Friday, 2 June 2023

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Official Australian release date: 1/6/23. Viewed: 2/6/23.
Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin Thompson
Actors: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac, Jason Schwartzman
Genre: Action / Sci-Fi
Rating: PG

‘Across the Spider-Verse’ is the 4 and a half years later sequel to ‘Into the Spider-Verse’, with the third part of the trilogy – ‘Beyond the Spider-Verse’ – thankfully only a 9-month wait. It doesn’t pick up right where the first one finished, but starts with Gwen Stacy (Steinfeld) in her universe, before we get re-introduced to now-15-years-old Miles Morales (Moore). It’s probably not essential to have seen the first film, or any of the other ‘Spider-Man’ films, but it definitely helps – lots of little nods and references throughout.

This time the seemingly-innocuous villain is “The Spot” (Schwartzman), who has a cool power and makes some good jokes, but actually has a solid arc, which sets up the next film. Worth noting this is basically half a film (even though it goes for 2 hours 15min), intentionally split in two. When Miles and Gwen try to stop The Spot across the multiverse, they encounter a universe full of Spider-Men, including the familiar Peter Parker (Johnson), with the 2099 version Miguel (Isaac) trying to act as the safekeeper of the multiverse, which sets up a disagreement.

There’s a fair bit going on, obviously, and so many inside jokes and references when we meet some of the various Spider-Men (would reward repeat viewings), but at it’s heart it’s still a coming-of-age story with Miles and Gwen at it’s centre, trying to do what’s right and prove themselves in the world(s). Soundtrack will appeal to teens. I think the universe-hopping is handled well, but the standout, as with the original, is the various types of animation and how they change and fit each scene. The watercolours complement the CGI and classic cartoon styles superbly. Some great new sidekick characters and set-up superbly for the third (final?) film.

Overall: Still plenty of action & fun – bring on the finale!

Gav's Rating: 4 stars

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