Lauryn Clarke
In many ways, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse feels like Into the Spider-Verse’s older, cooler sibling.
It’s more emotionally complex than the first, and both Miles and Gwen feel more settled into their roles as the respective Spider-person of their universe. Combined with new characters and an expanded world, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will have you gripped from start to finish.
The film is set just over a year after the previous one, which shows the audience just how much protagonist Miles Morales has grown since he first took up the mantle of “The One and Only Spider-Man”. Elsewhere, we get to catch up with Ghost-Spider aka Gwen Stacy of Earth-65 before we’re thrust even further into the multiverse than before.
New and Returning Characters
“His witty delivery juxtaposed with lines straight from the mouth of a Camden Punk was a standout for me.”
As more of the multiverse begins to unfold, we are also introduced to a host of new characters. Oscar Isaac’s Miguel O’Hara is a great addition to the series, and I have nothing but praise for co-star Daniel Kaluuya as Hobie Brown. His witty delivery juxtaposed with lines straight from the mouth of a Camden Punk was a standout for me.
We also saw the return of Jake Johnson’s Peter B. Parker, now accompanied by the adorable baby Mayday. He revives his previous mentor role, providing the same comic relief as in the first film, but with the additional character trait of being a brilliant Dad.
A Focus on Inclusivity
Filmmaking duo Phil Lord and Christopher Miller took extra care with their new brief, making sure to bring in new team members to help make Across the Spider-Verse feel as inclusive and accurate as an animated film about superpowered Spider-people can be.
“This is a great move for inclusion, and I hope to see writers’ rooms like these become a natural step for the industry going forward.”
In a cast discussion for Sony, actor Karan Soni, who plays Pavitr Prabhakar, said: “[Lord and Miller] called a few months ago, and they were like ‘hey we’re feeling like [the character] isn’t culturally specific enough so we were gonna do a little writers’ room and we want you to come pitch ideas.'” Soni described the process as “the most collaborative experience”, a testament to some very funny and very specific lines of dialogue. This is a great move for inclusion, and I hope to see writers’ rooms like these become a natural step for the industry going forward.
Final Thoughts
As a self-professed nerd with a slight obsession with Spider-Man, this film was rife with easter eggs. As seen in the trailer, there are lots and lots of Spider-people. It was a bit like playing Where’s Wally? in the cinema. My favourite spot was Bombastic Bag Man.
“At times the screen looks like a watercolour painting, and at others, it feels like some kind of mixed media exhibit.”
The animation and colours in this film are nothing short of majestic. At times the screen looks like a watercolour painting, and at others, it feels like some kind of mixed media exhibit. Like in the previous film, there is a clear and distinct style between universes – this led to some gorgeous scenes as multiple Spider-people shared the screen at once. They even manage to make The Spot a scary villain, aided by the unique artistic style in which he is portrayed on screen.
In all, I would 100 per cent recommend going to see Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at the cinema. I think the aesthetics and scope of the movie are dying to be watched on the big screen. This film is worth watching it even if you’re not a fan of traditional superhero movies. You’ll definitely catch me there on the opening night for the final film in the trilogy!
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Featured image courtesy of Budiey on Flickr. Image cropped according to permissions. Image license found here.
Lauryn Clarke
Lauryn is currently working as a coordinator for an education charity, but enjoys writing articles about pop culture and politics in her free time. She enjoys pizza, white wine, and ranting on Twitter.