A worthy sequel to Miles’ story that will leave you hanging for more
Back when Miles Morales was first introduced to fans of the MCU and the Spiderman Universe, there was a lot of skepticism around the project. However, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse shocked everyone with its unique take on the Peter Parker story. The 2018 movie grossed a whopping $383 million in comparison to its comparatively humble $80 million budget and after watching its sequel, there is little to no doubt that Miles’ story has a lot more to tell.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse follows the lives of the different Spider-People, their origins and existence in the universe as well as the existence of Miles Morales, a humble 15-year-old boy who has a huge secret that he keeps from his parents – he is a version of Spider-Man.
While the first movie focused on Miles’ life in its entirety, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse takes viewers into the different worlds where Spider-People are born and have to live their fate in order to reach a canon moment in their lives. When these Spider-People reach this moment (which usually centers on the loss of their loved one), their purpose becomes clear and the order in the matrix is maintained.
However, with Miles being an anomaly, things get chaotic when he is in places he isn’t supposed to be, and does things that disturb the well-maintained order of the matrix. This is one chaotic movie to watch with so much happening from the get-go that’ll keep viewers hooked. While the first half feels a tad too long in some places, the second half flies by like a breeze, leaving viewers wanting more.
From comic books to motion films to the Lego world, the film does an excellent job covering different versions of the friendly neighbourhood webhead. The movie narrates the the stories of Miles Morales, Peter B. Parker and Gwendolyn Stacy (Gwanda/Wanda) but also introduces additions like the rockstar Hobie, who is hell-bent on breaking rules, the pack’s leader Miguel O’Hara who would rather die than let the newbies destroy order lest they suffer as he did.
There’s also a young Indian boy – Pavitr Prabhakar as well as a pregnant Spider-Woman – Jessica Drew. While the story seems slow in the beginning, it quickly picks up speed as a shocking plot twist will likely see many cinemagoers taking an audible gasp.
Miles’ nemesis, The Spot, is an interesting character but he’s also relegated to the background a little too much when he deserved more story time. His actions are very easily justified, in that he is not inherently evil but just trying to seek revenge for what happened to him. The Spot is easily one of the funniest supervillains in MCU’s history, bested only by Loki. While The Spot has promised to kill someone Miles loves, the young superhero wants to save a said person.
The OST for this one was enjoyable but truth be told, it pales in comparison to the soundtrack from its predecessor. The call-back moments will have viewers hooting through the utter chaos, and we’re not about to spoil that here.
It’s mind-blowing how the makers have characters not only travel across the animated dimension but also into the human dimension from time to time. Not only did this inter-dimensional transition hint at what could possibly happen in the movies that will eventually become a part of this series, the various Easter eggs and cameos, especially that of the different Prowlers prove that there is a lot of precision to detail that goes into these stories.
All in all, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a great watch, age be no bar. This one leaves fans with a lot of questions that should hopefully be answered in the upcoming instalment of the Miles Morales story – Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse.
Read More: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Ending Explained
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Verdict - 9/10
9/10