‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ – Review
In 2018 the very idea of what an animated cinematic experience could be was forever changed with the release of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Bringing audiences into contact with a larger Spider-Verse dimension and Brooklyn-born Spider-Man Miles Morales, this film made for a spectacular viewing experience and was an utter game changer. Now audiences can jump back into the four-coloured extravaganza that is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and this is without a doubt one of the best pieces of animated narrative storytelling that you’ll ever witness.
After reuniting with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Diving headfirst into the Spider-Verse this time are directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, who along with screenwriter Phil Lord, take audiences into the expanded Spider-Verse universe! And this is a multiverse where anything is possible. While wanting to avoid spoilers, I will say that the events of Into the Spider-Verse have had consequences for the extended Spider-Man multi-verse, known as the Spider-Verse, and Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), along with his secret crush Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld) get pulled into a mission that will test them to their very limits.
From beginning to end, Across the Spider-Verse is a mind-binding, brightly coloured, full-on rush of a movie. Into the Spider-Verse set the bar high, and Dos Santos, Powers and Thompson take the visual intensity of this movie to a whole new level. With an infinity of possibilities to explore via the Spider-Verse, their creativity is unleashed, and the experience of this film is best described as a visual symphony. Seeking to push Miles’ story in new directions, the directors play with broad themes of heroism and the consequences that follow it, and for the first time in his life, Miles is faced with the repercussions of his actions. Yes, it’s fun to be Spider-Man, but he’s not alone in that and while he starts to find his own superhero community, he also learns that his actions have a grand effect on the very ‘canon’ of the Spider-Verse.
In terms of its visual standpoint, Across the Spider-Verse is utterly gorgeous to look upon. With an expanded universe in which to play with the directors offer their audience a collage viewing experience. Each part of the Spider-Verse has its own unique artistic style, gradient and colourway. This crafts a unique frame of contrast between each of the characters and keeps the story fresh at every turn. Where Miles Brooklyn exists in its unique hip-hop infused four-colour cel-shading style, Gwen Stacey’s universe is constructed from a watercolour palette that showcases a mix of radical pastel shades of purple, pink, orange and red and which bleed and run across the backdrop of her world, matching her fluid and graceful movements. Hundreds upon thousands of different artistic styles are present through Across the Spider-Verse, and audiences will fully marvel at the imagery that is before them.
But it’s not just the visuals that will have you wide-eyed with amazement, but the action takes a serious step up. In the world of the animated Spider-Verse, anything is possible and the very concept of physics, along with the pretence of time and space can be warped and bent for some awe-inspiring action moments. With its intense aerobatics and web-spinning velocity, Across the Spider-Verse delivers some incredible comic book-inspired set pieces, and the directors throw everything at their lead characters in this picture. Across the Spider-Verse is an utter playground of the senses for audiences, and this is a literal comic book come alive on screen.
Framing and perspective play a big part in Across the Spider-Verse and where the first film served as Miles’s story, this second chapter is very much framed from the point-of-view of his secret crush Gwen Stacey. This dual narrative and frame of focus allows for characterisation on a deeper level and there are plenty of moments that hit home hard. Along with Miles and Gwen, another serious character in the film is Oscar Isaac’s Miguel O’Hara / Spider-Man 2099. Described by Gewn as a ‘ninja vampire’ Spider-Man of the future, O’Hara serves as the leader of the Spider-Society and whose responsibilities lead him to safeguard the ‘canon’ of the Spider-Verse. Isaac’s performance as O’Hara could best be described as muscular and intense and he’s a forceful presence in the narrative, and audiences will be very pleased with the appearance of this fan-favourite character.
Across the Spider-Verse is ultimately a love letter to the very nature of the Spider-Man character and the narrative possibilities of the comic book medium. It’s just an utterly special piece of filmmaking. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the character or are coming into contact with this web-spinning hero for the very first time, you’ll gaze upon the screen with amazement and feel your adrenaline spike from this story. This is a film that not only honours the more than 60-year legacy of the character but which is directly shaped by the famed ‘with great power, comes great responsibility’ mantra that guides this hero’s actions.
If you want to experience a truly awe-inspiring cinematic Spider-Man feast then Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a mandatory film to watch. Audiences will be truly spellbound by its narrative, character arcs, visual style and action intensity, and this is a GUARANTEED great time out at the movies. You will not be disappointed.
Image: Sony Pictures
