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Miles is back at it!
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse is the highly anticipated sequel to Sony’s groundbreaking entry Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse which took the comic book fans by surprise back in 2018. The film again features the story of Miles Morales, a lively yet clueless teenager from Brooklyn and a fledgling version of our Friendly Neighborhood undertaking the responsibility of protecting the city. In an attempt to further familiarize the audience with the concept of multiverse, this film features Miles traveling across mind-boggling realities and facing innumerable versions of the masked hero we love, in an attempt to protect the people he loves from a multiversal threat.
The first film took me by storm. It was easily the biggest surprise of 2018, and it promised that the multiversal storylines, while confusing, will still be an absolute joy to watch. We had reached a point where superhero films did not feel special anymore, whether it be because the industry was oversaturated with comic book films, or because we just could not connect with these overwhelmingly strong powerhouses due to a lack of heartfelt storytelling. At a time like that, ‘Into the Spider-verse’ was a breath of fresh air to the genre, featuring a vibrant animation style that felt ethereal and made each and every scene exuberant, a storyline that had emotional bits and stakes and really kept us on the edge of our seats, music that aided the story’s and most importantly characters that felt like real people. It was quite easily one of the best comic book films ever made and brought under the spotlight Miles Morales, a not-so-famous version of Spider-Man, and made him a relatable icon to many youngsters.
Now, as a sequel, how successful is ‘Across the Spider-verse’? Did it fall into the famous ‘Sequel Trap’ where a sequel is deemed to fail if its predecessor was successful, or was it against the norm like The Dark Knight or Terminator 2?
I am elated to say it falls into the latter category.
Across the Spider-verse is one of the greatest comic book films ever made, and I cannot emphasize more on that. With its breathtakingly amazing animation, extremely relatable characters, and immersive plot, this film is everything fans wanted to see in a spider-verse film and more.
I’ll start with the characters. Miles Morales. Easily one of the best adaptations of a character not many knew of. There was a time when Spider-Man meant only Peter Parker. For many, without Peter, there was no Spider-Man. In a scenario like this, Miles came as a breath of fresh air through Into the Spider-verse. He represented a community, gave us a new hero to root for, and helped us comprehend what being Spider-Man means with your parents around you and your father being a cop (someone who automatically checks off as a Spidey hater). Miles’ character, like the predecessor, is once again handled with care and fleshed out perfectly. His development from being this clueless, agitated teen to being Brooklyn’s one and only Spider-Man is further worked on, making him not only a masked hero with great power but a son, a friend, and a boy with responsibilities towards his milieu. The shifts in his character arc are as sweet and melodious as the music that accompany those scenes.
Gwen too gets to shine in this film, more than what she was permitted in the previous film. The story in fact starts with her, and we get to see more of her backstory and share the trauma that haunts her. At the end of the movie, you end up rooting for her more than you could expect- she basically becomes the main character. To make a character that important is an extremely difficult job, and the film pulls it off perfectly. Peter B. Parker is back too, but he takes the backseat this time around. His character doesn’t serve much purpose in the story, but that really isn’t an issue here. In fact, all of the shortcomings of this film are compensated by the character of Miguel O’Hara. With Oscar Isaac’s voice running the gears in the background, this is a terrifying character I never expected to witness on the big screen. He is a character with a sad backstory, and his trauma begets a heart of stone that glosses over the losses of every Spidey in every universe. He is not a menace but more of a stern leader, and his eerie, unsettling presence is amplified by a terrific score by Daniel Pemberton that kept me on the edge of my seat. I am excited to see more of him in the next film.
Speaking of the multiverse (or more appropriately, the ‘Spider-verse’), there is A LOT of it, and I absolutely loved every second of it. No one can handle the multiverse better than Philip Lord and Christopher Miller, and if Into the Spider-verse did not convince you, Across the Spider-verse definitely will. Everything seemed in place and easy to comprehend, and in fact, handled to perfection, unlike many big-budget Marvel flicks we have recently witnessed. The Spider-verse part is actually the best part of the film, and I was absolutely amused during the entire sequence.
I think it is needless to say how well the animation is in this film. It might as well be some of the best works of artists and animators I have ever seen. Each and every frame was exuberant with a plethora of colors, and the characters like Spider-Punk were brought to life with distinct artistic styles that were eye-catching. Certain scenes are live-action, and they fit in beautifully with the animation. Each and every iteration of Spidey gets their respective colors and animation styles which allows them to blend into a beautiful universe that could easily get convoluted otherwise. You can literally pause every frame in the film and take a screenshot- it would be wallpaper worthy. The music is great too. Metro Boomin’ assembled a squad of elite rappers and pop stars to give an album that is melodic to your ears and purposeful to each scene. The emotional stakes are higher in this film, and I think the background scores, the animations, and every character expressions took their respective jobs seriously to give a memorable experience. The film is also very self-aware, it knows its audience and its characters. Spider-Man is a character that probably has one of the most poignant origin stories across the realm of comic book characters, no matter which variant, and the film understands that and acts upon it. The action scenes are absolutely ethereal, with clever camerawork that makes them more enticing. This film also features one of my favorite chase scenes of all time. I was looking forward to the interactions between each Spider person, and boy it doesn’t get any better.
All in all, Across the Spider-verse is an experience of a lifetime. It is heartfelt, vibrant, lively and funny, and extremely relatable despite being a story about a person bit by a radioactive spider with amazing, inhuman abilities. It is easily the best film I have watched all year, and that is not an exaggeration. I applaud the work of every artist behind this film, they have indeed outdone themselves. I can’t wait to see what else they have in store for us, and I can’t wait to see Miles and his friends swing back into action in Beyond the Spider-verse.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse gets an A+.
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