We’ve had to wait four years for the next installment of the best Spider-Man movie, Into the Spider-Verse. Which is too long, and also a completely fair amount of time to wait for a great movie. Seriously, the best movie-making should take time, kids. It doesn’t just happen out of nowhere. (There’s a specific reason I’m harping on this, but we’ll get to that later.)
[Minor spoilers for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse]
When you get right down to it, these are still the best Spider-Man films—and without question some of the best superhero films—ever made. I suppose I could just make that the entirety of the review, but it would be beyond disingenuous not to acknowledge the work these movies are putting in. So let’s start with that, and get grittier with it as we go.
There are some folks who are going to find the film tiring or possibly overstuffed, and to that I say: It’s okay to watch a film more than once. Or even pause once you can watch it at home to catch your breath. Some films truly do merit repeat viewings and personal pacing, and this one absolutely does. This is becoming a more common facet in television and film, with a new generation of filmmakers who are creating movies that feel more like the insides of their heads. (For a great specific example, creating the story for Everything Everywhere All at Once led to co-director Daniel Kwan getting a late ADHD diagnosis—the film is clearly meant to mimic the feeling of having that neurotype.) It can lead to dazzling stories, but they’re not the sort that can always be dissected as you go. They need repetition, they need time to marinate, they demand a deeper interaction on the part of the audience… as much of the best art does.
Across the Spider-Verse is the next chapter in Miles Morales’s story, but it begins with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld). After being accidentally super-outed to her father, who does not approve of her double life, Gwen winds up working with a special cadre of Spider-Peoples led by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), who gives Gwen the opportunity to work with her incredible new mentor Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), but also offers Gwen the possibility that she might be able to see her best friend from another universe one day…
Meanwhile, Miles (Shameik Moore) is having a real rough time balancing his Spider-duties with his schoolwork and normal life. The appearance of a new villain-of-the-week named the Spot (Jason Schwartzman) complicates things further when he insists upon having Miles’s attention and worming his way into the multiverse to get it by powering up in other dimensions. Cue the reappearance of Gwen, Miles learning about the Spider-Team, and a boatload of strife once he sees what things look like behind the curtain.
What, you didn’t think that Spider-Team was going to be all sunshine and daisies, did you? Miguel is literally the only Spider-Man who isn’t funny, in case you needed a clue.
Across the Spider-Verse works on a multitude of levels, telling different stories depending on who you key into for a given viewing. At the core we’ve got Miles, who is trying to figure out how to insist upon his place in a world that wants to deny him; how to believe in his own strength and abilities; how to balance what he wants for his future with what he needs in life to remain himself. For Gwen, we’ve got a tale about belonging, abandonment, and the difficulties inherent in policing (which they pointedly create with a white character rather than invoke Black suffering to make their points). For Peter B. Parker, we’re dealing with changes wrought by parenthood and new stages in life, plus his constant battle with low self-esteem and personal loathing. And then we meet a whole new crew, the best of which is undoubtedly Hobie Brown’s (Daniel Kaluuya) Spider-Punk, who practically steals the whole movie out from under everyone in the precious few minutes he’s on screen.
What? Anti-establishment Spider-Man is truly the hero we all deserve, I can’t do anything about that. (“It’s a metaphor for capitalism,” he says at one point of a gaping void, and I shrieked at an uncomfortably loud volume, sorry to the stranger on my left.)
As for the busy-ness of the film, it’s worth pointing out that the fastest and most layered pieces of the plot aren’t done without purpose—much of the overwhelm an audience member might feel is meant to mirror Miles’s sense of overwhelm and help you key into his mental state, always coming at points when he’s being barraged with too much new information, or too many new Spider-Friends. The film still has plenty of points where it slows down and allows for moments of connection, which are often the best parts of the film, and beautifully acted to boot. Every bit with either of Miles’s parents (Luna Lauren Vélez and Brian Tyree Henry) are always perfect places to recenter, just to start, and unsurprisingly reflect the effect they have on Miles’s life.
For all that the movie has one of those over-two-hour runtimes that we’re coming to dread (how often are they ever truly earned?), Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t skimp on the important beats or oversaturate us with the action to the point of fatigue. (Single scenes-worth of character development make the MCU look like it’s written by a first grader in crayon for how much depth we get.) The level of detail and work that goes into every frame is somehow more stunning on the second go than the first, and the gags are so multifaceted that you’ll often be getting the tail end of a rule-of-three joke followed by a smart quip at the same time you’re looking at a meme—meaning you’ll literally be laughing at two or three jokes simultaneously.
There are a couple of moments that don’t quite sit right in the execution, though they’re minor quibbles in the scheme of things. In particular, there are parts to the logistics of Miguel’s worldview that seem undercooked or poorly explained, and it’s hard to tell if that choice is intentional—i.e. if it’s there to provide holes in his logic—or merely a throwaway to give him reasons for the choices that he makes that feel in keeping with his character. Both are important, but as the former pertains to the logic within their worldbuilding more clarity on that front is needed, particularly with regard to the concept of “canon events” that O’Hara cites within the film. Hopefully there’s more at play there, because the setup around the character is genuinely interesting, and deserves careful rendering all the way through. After all, what does it mean to be the only Spider-Man who doesn’t get by on a good laugh?
Now, the reason I harped on good movies taking time is, in part, because Across the Spider-Verse contains a full Empire-Strikes-Back-style cliffhanger, and I have never seen a theater explode in upset and betrayal the way my showing did at a “…to be continued” flashing across the screen. It feels strange to realize the ways in which moviegoing has changed—our expectation is now to be given what we desire immediately. (I’m gonna blame streaming a little for this one too: TV is better when it doesn’t drop all at once, and you’ll never change my mind about that.) It’s not as though the film doesn’t telegraph its ending either—you’re already two hours in when a major plot twist comes down—and it was previously announced that this was intended to be a two-parter. Which is why I’m hoping that we have to wait a bit for part three, just like we used to. Let folks stew with this installment for a while, get time to theorize and turn over every little detail in their heads. There’s plenty there for fandom to enjoy over the next few years.
As for said cliffhanger, it begs all sorts of questions about the events in life that shape us, and I cannot wait to find where it goes. So to all my fellow multiverse hoppers, get yourself to the theater, and come theorize with the rest of us until part three lands in theaters.
Emmet Asher-Perrin did love watching the theater explode throughout the whole film regardless. You can bug them on Twitter and read more of their work here and elsewhere.
