‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’: A Ray Of Hope For The Future of Animation

Ken Jones, OnScreen Blog Chief Film Critic

2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was a game-changer in many ways. It instantly became one of if not the best Spider-Man movies of all time. Still, it was so inventive and visually creative as an animated film, too, expanding the horizons of animation and superhero films. Five years later, Sony and Marvel finally return with their long-awaited sequel in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

The best sequels are the ones that build on the previous entry, expand the story, up the ante, bring more of what made the original great, etc. However, you want to describe it, Across the Spider-Verse delivers the goods.

The animation style is still inventive and breathtaking. The story is more profound and resonates in a way that few superhero movies do anymore. It continues to be wildly entertaining and funny, slinging jokes and quips like webs.

Across the Spider-Verse picks its story up slightly over a year after Into the Spider-Verse. Miles Morales is the one and only Spider-Man for his universe (Earth-1610), trying to balance school life, fighting villains of the week like The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), and keeping up appearances with his parents (Brian Tyree Henry & Luna Lauren Velez). 

Miles reconnects with Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) from Earth-65, who has joined an elite group of Spider-People from various dimensions fighting to protect the Multiverse. Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac) is the leader of this association.

Miles soon finds himself at odds with the rest of the entire Spider Squad when he learns what his presence as a Spider-Man plays in the threats to the Multiverse, as well as what threats face the people he loves, as The Spot, who is jumping from dimension to dimension to gain more power, becomes a growing danger.

While the first film had Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man Noir, and a few other versions of Spider-Man as supporting characters, the main thrust was the shared connection between Miles and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and how their stories intertwined. This time around, though, while Peter B. Parker is still around, the story's focus is between Gwen and Miles, the disconnect and isolation they feel with their respective worlds, and their connection.

The opening of the film, an extended opening prologue that opens the film, gives us Gwen’s backstory of how she became the superhero in her universe, the fate of the Peter Parker of her world, and the distance between her and her father, Captain Stacy (Shea Whigham).

This is set up nicely with the theme of wanting to be in a band, to be part of something, not to be a solo act, and not to go alone. Miles also feels alone and isolated in his world, unable to share the thrills and struggles of being Spider-Man with anyone he knows, continually lying to his parents and disappointing them by being late, missing classes, etc. 

The central theme of the Spider-Man character has always been “with great power comes great responsibility.” The downside to that is the isolation and burden of that responsibility and the need for Spider-Man to protect those he loves. Gwen and Miles keep people at arm’s length in the wake of becoming superheroes, afraid anyone close to them could get hurt. They have no one else to confide in, so they see each other as kindred spirits, separated by their worlds.

There is a fun bit of meta-commentary woven into the narrative of Across the Spider-Verse, especially with Miles and his role in what is happening with the Multiverse and the fallout from the first movie's events. There has always been a bit of critical (or maybe non-critical) backlash to anyone not named Peter Parker being Spider-Man. Miles, his role in the Multiverse, his being Spider-Man, and how Miguel sees him lean into this.

There are many variations of Spider-Man, an incredible feat of creativity and animation in bringing all of these Spider-People (and other non-people entities) to life and incorporating them. Some of the many Spider-Man variants that are more prominently featured are Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman (Issa Rae), Ben Reilly/Scarlet-Spider (Andy Samberg), and Margo Kess/Spider-Byte (Amandla Stenberg). The two standout variations of the character that are sure to generate the most laughs from the audience are Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) and Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya). 

The more creative meta aspect of the story is the inclusion of what the film calls “canon events” and how they impact the Multiverse. Across the Multiverse (Hey, that’s the title!), regardless of who Spider-Man is, they all share a similar arc of losing someone close to them, and that loss shapes who they become. For most, it is Uncle Ben; for some, it may be Gwen Stacy or even Gwen’s father, Captain Stacy. 

In Miles’ case, it was his Uncle, but his father is set to become a captain in a few days. Miles, recognizing the risk to his family and the Multiverse, is ultimately undaunted, believing he can save his father and not damage the fabric of the Multiverse by averting a potential canon event. Miguel O’Hara does not want to take that chance.

Like its predecessor, Across the Spider-Verse is just as rich visually as it is in its storytelling. As much of a visual stunner as Into the Spider-Verse was, Across the Spider-Verse feels like another leap forward. It is so visually stimulating and vibrant.

There is still nothing that any other studio does that looks quite like what Sony Animation is doing here. This was also a part of Into the Spider-Verse, but the different kinds of animation to distinguish characters from other universes are used to even more effect this time; in particular, the Vulture from the opening prologue is a standout. 

The opening prologue with Gwen Stacy has two one-on-one scenes with her and her father where the scenery behind them fades away into a backdrop of various pastel colors, conveying the emotional stakes between the two characters. In a scene between them later on, the background is almost crying behind Gwen. It’s stunning stuff.

Once again, the dialogue is quippy and fun, imbuing nearly every Spider-Man variation with a level of humor and snark that is befitting the character. They even make a point to note that Miguel is the only version of Spider-Man without a sense of humor. Despite that, Oscar Isaac brings plenty of humor in his line deliveries. They pack so much movie into this sequel too. 

The plot is easy to follow, which is no easy task whenever multiverses are involved. Still, things are happening so fast on screen that a second or third viewing is almost necessary to pick up on all the finer details. Also, fans of Spider-Man are going to want multiple viewings to catch all of the easter eggs in the movie.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released to nearly universal praise and claims that it was the best Spider-Man movie ever made. The sequel is being released to similar fanfare, improving almost everything that made the first film great. Whereas the MCU has stagnated post-Endgame, and DC is amidst a massive transition, Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse is a ray of hope for the superhero genre and a testament to the power of animation.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars