Weekend Watch: Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse
Spidey wins while swinging in a beautifully animated, worthy sequel
Image Credit: Sony Pictures
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, in which I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, the Spider-Verse team proves lightning can strike twice. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite
With huge acclaim, a Best Animated Feature Oscar and a reputation for having changed the conversation around animated styles for mainstream Hollywood movies, 2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse is not a film that anyone should relish trying to follow.
And yet the team, led by producer/writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller have somehow pulled it off. I say “somehow”, of course, but that equals a lot of hard work by more than 1,000 artists and craftspeople, plus new directing trio Kemp Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson.
Destined to sit near or at the top of lists of Best Sequels –– no “animated” or “superhero” qualifier needed –– Across The Spider-Verse is a remarkable achievement, a movie that pushes the limits of animated style yet again, throws all manner of characters and plot lines into the equation and yet emerges triumphant.
We’re back in the world –– or perhaps that should be universe –– of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), who is still figuring out his place in the world. Friends such as Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) are off in their own universes, and even though Miles is confident in his position as his world’s only Spider-Man, he’s still at a crossroads. His heroic duties are conflicting with school and his parents are worried that he’s not as committed as he could be. He’s also worried about finding acceptance.
Yet the movie also finds time to explore Gwen’s life, her own difficulties stemming from hiding her alter ego from her police captain father George (Shea Whigham) –– a fact that will come into play heavily later in the movie. But when Gwen is recruited by a team of Spider-folk led by Miguel O’Hara (AKA Spider-Man 2099, voiced by Oscar Isaac) who are charged with stopping multiverse incursions, she has the chance to visit with Miles and he’s drawn into the wider world of Spider-action once more. This time, though, he’ll find more conflict that he expects, including a new nemesis in The Spot (Jason Schwartzman).
Lord and Miller, working with Dave Callaham, spin all of this into an exploration of the Spider-Man mythos, using many different examples of the character. It’s compelling, emotional and in keeping with the original, astonishing to watch. The wildly different animation styles never clash, only complement each other and the various main characters all have a viewpoint that’s easy to engage with. Even The Spot has understandable reasons for his behaviour.
And yes, like its predecessor, it’s also very funny when the moment calls for that –– especially whenever Peter B. Parker is on screen. The challenge now? How follow-up Beyond The Spider-Verse, due next March, will handle wrapping the story.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is in UK and US cinemas now.