Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Review

Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers in Justin K. Thompson | Script: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham | Cast (voices): Shameik Moore (Miles Morales), Hailee Steinfeld (Gwen Stacy), Oscar Isaac (Miguel O’Hara), Jake Johnson (Peter B. Parker), Issa Rae (Jess Drew), Brian Tyree Henry (Jefferson Davis), Luna Lauren Vélez (Morales River) ea | Time to play: 140 minutes | Year: 2023

This was followed earlier in development. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is still the suffix Part One throughout. At least, that’s what screenwriters Phil Lord and Christopher Miller said in December 2022. It was later revealed that the third film will not be the second part, but rather Beyond the spider verse is going to be called. Although the release date (March 2024) comes quite quickly after it is no longer the first part, the hopes for a complete and independent film are still rising.

At least the new story has a beginning. First we get a full prologue on the background of Spider-Gwen, the spider-hero from an alternate dimension voiced by Hailee Steinfeld, who couldn’t have saved the life of her best friend Peter Parker. In fact, her father, George Stacey, as police chief, is enthusiastic about her alter ego masquerading as her, because he holds her responsible for Parker’s death.

A Vulture then emerges from an alternate universe, pursued by two other new alternate Spider-Humans. It seems there is an entire team of variants protecting the survival of the Spiderverse, led by the vampire ninja Spider-Man 2099, aka Miguel O’Hara. Gwen gets an invite to that team. Meanwhile, our main character, Miles Morales, has spent a year struggling in his own universe to balance his superhero life with his school and family life. And then Gwen shows up again.

Through the Spider-Verse perfectly sticks to the sequel’s rules: more time, more action, more stakes, and enough of the recurring factors that made the original such a smash hit. There are especially more spider people. Much more. And non-humans too, for that matter. As a result, another can of well-known actors can be opened for cameo roles that are especially fun to discover for yourself. There’s also room to explore more of what the first part excelled at, that amazing mix of all sorts of different animation styles.

But there are also some disadvantages. The Oscar Winner Into the Spider-Verse it was such a hit that it immediately had an effect on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which soon became its own. Spidermanmultiverse movie And now you see how Through the Spider-Verse again influenced by the UCM. Some other versions of Spider-Man now smack heavily of nostalgia. And the lack of a true ending now makes it feel more like a TV season ending with a bunch of cliffhangers than a finished movie.

Through the Spider-Verse it still goes to great lengths to let the characters go through a series of developments on a thematic level. In particular, Spider-Gwen, who is egged on by the prologue. But the question is to what extent the bow tie that is tied arises from character growth and not from a haphazard course of events.

Meanwhile, the villain of the story, the multiverse traveler The Spot, is still on the loose. His presence in At the other side of it is so unimportant that it is almost insignificant for this review. It is said to be a threat, but it is hardly felt. The Spot is above all a fun presence. A growing conflict between Miles and the other Spider-people takes over much more. And probably still in the next movie.

At first glance there is nothing wrong Through the Spider-Verse. The movie is great and funny and inventive, but it actually throws up a lot of web balls that stay in the air for another ten months. And then see if they’re all neatly put together again, which might boost the rating for this half of the movie afterwards. Dune it was even better completed. Even Avengers: infinity war – also once billed as ‘Part One’ – had more story progression.