“Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” Review: This Masterpiece Is The Darkest & Grandest Spider-Man Story We’ve Seen!

2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was a major gamble on Sony’s part. Disney gets to parade out their live-action version of the character and you choose to potentially play second fiddle to them by going animation? It could have easily backfired…but it didn’t. Instead, they delivered one of the greatest Spider-Man films of all time; plus winning an Oscar! A fresh, fun, meta-laden rendition of the Spider-Man origin story through the eyes of a young, intercity teen, Miles Morales. Thanks to a distinctly trippy art style, a fantastic host of colourful personalities and clever writing, the film far escapes the shadows of its Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) counterpart to mark out its own territory and identity within the genre. They’ve beaten the MCU to the punch to be the first Marvel comic-book film to introduce the concept of the multiverse to a mass audience.

Half a decade later, we’re finally getting the long-awaited sequel, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”. A sequel that promises to go bigger and deeper as we see touch heavy themes of identity, sacrifice, determinism and free will. So will “Across the Spider-Verse” set a new bar for the franchise? Or has it swung a little too close to the sun this time? Let’s find out!

Picking up where its predecessor left off, “Across the Spider-Verse” once again follows the struggles of Miles Morales to be the hero his city needs him to be and the son his parents long for. The scars of “Into the Spider-Verse” linger and they begin to seep into Miles’ personal and superhero life as he struggles with the loss of his Uncle Aaron. Writers Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and David Callaham have seen the clear road laid out for a character like Miles and have decided to take a significantly more thoughtful and mature route instead.

Beyond simply using the shared trauma of Spider-Man as merely a cheeky wink to the audience, they have deconstructed the trope and weaponised it against the character to profound effect. This theme of the death of the tragic-hero romance is epitomised in the character of Oscar Isaac’s Miguel O’Hara, who cynically challenges Miles’ place in the grand scheme of his life and the very multiverse itself. The Miles Morales we see stepping into the film is a very different one by the end of it all. Don’t let the art style and the myriad of colourful characters fool you, “Across the Spider-Verse” is easily the darkest and grandest Spider-Man story we’ve seen thus far. The film ends on a hell of a cliffhanger that can be best described in the words of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio: now that’s an Avengers-level threat!

In spite of the multiversal hoopla of it all, “Across the Spider-Verse” never trades its heart for the scale of its narrative complexity. Once again, the film completely flips the script by having the narrative focus be on how Miles and Gwen Stacy use their great power and great responsibility as a flawed coping mechanism to deal with their turbulent domestic situations at home. It’s a poignant and heartfelt analysis of how the role of Spider-Man can perpetuate a toxic cycle of both chronic self-sacrifice and relational entitlement. In many ways, it’s both a love letter and a repudiation of the cliche.

That being said, the script takes full advantage of the diversity and absurdity of the more outlandish aspects of the genre to poke fun left, right and centre! Whether it’s Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk giving the finger to fate or Andy Samberg just oozing with pathos as the melodramatic Ben Reilly, the film has thoroughly snapped its neck with its endless nods to Spidey fans. And without giving too much away, let’s just say that one particular appearance in the film will have MCU fans on the floor.

Vastly improving upon the already stellar work of “Into the Spider-Verse”, “Across the Spider-Verse” incorporates a dizzying array of art styles that are colour-coded and aesthetically unique to not just particular characters but the very space they inhabit. Where Miles’ Ben-Day dot-ridden world of the familiar city neighbourhoods is marked by chunky earthen colours, Gwen’s reality bleeds and ever changes between a shifting spectrum of cool colours depending on the mood. Now imagine that level of detail…extended to multiple Spider-People! This intricacy is also woven into high-octane action sequences, from dazzling high-speed web-slinging to visceral, close-quarter melees. Some uncanny scenes of live-action goofiness occasionally pull away from the grandeur of it all but it never crosses the threshold of being grating.

Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld shine as kindred spirits Miles and Gwen as the two teens navigate through the avalanche of youthful ennui and survivor’s guilt. There are some fantastic moments of dialogue in which the two of them switch from heartrending heart-to-hearts to well-timed quips to smouldering romantic tension. Some standout performances from newcomers include Daniel Kaluuya as the hilarious, anti-establishment Hobie, the Spider-Punk, and Karan Soni as Pavitr Prabhakar, Spider-Man India.

Whenever Miguel O’Hara makes it on screen though, Oscar Isaac absolutely steals the scene. He brings an earnest ferocity to the character that just teeters between menacing and noble. Jason Schwartzman’s The Spot, a bitter C-lister trying to earn the respect of his nemesis, is mostly played for laughs, so when it’s time for the eventual reveal of his multiversal potential, the dramatic weight doesn’t quite land. Then again, he’ll have a lot more time to grow on us in the next film.

While never failing to engage, “Across the Spider-Verse” does step a little too lively in its pacing. Stacking little woes upon greater and greater calamities, there’s little respite for the audience to soak and drink in the beauty and weight of it all, especially when it reaches its third act that sees Miles eventually clash with Miguel and his Spider-Society. It would have been nice to have seen Miles have a few more meaningful engagements with his multiversal variants beyond the occasional visual gag before all hell breaks loose.

Sony’s “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is a quantum leap forward for the franchise. Like Miles Morales, it refuses to be boxed in a corner within an already crowded market and chooses to do its own spectacular dangerous thing, with effortless style! If the film has accomplished anything, it’s threatened the privileged position of live-action films over 3D animation within the genre. Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson’s film has broken new web-laced ground in animation and has cemented its place as the Best Spider-Man Film of This Generation!

You can now catch “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” in theatres today!

For those looking to find out how the MCU and the Spider-Verse are linked, be sure to check out our breakdown.