Hollywood's ultimate late-in-the-fourth quarter comeback?
It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that Hollywood needed the second installment of Sony Animation's Spider-Man saga to be successful. In the heat of an ever-growing ugly reputation, an increase in indie productions, a massive home streaming push and even a full-blown writer's strike, some form of return to the old theatrical summer box-office smash felt long overdue. Of course there were movies like Top Gun: Maverick, but that's no Marvel/DC superhero renaissance. Coming off of a record-setting first film, Into the Spider-Verse, the long-awaited sequel had ridiculously high expectations.
While not necessarily a superhero or Marvel fanatic, Across the Spider-Verse was able to get me into the theaters for the first time in a long while, simply because of the series' good reputation and expectation that Hollywood could never blow a project so large and hyped. If there was any movie in the past year I could count on being good, it was Across the Spider-Verse. So did it meet my expectations? Looking back, do we have a sophomore slump or a bottom-of-the-ninth grand slam? Industry and public hype aside, was it just a good movie or not? That's ultimately up to you to decide. I merely share what I thought of it below.
Part 1 - Animation
It's important to start with the visuals because it is truly the greater half of what makes this movie special. In a word, the animation is phenomenal. It looks big budget from beginning to end, starting off strong as it brings the oohs and ahhs from minute one and continues to have that effect all throughout. It's aweing, but there's so much more to it than just high quality. I've never seen a movie seemingly use different styles of art and CGI all together and pull it off so well. It's predecessor, Into the Spider-Verse, does this as well, but not to the same level. While the first entry had a relatively consistent animation style, using different ones sparingly for the intended effect of contrast, Across the Spider-Verse has perfectly matured into a wild card where one art style never remains dominant. Moreover, this sequel seems to make better use of the entire color spectrum, where nothing on the palette is off-limits no matter the art style currently being used. Across the Spider-Verse stepped up the raw art and shapes, but it also took massive strides in the area of coloration as well.
The best part about it is that there's order to what often appears to be absolute visual chaos on the screen. Many fight scenes move at an incredibly fast pace, but yet, my eyes were able to follow along just enough to understand what was happening and what kind of attacks and blows were being struck in the fight sequences. I think that's what stood out to me the most about the animation. It wasn't just high quality, lots of depth, or eye candy in terms of color, it was controlled chaos in motion often on the fringes of going overboard without ever doing so. Though, it was a lot to take in, and it feels made to suit an audience that wants an adrenaline rush via maximum speed and intensity. But this is a Marvel movie release on the eve of summer, and most wouldn't want it any other way.
Part 2 - Story
In general, Marvel has seen a dip in high ratings and reviews for their post-Endgame releases. The primary thing people find to fault is the storytelling. Can't say I disagree. Considering this, and the fact that Into the Spider-Verse had a critically acclaimed story and plot, one of my biggest questions going into the sequel was if the plot would live up to the first movie and break Marvel's "losing" streak. The high anticipation for this movie made it even more interesting.
It did stick the landing from the very beginning. From the first few minutes, you get hooked with relative ease and are soon in the groove by the time the first major scene shift occurs. It doesn't delay in introducing the problems the main characters face, something I believe is of note because many films, especially Marvel superhero movies, tend to provide a lot of introduction to the world and main protagonist. Across the Spider-Verse is a sequel, though, so the skipping of introductory formalities isn't surprising in of itself. Why it was interesting to me was because from early on, I got the impression that this isn't a nostalgic film in any way, bringing you back to the glory of the first movie in the series. It recognizes callbacks and those moments that made Into the Spider-Verse special wasn't going to carry the world of the sequel forward, so it does what you would expect a sequel to do: dramatically raise the stakes. And Across the Spider-Verse holds nothing back. The warm feelings of homeliness and familiarity are very few and far between. And once you "catch up" with the lives of the main characters and find out what took place between the two films, they are launched down the central storyline and you don't look back. I like that Across the Spider-Verse knew it had a higher bar to clear, a higher goal to reach, and reacts by propelling itself in that upward direction.
Understandably, Across the Spider-Verse is more intense than its predecessor as it attempted to up the ante. The main plot point difference is that the first film was our first glimpse into the mysterious, eerie Spider-Verse, whereas now, we're plunged headfirst into the fullness of this paranormal, cross-dimensional network, and see the scary realm for what it truly is. It's no joyride, but instead a design that screams "danger" at every turn. You laugh at the villain when he's first introduced, but not long after, you deeply regret everything. It's definitely no less than PG-13 in terms of intensity, and it flows with the dark themes smoothly. Not my favorite vibe in general, but I'll take an emotional discomfort overload over not feeling anything at all (which is my experience with most new movies as of late, they've been emotionally dull).
Our main hero, Miles Morales, starts his sophomore journey when his nemesis in his home dimension hatches a plan and begins wreaking havoc across said Spider-Verse. Though his assistance is not wanted, Miles dives into the larger, cross dimensional world to help stop the villain. A series of events then occurs in relentlessly fast paced fashion that test your focus. It's a lot to take in, as new companions enter the fray in the hunt. There's enough of a mystery to the Spider-Verse and how each Spider-person from the different dimensions connect to each other to keep you wondering what's going on behind the scenes in the story alongside the events the characters are going through at hand. Throw in the music and the animation styles, and you get something chaotic, yet makes sense... but keep paying attention or you'll get lost quickly. The story is seemingly divided into sections, there are certain "checkpoints", especially at the halfway point. Parts of the mystery make itself clear at each one, but with new understanding comes new challenges, especially for Miles, who has to navigate through what needs to be done and how to go about it. It's quite engaging. I think of a murder mystery except the shocking revelations and twists and their resulting consequences occur more than once, and not just at the end. There are several significant climaxes throughout. Hence why the movie felt so long to me; I could never quite gauge how far we were in the overall story. This made Across the Spider-Verse feel fresh in its tropes, even though very little is actually "new" or "unique". You usually can't guess what comes next in each scene.
