After a five-year long wait, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) graces the big screen again with a new adventure to face through the multiverse in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, the film gives a completely new perspective to all those that said that animation is not real cinema. The film is an introspective watch, with a perfect mix of emotional scenes that will leave you loving the characters even more. Along with action-packed scenes that leave you at the edge of your seat, all perfectly packed together with stunning animation and visuals that put forward a film that is not only aesthetically appealing but also a complex story that will leave you yearning for more by the end of it.
The film takes place 16 months after the events of the first one, with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) missing his friends from the first movie while also trying to balance out being a student and also the friendly neighbourhood Spiderman. He reunites with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and is thrown into the multiverse where he encounters villains from various universes and also meets Spider-people from other dimensions. However, when the heroes are faced with a new threat, Miles finds himself on opposing sides with the other spider-people. Leaving Miles to reevaluate what it means to be a hero and go to great lengths to protect those that he loves. The film also brings back many loved characters from the first film, including Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) while introducing new characters as well such as punk rock spider-man Hobie (Daniel Kaluuya) and Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni).
We cannot discuss this film without talking about the stunning animation. It is evident from the watch that intensive work went into the film. Every moment of the film is filled with wild colours that correlate with the emotions of the scene you are watching. The art style is also different depending on which universe we are in. Gwen Stacy’s universe has more vibrant and pastel colours that shift depending on the mood of the universe. Pavitr Prabhakar’s universe feels more like a comic book, while Hobie’s universe feels like a collage of magazines put together. This level of attention to detail from the animators leaves the audience gawking at their screens, being immersed immediately in every universe that is introduced to us.
Another thing this film did very well were the more intimate scenes and slower scenes where we really get to see Miles as a character, we see him try to balance being a normal kid. School, college applications, and family obligations are dawning on him, but he is also trying to be that friendly neighbourhood spider-man. Scenes like this gave more complexity to Miles’ character. We obviously expect him to be the hero of our film, but the instances where we see him just being a kid who’s trying to grow up makes him more lovable as a character. This mixed with the action-packed scenes leads to not only an entertaining movie but also an introspective one.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a film that exceeded everyone’s expectations. It’s a stunning animated film with an intense plot. Watching the movie in theatres made the experience so much better, with everyone’s mouths agape by the last ten minutes, clutching to whatever they can get before abrupting in applause by the end of the film. Overall, the film is entertaining, intense and heartfelt all at the same time and anyone of any age can enjoy it. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has left an impact on viewers and I can confidently say that this sequel is a strong follow-up to its classic.
