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Wow!

Good god!

Sorry, what?

For real?

I could splutter on for a while because film is absolutely spectacular!

I mean the original Spider-Verse movie was impressive enough but crikey! It would have been fair not to expect this film to be as good as its predecessor, or at least for it not to have the same impact. That one almost came from nowhere; after years of Sony Studios turning out a range of substandard content in apparent desperation to keep hold of the rights to Spider-Man, and with them having just signed over Spider-Man himself to the MCU so that they literally had to make live action Spider-Man films with no Spider-Man (see Venom 1 & 2, or rather don’t) they suddenly came out with this groundbreaking animation. It was a film that combined original imagery with tight imaginative story telling and neat characterisation, and it easily earned itself that accolade so rarely given to comic book movies; an Oscar. It was a tough act to follow but there is no question that they have done it. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is even better.

I love movies, that’s no secret. I love animated movies, I love live action movies. I love movies that stretch the boundaries of what cinema can achieve. I love heartbreaking movies, I love funny movies, I love movies with beautiful emotional connections, I love movies with great performances. I love movies that reference other films. I love movies with short form storytelling, I love movies with sophisticated long form storytelling, I love movies that instantly thrill and those that reward the patience of the audience. I love movies that take time to develop drama and human motivation and I love movies with big action scenes. This one has it all.

The first film saw our teenage hero, having recently sustained an unusual spider bite, develop a range of arachnid powers. Of course in this one it wasn’t Peter Parker but Miles Morales, first seen on the page in 2011 and appearing then for the first time on the big screen. Peter Parker was in the movie too though, in various forms, because this was also the first film to have multiple multiverse Spider-Mans, three years before they did it in the MCU. In fact Marvel Studios may be building the next phase of their ongoing story around alternate reality crossovers but everyone else is actually doing it better right now, everywhere, all at once. This time though there are hundreds of alternative Spider-People, rather than just seven, as Miles is introduced to a secret army of heroes with powers similar to his who are charged with healing cracks that leak in-between realities. The first movie did amazing things with its innovative visual style, a mix of comic book art and frenetic animation, but this time they have really run with it to create an incredible kaleidoscope of colour, action, storytelling, character and heart. Right out of the gate they set out their stall with a beautiful little opening that echoes the start of Pixar’s Up in how it tells its own contained narrative (although it isn’t quite as moving, nearly but not quite) and then it explodes with a chase and capture the bad guy sequence that had my butt on the edge of my seat and my jaw on the floor. From here is then just builds, layering on stunning graphics, weaving in the plot and giving us more of that brilliant characterisation.

With all the varying Spider-Mans here (many of who are actually women and several of which are animals), coming from many different places (page, big screen, small screen, video game screen, toy shops) there are clearly dozens and dozens of in jokes and references. A lot of audience members will get many of these but I’m not sure any one will get them all. If you did then well done, I’m glad you got out of the house. It doesn’t matter though because even without the full meaning of each little moment it is all still very entertaining. If you know that Peter Parker clone Ben Reilly has a reputation for being brooding and insular as was typical in 90s comics, then the portrayal here is funny but if you don’t then it is still amusing to see a guy being brooding and insular. Similarly if you know who shop owner Mrs. Chen is then her appearance is a nice call back, if not then she is just a funny lady having a funny reaction to something funny. The film throws so much at you but it seems to have the perfect measure of knowing just how much will stick. It is two hours and twenty minutes long but it knows what to do with that time and where it can go, and it is an absolute thrill from start to finish.

Although it doesn’t finish. This was originally going to be Across the Spider-Verse Part 1 but now the next instalment has been renamed Beyond the Spider-Verse. It is still clearly only part of the story though and it is definitely left on a cliffhanger. It’s okay though, there is just enough to assure you that our hero can get out of his immediate situation even if we don’t get to see it yet, and the gathering of other players ready to join the fray is actually an immensely satisfying ending. It’s an Empire Strikes Back cliffhanger rather than a Fast X or even a Deathly Hallows one. The next film is due for release on March 29th but don’t hold out for that date. This one was delayed by eight months and apparently Hailee Steinfeld, who is effectively co-lead now, has not started laying down her voice track yet. That’s fine though because you can’t rush perfection and I’m going to want to watch this one another five or six times first anyway.

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The Ripley Factor:

Even amongst all these additional versions of Spider-Man (most notably Spider-Punk) Steinfeld’s Gwen Stacy remains a stand out. She is a great character and a lot more of her story plays into this second film. Miles’ mum also becomes an even more significant person this time round. Mention similarly has to go to Spider-Woman Jessica Drew who is presented so much better here than she is in the comics, at least in terms of her objectification, as before she has typically been one of the strongest proponents of the sexy spray on spandex look. There are several other women in key elements of this film as well and actually it shows a world where whether you are male or female is irrelevant to your status as a hero, even your status as a Spider-Man. What we have here is a nice equal gender-verse.

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