Directed By Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson

Starring – Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson

The Plot – Miles Morales (Moore) returns for the next chapter of the Spider-Verse saga, an epic adventure that will transport Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man across the Multiverse to join forces with Gwen Stacy (Steinfeld) and a new team of Spider-People to face off with a villain more powerful than anything they have ever encountered.

Rated PG for sequences of animated action violence, some adult language and thematic elements

(5) SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE – Official Trailer #2 (HD) – YouTube

POSITIVES

For my money, animated superhero films today continue to dominate the genre from a combination of spell-binding style and scintillating substance that often breaks conventional formulas of what we’ve come to expect from superhero films as a whole. This is exemplified especially in this film, where the three-dimensional textures and authenticity of its animation not only inscribes a faithful throwback to the versatility of style and world’s of Spider-Man’s rich literary history, but also in cementing a visual spectacle that helps to maintain audience attention througout an ambitious 133 minute run time. While the similarities of the previous film are there, in all of its colorfully expressive presentational qualities, the expansive efforts of the many styles and techniques here are most appreciated, with bizarrely polarizing forms of animation working surprisingly well with one another, with the many world’s bearing their own unique looks towards continuously reminding audiences where they are at in the narrative at all times. Equally as artistically integral are sketch lines, brush strokes and even comic book box lines leaving a lasting impression towards effortlessly emulating the essence of page-turning comic book familiarity, with occasional side-scrolling and transitional panning out of actual comic book cover illustrations, to give each of these story beats their own episodic influence in wearing vital importance to the depth of this remarkably ambitious screenplay. On that front, the film earns every single minute of its aforementioned run time, with extensive supporting characterization, hefty world-building, and many thematic discussions about superhero expectations, and how Miles essentially serves as the cataylyst that creatively and culturally dissects this preconceived idea of superhero expectation and conventionalism. The film really does embrace the richly extensive history of its superhero, but never in ways that it leans heavily on as a crutch to further pad out the run time, instead investing in the importance of the characters, good and evil, which in turn elevates the intensity and urgency of the narrative towards some pretty dark and hefty elements of dramatic storytelling along the way. It’s not all stuffy and serious of course, as the campy consistency of adolescent humor still influences some hightly effective gags in deliveries, in everything from teenage awkwardness to Marvel’s own deconstructive self-awareness at inferior properties, outlining an infectiously engaging good time, but without ever sacrificing the stakes and circumstances of what hangs in the balance, especially with a third act with so much vulnerability and uncertainty for our characters. The performances are exceptional, beginning with returning turns from Moore and Steinfeld, who each invigorate their respective characters with a sense of internal longing with external charisma, and newcoming turns from Oscar Isaac, Daniel Kaluuya, and especially Jason Schwartzman rounding out what might be my favorite ensemble so far this year. While Isaac dominates with the most screen time in outlining a Blade Runner kind of vibe to his version of Spidey, and Kaluuya disappears seamlessly into the role of a 70’s punker kind of Spidey, this is Schwartzman’s film for the taking, imbedding a growing confidence in super-villain Spot, who initially begins as a laughable villain-of-the-week, before slowly gaining momentum towards something sinister. Jason certainly brings out the bumbling clumsiness of the character, but equally the imposing juggernaut that he eventually becomes, and the performance and evolution of the character are a natural progression that we get to shamelessly indulge in every step of the way. Lastly, the film is a technical marvel at every measurement that the experience can possibly conjure, but the spine-tingling score from Daniel Pemberton is most conductive here towards emitting the thick emotionality of each world and scene he seductively narrates, with not only a rich versatility that audibly makes each world feel tonally and texturally diverse from one another, but also compositions that instrumentally feel like the full-fledged evolution from the previous film that was mostly airy and full of so much adventurous wonder. Here, Pemberton caters more towards the dark and occasionally futuristic, and the electronic influence frequently invokes a sense of haunting hysteria that feels so unlike anything that he has created to this point in his career, outlining a strangely sinister direction for where this franchise is inevitably headed.

NEGATIVES

Inconsistencies are the main objection here, with a weak opening act that takes a bit longer than expected for the movie’s momentum to eventually move into frame, especially with a second and third act that are spectacular in execution, by comparison. Because the conflict of the film doesn’t materialize until the half hour mark, as well as the heavy-handed reviews of Miles and Gwen’s respective backstories summarizing what audiences should already understand about the previous film, it makes this opening act feel a bit aimless during those initial movements, where we the audience hang around (See what I did there?) until the establishing conflict makes its presence felt. Beyond this, the first two action sequences aren’t rendered as smoothly or beautifully as the later confrontations, with machine-gun editing techniques completely obliterating the transparancy of the many engagements. If not for the narration of the characters involved, I probably would’ve been lost on the developments of conflict, and considering the second half sequences and especially the climactic final battle are constructed so cleverly chaotic without feeling downright detrimental, it’s all the more strange that the first act took a little longer than expected to find its webbing. Finally, the resolution of the film is a bit disappointing, especially considering it replicates the problem with a majority of live action superhero films. The problem is two-fold, in that not only does the film’s second half cater towards building for the next installment of the franchise, but it also leaves nothing resolved in its lack of an ending, bringing back feelings of “Fast X” from last month, where the film ended without actually concluding. If Spot didn’t practically disappear from the last half hour of the movie, then I could probably forgive it a lot easier, but instead the film turns into a two hour advertisement for a bigger installment, leaving “Across the Spider-Verse” defined by the ambition that it can’t fully capitalize on.

OVERALL
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” surges with spine-tingling sensibilities from next level animation and profoundly poignant storytelling that cements a more than capable successor to what is arguably the greatest Spider-Man film of all time. While a little momentum is wasted away by problematic bookends of the two-hour plus engagement, the bulk of its rip-roaring adventure through a richly documented history of colorful characters and fantastical worlds is breathtakingly illustrated, proving that gimmick glasses aren’t necessary for three-dimensional dazzle that never withers the attention of its audience.

My Grade: 8/10 or B+