SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE – Review

Maybe the multiplex should seriously consider adding seat belts to their plush reclining chairs (maybe dump the seat warmers). An odd notion you might say, but with this weekend’s huge film release, well you may just agree. So, it’s a sequel and yes, we’ve gotten a few of those already in this summer movie season. And it’s a superhero flick, along with three other flicks this year. And it’s also animated, just like that ground-breaking, game-changing Oscar winner from five years ago. Back then some thought, that this was a “cash grab”, that Sony was trying to squeeze the last penny from their live-action franchise. Wow, were those folks proven wrong. Hey, heads up the much-rumored “super-hero fatigue”, because here’s the “cure”. It’s finally time to swing into SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, which might leave you with a big “Stan Lee-sized” grin on your face!

They’re not “playing it safe’ this time, as this new entry actually begins far from the main setting of the last one. Over at Earth-65 we get some “backstory’ on their arachnid hero, er heroine, Gwen Stacy AKA Spider-Woman (voice by Hailee Steinfeld) whose worries aren’t drowned out by her pounding drum solo (right before she quits her band). Her dad, Police Captain George Stacy (Shea Wigham) is determined to arrest that masked vigilante. After a tragic accident, he nearly gets his wish until a strange portal opens out revealing two other “spider-beings”, chopper riding (with a “bun in the oven”), Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), and the brooding and buff Spider-Man of 2099, Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac). They’re part of a team that protects the “Multiverse” and they quickly recruit Gwen. And then we’re suddenly back on Earth-1610, the home of Brooklyn’s defender Miles Morales AKA Spider-Man (Shamiek Moore). And this high school sophomore is late, as usual, for a meeting of his parents, Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) and soon-to-be-police-captain Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry), with the school’s guidance counselor to map out a college plan. But Miles has to stop an ATM robbery at a bodega, Oh, but this isn’t an ordinary hood. He’s a former scientist who was transformed by the dimensional collider five years ago. He’s now a faceless white creature adorned with black dots that open up holes in distant points in nearby space. That’s why he calls himself the Spot (Jason Schwartzman). When he disappears into one of those holes, Miles thinks he’s defeated him. That is until he gets a most welcome unexpected visit from Gwen. It’s soon revealed that this is not a social call, because the Spot can now pop in on other realities and threatens the Multiverse. Thus begins a journey for the old friends as they travel to different worlds, meet other heroes, and face a pre-ordained destiny that could destroy all the countless realms of existence.

The stellar vocal cast returns with renewed vigor and confidence emboldened by a new incredible supporting ensemble. Moore once again carries the emotional heft of Miles, balancing his smooth swagger with a true vulnerability as he looks toward a very uncertain future. He’s half of the story’s soul, along with Steinfrld’s heartbreaking reprise of Gwen, as she believes her beloved papa is her fanatical foe. There’s a real affection for Miles as she’s torn between bonding with him and preventing him from repeating her mistakes. Velez and Henry are again warm and wonderful as the concerned but caring parents of Miles. As the other Spider-Woman, Rae is cool but stern as she mentors Gwen and tries to keep her on the right “path”. She’s the “good cop” who tries to balance the unyielding force that is O’Hara who Isaac gives a scary growl that hides his own tragic past. Of the other “spider-folk”, Daniel Kaluuya is very engaging as Hobi, a guitar-toting Spider-Punk from a totalitarian world who chafes at the rules of O’Hara, just another oppressive “man”. On the flip side, there’s Karan Soni as Spider-Man India who embraces the joys of service and web-swinging. There are many other great talents behind the microphone, but who wants to spoil some super-surprises?

Not me, that’s for sure (they’d take away my official Merry Marvel Marching Society fan club button from 1967). What I can write about is the incredible work of hundreds of gifted artists, spearheaded by the directing trio of Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. How could they oversee and co-ordinate such an astounding variety of art styles (perhaps they pulled in extra clones from other dimensions)? Early sequences with Gwen have the look of delicate watercolors highlighted by an ever-changing pastel palette. The offsets the closer to our world surrounding Miles and his family, with locations that could be on any busy street corner. Then there’s the shading and tones of the individual character designs with the bright vibrant hues of Spider-Man India and the grungy, clip-and-paste graphic take on Hobi (he seems to have jumped off an early 1980s record jacket). This is multiplied a hundredfold as the “spider-world” expands with one character looking as though he leaped right from a comic book panel complete with pen and ink cross-hatching and melodramatic dialogue (comic fans will enjoy this “take” on a controversial storyline). Some reviewers have said that you can’t take in every visual flourish on two screenings. I like to think this would be the ultimate home video (with streaming services cutting back on content, discs are a solid future investment) as you can pause to savor every frame worthy of hanging in a gallery (and making for a gorgeous coffee-table “art of” hardcover). Of course, this would all be intoxicating eye candy without the clever and heartfelt script by Davis Callaham, Christopher Miller, and from the original, Phil Lord. They’ve elevated the “universal stakes” while still focusing in on the complexities of the Morales household (mainly the keeping of secrets). This is no mere rehash but instead an epic exploration of the superhero mythos, one that energizes the whole genre and the medium of animation art. Find the biggest theatre screen around in order to immerse yourself in the wit and wonders of SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE. I can almost hear “the man” cheering, “Excelsior!!”.

4 Out of 4

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE is now playing in theatres everywhere