OSCARS 2024: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Five years after “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's” release, its impact is already clear. Multiple American animated movies have emulated its distinctive visuals. The comic book concepts of a multi-verse became even more popular since then. And it further cemented Spider-Man's place as the most popular superhero of all time. Naturally, because comic book stories never end, a sequel was planned right from the beginning. Yet there was a slight problem. Part of why “Into the Spider-Verse” became such an unexpected commercial and critical success was that nobody expected it to be good. Just look at the other components of Sony's on-going disastrous attempt to spin the bits and pieces of the “Spider-Man” rights they own into a successful franchise for an example of how low expectations were. A sequel, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” actually had an uphill battle of its own, because people really liked the first one. Well, I guess they pulled it off again, as the sequel has been well received in its own right. Months after the hype has died down, why do I think now?

Following the events of “Into the Spider-Verse,” Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy have continued to operate as the respective Spider-People of their universes. That's when an incursion by another universe's Vulture draws Gwen into an inter-dimensional league of other Spider-People who police the multi-verse. She goes to visit Miles, around the time he's challenged by a new villain called the Spot and is dealing with some issues with his parents. After the Spot learns how to travel to other dimensions, Miles follows Gwen into another world. This delves Miles into a multi-versal adventure, where he meets a collection of new Spider-Men – some have his best interest at heart, others have plans of their own for him – and he'll learn a lot more about himself. 

The animation style of “Into the Spider-Verse” was what signaled to many people that the movie was more than just a quickie cash-in project. “Across the Spider-Verse” clearly sets out to top the original by having an even more explosive visual sense. Time is spent developing the look for each dimension, Gwen's world being characterized by water color like palette. Or Spider-Punk always being surrounded by zine style cut-out art. When the Vulture – from the Marvel 1602 world, it seems – appears, it's as hand-drawn blueprints. The film doubles down on the comic inspiration of the first one, with even more world balloons, thought bubbles, and sound effects appearing on-screen. In truth, “Across the Spider-Verse's” hyperactive visuals are so frantic and constant at times, it borders on the overwhelming. This might be one of the few films I've seen that felt more coherent at home than on the big screen. Nevertheless, it is a hell of a spectacle. 

This visual playfulness peaks during a sequence in the middle of the movie, where Miles is chased through the Society headquarters by a whole horde of Spider-People. This includes such colorful sights as Spider-Cat, Spider-Rex, and a cowboy Spider-Man. It's a lot of fun. So are cameos from the LEGO Spider-Man universe. Yet, sometimes, “Across the Spider-Verse” piles on the references and in-jokes to the point that they feel stifling. I appreciate the shout-outs to the 1967 “Spider-Man” cartoon. Yet cameos from Andrew Garfield or a desperate connection to the MCU makes the movie feel more like an extension of a massive corporate product than as, ya know, a movie meant to tell a story. This is evident in the appearance from Spider-Man characters that end up barely contributing anything to the story too.

Another weakness in “Across the Spider-Verse” is that the film goes out of its way to tell us what Miles Morales' entire character arc is going to be. Before leaving on his latest adventure, his mother tells him not to allow anyone to tell him he doesn't belong. This completely predicts what happens to him later, Miles establishing his own destiny, his own right to exist against a horde of authority figures that tell him he has no right to be here. This is further set-up by the plot's focus on “Canon Events,” another example of a determined history being laid out for our hero. One that, obviously, he's going to deny. It's all laid on a little thick.

I say he's “going to” because... “Across the Spider-Verse” doesn't actually have an ending. If you follow comic book movie and entertainment news, you were probably aware that this sequel was originally announced as a Part One. That designation was dropped from the title but clearly the structure was not changed in anyway. “Across the Spider-Verse” fills up its run time by expanding on characters' back stories and introducing a horde of new heroes and rivals. This is fine. The movie builds to a climax during Miles' conflict with the other Spider-Men. The film then continues to an extended epilogue, which exists solely to set-up a cliffhanger. Not a particularly compelling one, if I'm being blunt. The truth is “Across the Spider-Verse” ends right when it's starting to feel like it's finally gained momentum. 

The apparent flaws with “Across the Spider-Verse” are all the more frustrating because, when it works, it works really well. The subplot focuses on Gwen and her universe are compelling. The slower scenes devoted to her interactions with Miles are really cute, suggesting a gentle kind of romantic tension between the two. Once again, I find myself feeling like a “Spider-Man” story works best when focusing on the smaller stakes, rather than the universe toppling threats. Yes, “Across the Spider-Verse” is an impressive visual experience, that does a lot of really cool shit, and is a loving homage to the “Spider-Man” franchise's history. However, it's also a fundamentally incomplete film, leaving the viewer ultimately unsatisfied. [7/10]