just Miles and his story and, in fact, Across the Spider-Verse begins following Gwen and the heartbreaking story she has surrounding her father. A bold way to start this sequel given Gwen served as a supporting character in the previous film but this start displays the poignancy of her particular story and its throughline gets well established and remains relevant from the beginning and towards the end. She finds herself on the edge and not welcome in her own home, which sets up how she plays her cards when we switch over to Miles and his story with the Spot.
In further expanding this world, this film introduces the Spider Society where a modicum of control exists where the leader, Miguel O’Hara seeks to maintain a balance of everyone who wears the mask. The time spent in this particular dimension not only informs aplenty regarding why these characters do what they do, but it further drives home the central point of the previous film that anyone can wear the mask. The role of Spider-Man does not belong to one specific person or demographic but rather the individual who puts it on and seeks to do good while wearing it. Through this we get introduced to various more Spider-people, each who have their own story but somehow have to follow the same canon events providing a connection and pain they all experience, compounding the importance of this balance Miguel carries an obsession with. Some of the more memorable additions are Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), Spider-Man India (Karan Soni), and Spider-Woman (Issa Rae).
Given all of the additions of Spider-people into this narrative and much more of a focus on Gwen, it gave way to the possibility of Miles being overshadowed in his own movie but that never transpired here. As we follow Miles as he learns more about his place as a Spider-Man, we still go through this deeply emotional journey with him. A particular scene he shares with his mother where he desperately wants to share his identity with her nearly brought me to tears and I’m not even a parent. These character connections contain such richness, which makes all of the decisions made later on much more plausible and something that makes complete sense. Miles has such a love for family so when he learns about the cannon events and what he must endure in his life, he outright refuses to let it occur, further adding it to the drama.
Just like with the first film, the animation on display in this feature completely took me aback at the sheer amount of work in combining all of these various animation styles in one frame. Compound that with all of the additional Spider-people integrated into the story making this such a gargantuan task and one that gets mightily accomplished here. Even the addition to the Spot and how he continues to mutate as the film progresses displays some wildly new and inventiveness in further presenting him as a threat. Mix that in each Spider-person’s unique animation and it runs the risk of feeling over-stimulating in moments but it never quite happens. Instead, we get this jamboree of colorful visuals all supporting this central story of Miles and Gwen in their particular developments, making for such a gloriously visual feast.
While I wish we had more Spider-Ham in this film, given him being my favorite of these masked heroes, Across the Spider-Verse completely entertained, enthralled, and devastated me as it delivers in every facet one would want from this genre of storytelling. Even with the conclusion of this film showing “To Be Continued…” where we do not complete the full overarching story, this still remains one complete narrative for Gwen and Miles will have his conclusion in the next. As an in-betweener it had much working against it as compared to the introduction of this world and conclusion but Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson manage to raise the stakes even higher, deliver something fascinating, and prepare us for a trilogy capper that has an even impossibly higher bar to clear. This has the makings to reach the pantheon of the greatest trilogies ever crafted amongst some of my favorite films and if it sticks the landing, this will make for one of the grandest storytelling endeavors in all film.
Films with Josh 
