Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse Review: Out Of This Universe

Movies 

Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse Review: Out Of This Universe

By Dylan Barbee

Image Provided by Marvel

Release Date: June 2, 2023

SPOILERS AHEAD!

I don’t think I’ve seen so many Spider-Men in one movie all my life as I did in Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse. The events in the highly anticipated sequel takes place just a year after the 2018 Spider-Man: Into The Spider Verse and brings to life new characters and possibilities through innovative animation styles while successfully telling the story of how Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) has to find a place of belonging in a universe that doesn’t accept him as Spider-Man.  

 

The film starts by bringing us into the world where Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) takes on the responsibility of being Spider-Women. Through extraordinary visuals we learn she too has the issue of not being accepted in her universe. After her universe’s Peter Parker became Lizard, Gwen was forced to stop her best friend before he could do any more damage which ultimately cost his life. Peter Parker is framed as a martyr while Spider-Women is framed as an evil vigilante by her own father who is a cop. This new perspective behind the story of Spider-Man is told through extraordinary visuals as the universe’s backgrounds look like watermarks to an enticing painting that shifts colors depending on the change of emotions during intense confrontations. Gwen’s universe is honestly one of the most visually appealing settings throughout the whole film.  

 
Spider-Man: Across The Spider Verse does an amazing job when it comes to putting new characters in the spotlight of their own universes. When Miles Morales is web slinging, wall climbing, and fighting crime in Brooklyn he is also college searching with his parents while also trying to keep his identity as Spider-Man a secret from them. Miles balancing a double life was well executed because not only did this sequel display how much Miles has grown since the first film, but it also reflects an important message about parenting. This film tells us that parents need to let their kids grow up on their own sometimes through a mutual sense of trust. Every Spider-Man had their own unique story and swagger in Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse. Pavitr Prabhakar or Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) is a confident and charismatic hero who lives in Mumbai, India. When we are shown Prabhakar’s universe the scenes are fast paced and always filled with sounds of the city. Another fan favorite Spider-Man is “Hoobie” aka Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) who wears tall black boots, piercings, and is displayed through cut out scraps of London punk rock concert fliers and album covers. Hoobie’s rebellious behavior brings comedic relief to many of the scenes. Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse does a fantastic job implementing cultural representation in a fun and creative way to the point where it does not feel forced at all.  

 
The creators of this animated movie were very imaginative when pushing the boundaries and creating as many types of Spider-Men as they could. There are split seconds where we see both a t-rex Spiderman and a cat Spiderman. There is even a short but comedic Lego scene where we see Lego Peter Parker putting on his Spider suit in a bathroom. Whatever type of Spider-Man you can imagine, they are most likely shown in Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse.  

 
The creativity and polished artwork in Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse not only gives representation to all but also gives the villain’s backstories a chance to be complex and dark. The main villain is Spot (Jason Schwartzman) who has black holes on his body that serve as vessels to other universes. Spot starts out as an impish villain who has little control over his powers and is referred to as a “weak villain” throughout the film by Miles and other Spidermen. But this would soon change as Spot’s main objective to get revenge on Miles pushes him to get stronger and to become a real threat to the multiverse. Some may say Spider-Man 2099 is a villain, some may say he is not but if one thing is for sure it’s that Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) is badass. From his menacing theme song that comes on every time he makes an appearance on screen and the sharp swords pointing out of the forearms of his dark blue Spider Suit with a bright red Spidey symbol in the center, Spider-Man 2099 is one the coolest Spider-Men to be shown on a big screen. Miguel O’Hara is the Spiderman who brought the jaw-dropping Spider Society to life, a place where all Spider-people in all universes can seek sanctuary while also fulfilling the mission of preserving the multiverse from all threats.  

 
In the Spider Society we learn the significance of canon events and anomalies. A canon event is something that must always happen within every Spiderman’s story while anomalies are people who disrupt canon. The concept that trauma and loss is a necessity for every Spiderman is unique and makes the real-world argument that you cannot grow if you haven’t experienced pain in your lifetime. The film shifts moods after Miles learns that his father is going to die in two days, and he must let it happen because it is canon. While being chased by Miguel and a hoard of other Spiderman, Miles also learns that he is an anomaly because the spider that bit him was not from his universe, and he was never supposed to be Spiderman. Soon enough it’s clear that although Miguel’s intentions are for the better of the multiverse, he is looked at as a villain due to him being a roadblock on Mile’s path to save his dad back home despite being a threat to the fate of the multiverse. “Everybody keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go. Nah, Imma do my own thing,” Miles says while being chased by Miguel.  

 
Through amazing storytelling with great character development, exhilarating animated visuals and multiple plot twists in the middle and end, Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse is an almost perfect sequel film. I say almost perfect because there is a disappointing cliff-hanger that will leave fans begging to see more and too many unanswered questions that I am afraid once they are answered in the next movie, Across the Spider Verse will only be looked at as a filler movie between the first and third. Some of these unanswered questions in Spider-Man: Across the Spider Verse involve the existential process that many young adolescents face when it comes to eventually having to confront their own identity. Are you going to conform to societal norms or pave your own way in this world? Does leaving your family behind outweigh what you want to achieve? Does a person have to face trauma or loss in their lives to grow? I guess we will have to see if this web of unanswered questions is answered on March 29, 2024, which is the scheduled release date for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider Verse.  

Rating: 9.3/10