Jonah Naplan June 1, 2023
For a little while now, I’ve realized that Spider-Man is my favorite superhero. I admire all of his projects, regardless of quality, because of the person—or people—that they revolve around. For sixteen years in film, it was only Peter Parker—a curious, smart, and brave young man who was gifted powers via a bite from a radioactive spider. Through the three actors that perfected the role, Peter Parker amassed a charm unmatched to all other superhero alter egos. He was Spider-Man, and that was that. When “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” rocked our world, catching us completely off guard in 2018, so began an abyssal conversation of who was worthy of donning the mask, and if that could be multiple people all at once. The Best Animated Feature winner followed an African-American/Latino teenager named Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a hero with comparable charm to Stan Lee’s original. He was the beating heart of that film; the center of gravity that provided the story with the richness that gives it its irreplaceable legacy.
His sequel, “Across the Spider-Verse,” is terrific, expanding the vast world Miles lives in with fast-paced exhilaration. But it’s not as good as its predecessor, nor are the characters as delicious. That said, this is a spectacular film, and one that is often bursting with creative joy in every frame. On a technicality and filmmaking level, it is superior to “Into the Spider-Verse,” and it’s also far more ambitious—packing itself into a leisurely 140 minutes; the longest American animated film of all time. With all of its jaw-dropping action sequences, powerful themes, fan service, and deep-cut Spider-Man lore, we forget these films are still rated PG, and could be considered children's entertainment.
But the powerful inclusivity of this animation makes it a film for everybody, of all ages. In fact, about 80% of my screening was comprised of excited adults. That alone is an achievement, as animation can often be a turnoff for some cinephiles. Yet “Across the Spider-Verse” and its former arguably prove that animation is cinema in its most powerful form. Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson spin a dense, emotional web of a narrative that is equal parts pathos and entertainment. Writers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham expand upon what made the first so magical, providing this film with more stunning animation, witty jokes, and a breathtaking fast-pace. Keep up if you can.
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” opens a little over a year after where we last left off. Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) is back in her universe, attempting to balance her superhero and personal life, whilst keeping her identity secret from her workaholic cop father, George (Shea Whigham). When an alternate, pencil-sketch version of the Vulture (Jorma Taccone) comes crashing into her reality, Miguel O’Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099 (a compelling Oscar Isaac), and Spider-Woman (Issa Rae) land on our hero’s tail. They reveal to Gwen that they are leading members of an elite yet covert Spider-Society that’s in charge of cleaning up inter-universe messes, trapping villains who are in the wrong one, and sending them promptly back home. After Gwen’s secrecy with her father is infiltrated, she joins the two on their dimension-hopping quest.
Cut to Miles Morales on Earth-1610. Of course, Miles is a walking, talking inter-universe mess. You may remember from the first movie that Morales is only Spider-Man because of the bite from a spider that was never supposed to be there. After his universe’s Peter Parker (Jake Johnson) was slaughtered, Miles found himself in a pickle. In his version of Brooklyn, our protagonist is trying his darndest to maintain both his grades and punctuality in fighting crime. He wants to tell his parents, Rio (Luna Lauren Vélez) and Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry), the truth, but dreads how they’ll react.
On one ordinary day, an oddity that Miles at first takes as any old “villain of the week” spawns in the form of The Spot (Jason Schwartzman). Formerly Dr. Jonathan Ohnn of Alchemax, The Spot is a powerful anomaly capable of controlling time and space through a series of portals. At first glance, his method of attempting to steal a bodega ATM is kind of charming, but as his fight with Morales progresses, it becomes more and more evident that he is a much deadlier entity than meets the eye.
The Spot’s arrival catches the attention of the Spider-Society, swinging Gwen back into Brooklyn where she has a brief reunion with Miles—whom we learn in the beginning is her only remaining friend. After a short but sweet segment where the two swing their hearts out through the city, culminating in a poignant moment where the long lost friends perch upside down on the underside of a building, we learn through dialogue that both Miles and Gwen are going through similar existential crises that make it difficult for them to find their true self.
One of the most powerful themes “Across the Spider-Verse” explores is the notion of what makes and breaks a hero, and how that folds into their overall arc. When Miles inevitably launches himself into the realm of the Spider-Society, meeting loads upon loads of Spider-Men, each of them rendered with unique art styles, and all of them welcome, similarities are quickly drawn between their origin stories. As Miguel O’Hara explains, most of them wouldn’t be here—with their powers, with their integrity—if it weren’t for the inciting death of a close loved one. As we thought it turned out, that relative for Miles was his Uncle Aaron, the role model who turned out to be a desperate villain; the intimidating Prowler.
But through a series of events and reveals that I wouldn’t dare spoil, we learn that line of tragedy still has plenty more to be drawn. Miles gained his powers accidentally, and as fate would have it, he was not supposed to be Spider-Man in the first place. But he is, whether we like it or not, and there’s no turning back now. The idea of Miles already having his future all written out for him is mature stuff, and it’s handled masterfully.
It helps to watch all of these quirky Spider-people swing their own way through the frames, each uniquely themselves. In “Across the Spider-Verse,” we mainly center on two new faces—the confident Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) and British rocker, Hobie (Daniel Kaluuya). But beyond our main set, this film is bursting, rim to rim, with characters, some familiar, some new, whether it be video game, TV show, live action or even cat, dinosaur, cowboy or baby renditions of Spidey.
There is so much explosive creativity on display that “Across the Spider-Verse” seems specifically designed for multiple viewings, because you can’t possibly absorb it all in one sitting. It is an extreme sensory overload experience that pulls no punches when it comes to overwhelming an audience. Unlike some of the more recent animated movies that capitalize on popular IPs—ahem, Super Mario—“Across the Spider-Verse” seems thoughtfully detailed and perfected from beginning to end, even as it climaxes with a cliffhanger.
I admired the ending a lot actually. Not only does it excite us for the next one—coming March 2024—but it is a masterful mix of suspense and anticipation that does not rely on fan service to succeed. Yet my biggest issue with the movie, inasmuch as I have one, is that it’s hard to shake the feeling that “Across the Spider-Verse” is anything more than setup for the next adventure. It’s excellent setup, but still setup nonetheless. When “Across the Spider-Verse” isn’t focusing on exposition, and is instead delving into the fantastical world the title mentions, the movie soars to incredible heights.
In a perfect universe, no movie would be weighted down by franchise expectations, just like how Miles is pressured by the schematics of what he’s told his personal arc needs to look like. Still, “Across the Spider-Verse” is a landmark of cinematic achievement, the type of film best celebrated when seen in a theater, surrounded by roaring fans. Comic book movies have never felt so exciting.
Now playing in theaters.