After nearly five long years, we’re finally getting a sequel to one of the biggest movie surprises of the past decade. We never knew we needed or even wanted another Spider-Man property, but 2018’s Into the Spider-Verse introduced us to Miles Morales and the beautifully animated world he lives in.
It’s been a year since Miles was visited by a group of Spider-friends. He is now trying to balance life and responsibilities with his time protecting his city. His parents are getting frustrated about his inconsistency with family and school. He struggles with wanting to make them proud, but can’t help but long for Gwen and the adventures he had with his multiversal friends.
Meanwhile, Gwen is recruited to a type of multi-dimensional Spider-force headed by Spider-Man 2099. Their purpose is to eliminate any anomalies that threaten to destroy worlds. This group runs into Miles and some hard truths are shared about the consequences of choosing fate or free will.
Into the Spider-Verse changed the game and helped audiences expect more when it comes to big screen animation and how to properly pay tribute to previous comic book flicks. Sequels are always meant to be bigger and better and that’s the biggest strength and flaw of this super sequel.
The animators stepped up their game in every possible way. Animation mediums change as new characters and worlds are introduced, but also, the style changes to fit character moods. Just as each hero seems to get their own musical theme, the same goes for the artwork. It helps each of the highlighted characters stand out. A character like Spider-Punk gets a permanent look of graffiti/sketch that matches the anarchist mindset that he just can’t let go of. Meanwhile, Gwen who largely keeps the same animated appearance, finds herself in different settings; a highlight being a very personal chat that is dripping with watercolor paint. All of this variety doesn’t even scratch the surface of the action set pieces, where so much is happening, that it requires several viewings to allow your eyes to catch up to it all.
Now for the flaw of bigger is better. The filmmakers seem to think that our attention span is next to nothing and may not realize they’ve already captured out interest. I say this because they so dearly want us to jump in joy seeing just how much Spider-history they can fit into a story that doesn’t need this much glut. The overarching Spider-patrol story will surely fit great by the end of the third movie, but by forcing so many Easter eggs, they stall the point of the whole story.
The flaws in the writing come not from the dialogue, but from the story development. The moments of character growth for Miles and Gwen and their respective parents are genuinely emotional. Yet, so much setup is done here, it’s only half of a movie. No arcs are closed, only teased for a spectacular finale. With that, the story isn’t actually described until early in the third act. The whole crux is great, but delayed for far too long and without a climax, currently feels inconsequential.
This sequel veers into very dramatic territory compared to the first and the characters feel fleshed out. A third of the movie is dedicated to life at home for Miles. These family moments, while slightly too long, lead into some of the bigger surprises of the movie, which totally caught me off guard. Also, due to the attention on Miles and Gwen, I root for them to succeed in their goals. Nothing feels predictable here. So much of my typical cape-flick apathy doesn’t hold true for their big heroic moments and struggles.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a massive step up when it comes to delivering emotional resonance and a stunning, varied artistic approach that demands that I see it again. Two movies in and I love these characters and can’t wait to see where their stories go from here. Children who love Into the Spider-Verse may not care for the 2 hour 20 minute runtime. Also, it’s disappointing with the lack of a self-contained climax. Overall, this sequel is a very satisfying experience that promises incredible potential for the third movie. B+
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