Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse review

[CharlesPhipps]

https://beforewegoblog.com/movie-review ... iderverse/

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE is the sequel to SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, by far the most successful of the Sony produced SPIDER-MEN movies after the original Toby Maguire movies. At least artistically. It was a beautiful surreal animated explosion of colors, imagery, and ideas that took full advantage of its medium. So, I was eager to see what the sequel would be like. I even broke my “no theaters” rule that I’ve had for a couple of years. The only other exception being the Dungeons and Dragons film.

The premise, for those who are more interested in more than just the metatext: Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) is not doing great when her attempts to tell her father about being Spiderwoman/Ghost Spider go horrifically wrong. She is promptly recruited by Jessica Drew AKA Spiderwoman (Issa Rae) and Miguel O’Hara AKA Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaacs) to become part of a cosmic group of Spider-People protecting the multiverse.

Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), meanwhile, is struggling with his new life as Spider-Man. Much of the typical stuff for Spider-Man affect him like being unable to manage his civilian life with his superhero identity. A chance encounter with what should have been a minor supervillain, The Spot (Jason Schwartzman), ends up becoming much more difficult as said baddie is a lot more emotionally fragile than most Spider-Man foes. Which is saying something.

Gwen finally reunites with Miles as hinted by the teaser in the previous movie and reveals that there’s an entire multiverse out there with people just like them. Unfortunately, the Spider Society turns out to have a dark side and Miles is justifiably horrified. Lots of references to the vast canon of Spider-Man is made and I enjoyed all of the in-jokes, even the ones I didn’t get.

Without getting into spoilers, I love this movie because it’s another of those “meta plot” movies where the movie can be read as a literal plot in its own right and the next is of the entirety of a writer’s relationship with a canonical character:

1. Spiderman must look this way
2. Spiderman must have these events in his life
3. Spiderman can never really grow or change.

This movie is all about trashing those expectations and the villain being about the belief “This is how it HAS to go because it is CANON.” It shows what kind of insane and crazy universe that could exist if fans weren’t so obsessed with Spider-Man wasn’t just a specific way. The characters, the art, and the plotting are all tremendously done.

I think the best part of the film is the fact that it really does challenge who Spider-Man is and who he is for, with the movie directly saying, “Everybody. Spider-Man is for everybody.” I also appreciate the treatment of Spider-Punk by the movie as it’s rare we get anyone who could actually be called an anarchist in the film.

Villain-wise, I have to give credit to Jason Schwartzman as the Spot, who manages to do right what was done wrong with Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. A nerdy schlub like Peter who proceeds to break bad as opposed to becoming a good guy. He’s humorous, pathetic, and sympathetic until he realizes the full extent of his powers. That’s when the character becomes genuinely dangerous and I hope this influences the comic Spot. Really, of all the Spider-Man villains to adapt, I thought he would be one of the last.

The real villain, though, is the idea of Spider-Man having to be defined solely by the tragedies of his life. One of the elements in the comic is that Peter self-sabotages himself and can’t allow himself to enjoy the success he’s capable of because he doesn’t believe he deserves to be happy after Uncle Ben. The idea these thousands of Peters might buy-into the idea that it was all for a greater good is believable to me but I suspect more of them would not be willing to go along with the idea it was all for a greater good.

If I have any complaints about the movie, it’s the fact that it is a little bloated at 2:30 hours when it could very easily be trimmed down considerably. There’s a lot of repetition about Miles’ issues in school and his life that could be cut without much issue. I also feel like retreading the “should I tell my parents my secret identity” plot was worn-out in the Sixties. I would have probably ended the movie about ten to fifteen minutes earlier and started the next film with what they did here. The previous movie just feels far more efficiently paced.

The fight scenes are incredibly imaginative and take full advantage of the medium to do things you could not normally do in live action. The color palette of the film is really one of its strongest strengths as the vivid colors and graffiti-like atmosphere plus varying art styles creates a unique visual experience (well for except for the first movie). One amazing scene has Spider-Gwen fight a black and white Vulture based on Leonardo Da Vinci’s sketches.

Seriously, see this movie.

[CmdrKing]

Honestly I think even the struggle with telling his parents about his identity serves an important function. Miles at the start of the movie just isn’t ready for the burden that averting a seemingly-destined event will place on him, and his hesitation in the face of even his excellent, supportive parents highlights where he is in his journey in a way a lot of other things might not have. He still believes this is something just for him, his own way to contribute, rather than something that’s part of larger community that has to be built on trust.

[BBally81]

Across the Spider-Verse just made over 400 million worldwide in just 3 weeks, overperforming the first film.

[clearspira]

Do you know what this film proves? Sony still knows how to make superhero films. Disney is floundering under a sea of drek. $400 million in 3 weeks are figures that the latter could only dream off right now.

Sony isn't giving this property back any time soon and good. Pity Disney bought Fox. Nothing has come of that in the four years since, either. Where are the X-Men? When are the Fantastic 4?