The one story element that stood out the most to me out of them all is its twin-antagonist dynamic. We're introduced to a villain early on and spend time trying to stop him, but interestingly, this focus shifts to another important character who proves himself to be an antagonist. He then takes on the role of main villain, while the first villain essentially vanishes. It's still acknowledged that he is a threat, but his plan takes him on a different path than the heroes who inherit the new villain to deal with. Neither villains are related, in fact, they are enemies with each other. I can't recall a story I've read before where this happened. It was fascinating, but the transition was a little fuzzy. It can be reconciled and does makes storytelling sense, but acknowledging a new villain without diminishing the threat of the first was a mental hoop to jump through. Maybe I crossed wires here? I don't know, but don't stop to think too much or you'll miss the point of the present scene...
Very little of Across the Spider-Verse is "traditional" Spider-Man as old timers would know it. As mentioned before, it's not very nostalgic. In a nutshell, it's an intense journey that takes Spider-Man to a whole other level, banking on insanely raised stakes and a chilling taste of darkness to carry the viewer along. Almost all critic and fan reviews agree, based on their ratings, that this was the right way to make a Spider-Man movie in 2023 (Not to mention a monumental score of 8.9 on IMDB). Maybe they are right. Across the Spider-Verse certainly pulled a lot of things off. However, in terms of story, I don't actually see what warrants the insanely high regard people hold it in. Creative? Yes. Well-thought out and developed? Yes. Well-executed and engaging? Yes. "Best Spider-Man movie ever, best animated film of all time, best Marvel character development"? Woah there. Though it's a smart, well-made movie, it's a far cry from "best [insert category]". Across the Spider-Verse is often labeled as ground-breaking or unique, but I believe it only seems that way thanks to the music, animation, and everything else that beauties up the movie. Look closely, however, and you'll find that the tropes are quite standard and basic, from the wants of the hero to the motives of the villains. I'm not discounting it for not being "unique" because nothing is ever truly unique; it's simply a great movie, not a "revolutionary" one in terms of storyline. I think there's truth to the idea that the flashy animation and the energy the film radiates can get you caught up in the hype, even in the middle of watching it. Guess Hollywood making a good movie is rare enough to make people treat them like all-time pop culture classics. I do appreciate the inner simplicity of the story, and also admire the filmmakers' ability to add layers of animation, music, and more that don't make it seem simple at face value. Across the Spider-Verse is a good example of writers maximizing their tropes of choice.
Part 3 - Soundtrack
Across the Spider-Verse deserves a dedicated review section for its soundtrack, because without it, the intended feeling of intensity just wouldn't be the same. I'd say its underrated as a soundtrack in general, because while music is important in all movies, Across the Spider-Verse owes a much greater portion of its success to its music. There was so much more than orchestral ambiance, armed with loud instrumental riffs that make their way to the forefront of the audio mix, and electronic boom that makes it the best movie soundtrack I've heard since TRON: Legacy. Both are similar in their use of a deep, dark synthwave sounds. Without the signature, dark electronic leitmotifs that sound almost like doomsday trumpets, Across the Spider-Verse would be nowhere near as ominous at it is. It's nothing short of apocalyptical. You know the characters are not kidding about a multiversal collapse when the discomforting electric violin starts playing its distorted anthem for the end of the world.
I like it a lot, despite a couple of sequences where the animation and story is creepy and at its darkest. The soundtrack accompanying it becomes quite oppressive, but it comes and goes. Again, it's still better than a lifeless movie. The bottom line: as the animation and story is firing on all cylinders, so is the soundtrack. It renders such an incredible service to the other parts of the movie.
Conclusion
It's safe to say that a Hollywood or Marvel slump did not affect Across the Spider-Verse. With a clear goal in mind, it makes all the right decisions to get from point A to B, which was to tell an engaging story that continues Miles Morales' journey as Spider-Man and explore the mysteries of the Spider-Verse beyond what was revealed in the first film. I do prefer the first film slightly, but Across the Spider-Verse is a satisfying sequel, living up to its reputation and gives a lot of hope that the third installment will deliver as well Yes, that's right, a part two of this film (third movie in the series overall) is on its way next year, so soon we'll have yet another Spider-Man trilogy. There were some hiccups, such as getting too dark for my liking at certain points, and that I failed to get the point of the movie's final twist/cliffhanger, but Across the Spider-Verse is an excellent demonstration of what Hollywood can and should do with movies considering its prestige and wealth. Its high-caliber animation, story execution, character writing, and soundtrack all blend together perfectly to make one impressive film that I'm sure will win some awards. It definitely deserves them for its incredible animation, but at the end of the day I do not see it as being as fantastic as a lot of fans say when they rave about how "mind-blowing" it is. It's a great movie, not a perfect one. All things considered, my final score for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is 8.0 out of 10, and you can bet I will be back in the theaters to watch the third movie that will complete this fine superhero series.
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