Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales is back as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Animation duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller - who both write and produce - introduced Miles Morales to the big screen in 2018 with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which immediately became a fan favourite, not least because of the film's groundbreaking animation style. Now, the pair are back with a sequel that once again doesn't skimp on the animation budget. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a sensory delight that entertains from start to finish.

The Brooklyn-based superhero with Puerto Rican roots must once again embark on a cross-dimensional journey to save his family, friends and, most importantly, his fellow New Yorkers. Miles is invited by Gwen Stacy to join a sort of Avengers team, made up entirely of various Spider-Men from different dimensions. The plot is more meta this time, commenting on what is canon in Spider-Man fiction and what framework and dramaturgical conventions a Spider-Man story should follow. The meta-narrative also contributes to Miles' conflict as a young man struggling to define himself as a person and establish himself as an independent human being. As Miles states: "Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go. But nah, I'm going to do my own thing." Miles refuses to be defined by the established canon, which opens up exciting new directions for the otherwise familiar superhero narrative.

The film's greatest strength is its visuals. The animation is next-level and stands as a landmark in the animation genre. It's almost audiovisual overstimulation, but in the best possible way. It's a crazy experience that really suits the movie theater screen. The style of the line also changes depending on which dimension Miles is in. The change in animation style acts as a visual marker of sorts, going from pastel-colored expressionism to sketchbook style, and elegantly showcases the animation versatility and creativity of the film.

However, Across the Spider-Verse has issues when it comes to pacing and game length. The narrative doesn't quite justify the 2 hour and 20 minute running time, resulting in at least 30 minutes that could have been cut. I also missed a soundtrack that had a bit more edge to compliment the insane and borderline frantic animation. There are a few songs that work well, but unfortunately, they are too far apart throughout the movie.

Of course, Across the Spider-Verse will once again feature a host of alternate Spider-Men and Spider-Women from other dimensions - in the first film, we were introduced to a colorful cast of characters that included Nicolas Cage's Spider-Man Noir and John Mulaney's Spider-Ham. I won't reveal all the different versions of Spider-Man in Across the Spider-Verse, but you can look forward to another colorful array of superheroes, especially the Spider-Man voiced by Daniel Kaluuya, who was arguably the funniest and coolest character in the film. With the exception of Kaluuya, the other alternate Spider-Men don't remain as charming as the team we were introduced to in 2018's 'Into the Spider-Verse'. They also don't get quite as much screen time as the first ones did, which established them as a stronger cast of characters.

As Miles leaps from dimension to dimension to save all the worlds, he also struggles with a number of personal issues, resulting in a classic and well-told coming of age story where Miles must find his footing in his teenage life. Combine that with creative action sequences and an absolutely spectacular animation style, and Across the Spider-Verse is a worthy new chapter in the Spider-Man film series.