Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Movie Review
Sequels are almost always disappointing. And the pressure was seriously on for Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse because of the massive success of its predecessor Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse, which won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2019. But if this team was nervous about tackling a sequel, they certainly didn’t show it.
Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse picks up a year after the first movie. And the opening scenes don’t focus on Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) at all. Instead, we hear from Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and the trials she’s had after her best friend Peter Parker was killed. Unfortunately her police officer father, George (Shea Whigham), saw her (disguised as Spider-Woman) at the scene and wrongly assumed she was responsible for his death. His vendetta to catch Spider-Woman and hold her accountable for Peter’s death has driven a wedge between them.
In the present day, Gwen gets caught up in a situation with the Vulture who has been sucked into another dimension. As she tries to subdue him she’s joined by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) who is the leader of the Spider Society and Spider-Man 2099 as well as Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), a pregnant Spider-Woman from another dimension. Gwen leaves her father behind as she travels with them to the headquarters of the Spider-Society, who have been sending people back to the right dimensions.
Meanwhile Miles is battling a villain named The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) as well as his parents who are worried about his future college prospects. As he has difficulties with The Spot, Gwen shows up and tells him about the Spider Society. When Miles asks if he can join she is mysterious about why she can’t see him or be friends with him anymore. The rest of the movie involves Miles uncovering the truth about the Spider Society and a dark twist that fans of the comic books will know all too well.
This entry in the franchise is a bit convoluted especially for those of us who don’t have the comic book knowledge to reference. There’s a lot going on in the movie, with plot lines appearing like the heads of the Hydra. But it all connects nicely and makes sense in the end, even though about twenty minutes of the movie could have been shaved off to help with the pacing.
Part of the fun of Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse is the Spider Society itself. We meet so many hilarious (and cool) versions of Spider-Man like Hobie Brown (Spider-Punk) who hates the Man and is constantly looking for ways to subvert the status quo. And there are plenty of brief cameos like Web-Slinger who is from a Wild West universe, Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni) who is from India, and Scarlet Spider (Andy Samberg) who reminds us of an emo Nic Cage. It’s a blast catching the brief cameos and watching the superb animation style move across the screen. Although the first movie still holds the crown for the best, Across the Spider-Verse is a worthy follow-up that does not disappoint.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You liked Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
2. You are a huge fan of the Spider-Man comic books
3. You love fast-paced animation and witty dialogue