[clearspira]

1. Spiderman must look this way
2. Spiderman must have these events in his life
3. Spiderman can never really grow or change.

This movie is all about trashing those expectations and the villain being about the belief “This is how it HAS to go because it is CANON.” It shows what kind of insane and crazy universe that could exist if fans weren’t so obsessed with Spider-Man wasn’t just a specific way. The characters, the art, and the plotting are all tremendously done.

I think the best part of the film is the fact that it really does challenge who Spider-Man is and who he is for, with the movie directly saying, “Everybody. Spider-Man is for everybody.” I also appreciate the treatment of Spider-Punk by the movie as it’s rare we get anyone who could actually be called an anarchist in the film.

This film challenges nothing. That is why it is making mega bucks. Let me explain why.

Fanboys. They ain't ever going to be happy. Which is why most properties have stopped catering to them outside of the odd bit of fanservice. For example, ''Ooh! Its the Enterprise-D! This show is so made for me now!'' And what has happened to all of those properties that said ''fuck the fanboys, i'm doing my own thing?''

They're still going. Because the casual audience doesn't care and the casual audience outnumbers the fanboys 10/1.

There are loud voices moaning about canon. But most people are very happy to disregard all of that and have the wacky, colourful universe. There is no obsession to have Spidey be a certain way. Not from the people that matter AKA the people who are going to be giving most of the money.

This film is catering to the majority that already exist. And if you cater to the majority that already exist, you ain't challenging anything.

[BBally81]

Do you know what this film proves? Sony still knows how to make superhero films. Disney is floundering under a sea of drek. $400 million in 3 weeks are figures that the latter could only dream off right now.

Sony isn't giving this property back any time soon and good. Pity Disney bought Fox. Nothing has come of that in the four years since, either. Where are the X-Men? When are the Fantastic 4?

Except Guardians of the Galaxy 3 came out earlier and was a BIG hit.

This also proves the whole "Go Woke, Go Broke" mantra to be a bunch of nonsense because there were a ton of people complaining about how Across the Spider-verse was "woke propaganda" because of the existence of Miles, black Jessica Drew, Spider-Punk and the whole "Protect Trans Kids" poster that pissed off morons online.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

Do you know what this film proves? Sony still knows how to make superhero films. Disney is floundering under a sea of drek. $400 million in 3 weeks are figures that the latter could only dream off right now.

Sony isn't giving this property back any time soon and good. Pity Disney bought Fox. Nothing has come of that in the four years since, either. Where are the X-Men? When are the Fantastic 4?

Except Guardians of the Galaxy 3 came out earlier and was a BIG hit.

This also proves the whole "Go Woke, Go Broke" mantra to be a bunch of nonsense because there were a ton of people complaining about how Across the Spider-verse was "woke propaganda" because of the existence of Miles, black Jessica Drew, Spider-Punk and the whole "Protect Trans Kids" poster that pissed off morons online.

Yeah gotg3 made 3+ times its $250m budget.

Sony definitely is in this superhero game though (as far as what cs is saying). Venom was slated to be a development hell train wreck left over from the gArfield universe but became an inadvertent breakthrough in the vein of Mario kart.

[CharlesPhipps]

Do you know what this film proves? Sony still knows how to make superhero films. Disney is floundering under a sea of drek. $400 million in 3 weeks are figures that the latter could only dream off right now.

Sony isn't giving this property back any time soon and good. Pity Disney bought Fox. Nothing has come of that in the four years since, either. Where are the X-Men? When are the Fantastic 4?

I love you clearspira, but I mean...Morbius.

And now Kraven the Hunter starring the only A-list star who is consistent box office poison.

Mind you, I'd be constantly rewatching the Black Cat and Silver Sable movie if they'd succeeded in making it.

*pause*

For entirely healthy reasons.

[phantom000]

I don't follow comic books, I do read trade-collections sometimes, but most of what I know about comic books comes from Linkara so I'm not really prepared to discuss the meta-commentary around Miles Morales.

I'm not much of a Spiderman fan in general but there is a lot to like about this movie. Watching the interactions with all the different Spidermen was a strong part of the first film and it's the same with this one. Gwen and her dad was a nice contrast to Miles and his father.

My only real complaint about the film are the fight scenes. I know that superhero battles are supposed to be big and energetic, especially with a superhero whose powers are based around speed and agility, but they go too far in some cases. There is just so happening on screen and so quickly it's hard to follow at times. If you thought the shaky-cam in the Transformers movies were bad they have nothing on this film! In the theater I actually had to look away a couple times because the fights were making me dizzy. The first couple fights between Miles and The Spot got it about right, fast paced, energetic and making full use of both character's powers.

[BBally81]

Across the spider-verse has earned $489.3M at the worldwide Box office so far.

It's close to 500 million in just 4 weeks.