(film review) - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

For those who are unaware and I am pretty sure I have stated this a few times over the years but Sony own/rent Spider-Man from Marvel since Marvel sold Spider-Man when they were going bankrupt back in the day. They sold X-Men, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Hulk, Daredevil and many more. Since Disney bought Fox Studios and Marvel, a lot of the characters Marvel sold a long time ago have gone back to Marvel due to either buying the company or the contracts for these IPs running out. However, Sony will NEVER let that happen. In case you are unaware, Spider-Man is a character that is soo bankable, not only is he recognised all over the world, he brings in the toy money as well as other merchandise. That said, currently, whilst Sony has not produced back-to-back, excellent Spider-Man movies, hence why we got Spider-Man and Amazing Spider-Man and now Spider-Man (the "home" trilogy) as a joint venture with Marvel, Sony has not produced anything as equally as excellent in their Spider-Man universe by themselves, until their animated Spider-Man (Spider-verse) franchise. Venom, Morbius and soon-to-be Kraven the Hunter, nothing seems to be as close and/or as great as this Spider-verse franchise of yet, and if they stick the landing in a third film, this can quite possibly be, the BEST Sony Spider-Man trilogy project Sony has ever done or better yet, the best Trilogy in film, period (I do not believe I am exaggerating here either). This film was simply incredible. And just when you think they could not top their last movie, they brought out this one and just raised that bar for themselves and others.

Across the Spider-Verse is about Miles Morales continuing to be Spider-Man but trying to be the best person, son and Spider-Man he can be but like most or all spider-men, not being able to get that balance right. When a villain becomes intrinsically tied to Miles, Miles has to figure out who and what type of Spider-Man he will continue to be going forward, how he can balance being Miles and being Spider-Man and what difficult decisions he will have to make.

Incredible. They set a high standard and bar for the first movie 'Into the Spider-Verse' so announcing a sequel was going to definitely raise eyebrows. Was this simply lightening in a bottle or do these guys, Lord and Miller really have what it takes to go above and beyond their first movie, and the answer is a resounding yes! Yes, they can! All the tropes they had in the first movie, they repeated a few things but they did not overdo it. The movie treats you as if you have seen the first movie so it does not babysit you, the explanation is minimal, but we set out differently this time around. We are learning more about these characters and their struggles. What it takes to be a Spider-person is strenuous and comes with a lot of baggage so, the film pivots with a somewhat cold opening, and when the film gets going, you are really in for the ride until the very end, and even then, you will want more.

The music, the visuals, the animation, it is all top tier. It is premium quality. While the visuals may not be for everyone with the constant changing and flash of colour and various techniques used, when you break down what they have done, and how they presented the film, Lord and Miller are nothing short of artistic genius' and when you have seen the movie, you will understand, the story they wanted to tell. There are soo many frames that could be placed above your mantlepiece that simply look like a work of art. The humour is hilarious. The gags and callbacks and eater eggs, you will need to watch this film multiple times to catch them all. The comedy hits, it is funny, it continues from the first film and moves effortlessly into this sequel and in places, even funnier. While I will say, I may have seen a couple of continuity issues in some of the frames/shots, this movie is soo good, you cannot help but Marvel at what they have achieved. The characters, the actors, where is the flaw in what these two have achieved with this movie? Emotional and heartbreaking, dark and forbidding in places and they leave you wanting the sequel immediately, regardless of this already being a long movie. This movie is very serious when it wants to be and touches on a lot of adult themes as well as life choices.

I will try not to gush about this anymore because I will surely start going into spoiler territory from sheer excitement in talking about this movie, but what I will say is, the voice acting lent for this project was superb and while some characters were fleeting, they stuck out as a great introduction to the franchise. Imagine, 10 years ago, a Miles Morales Spider-Man movie may have been frowned upon because it is not Peter Parker and ultimately, who cares, right? Wrong! We care. Lord and Miller care and have dedicated a lot of time and poured their heart and soul into this movie and it shows. There will be reasons why people did not like this movie, but in my eyes, I am really concerned for the future of the franchise because if they do not stick the landing on the third movie, one of the best trilogies ever made will be talked about for years to come as to, the greatest trilogy that never was. Such an incredible movie and I wish more projects from these guys.