by Michael Fye and Laura Janota, Reporters

Can this new Spider-Verse movie really live up to the first one? The answer is yes. It absolutely can. 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse grabs you by the hand and swings you into a ride of continuous motion bursting with colors, art styles, energized music, and surprises at every turn. You’ve never seen anything quite like it. This movie could have only worked in animated form–the artwork and storytelling blends so perfectly together that neither could exist without the other. While delighted by spectacle and knee-slapping humor, you explore a coming-of-age story that challenges you with the question, “What does it really mean to be Spider-Man?” 

This movie is just as much Gwen Stacy’s as it is Miles Morales’ and even begins with our blonde heroine. Gwen teams up with two new versions of Spider-man to take down a renaissance-etched version of the Vulture. She finds out they are part of an elite squad of parallel universe-jumping Spider-Men, and joins them to escape problems at home with her father. Meanwhile Miles Morales faces his own issues at home where he struggles with loneliness and a desire for more independence from his parents. It doesn’t help that a new nemesis shows up in town, whose portal-creating antics set the stage for hilarious fight scenes and a deeper plot for Miles. 

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse introduces a slew of new characters while fleshing out several of the returning originals. You get a closer look into Gwen’s tragic backstory and see it lead to her growing into a more central role along with Miles. Your favorite tired Spidey, Peter B. Parker is back, only less jaded and with a daughter! 

The creators introduce new colorful spiders including a motorcycle-riding Spider-Woman, an Indian Spider-Man with exquisite hair, and a Cockney Spider-Man with anti-establishment leanings. This also includes the new leader, Miguel O’Hara, the straight-talk fellow from the future holding everything together. This, of course, is only a few of the many new faces and masks you will see. 

Family rises to the forefront much more than its predecessor as Mr. and Mrs. Morales and play bigger roles in the story. Miles wrestles with keeping his big secret from his parents and his parents question if they should give Miles more independence or reel his freedoms in to keep him on a straight and narrow path. In direct parallel to that, Gwen and Captain Stacy face their own standstill over her Spider-identity as well. The dialogue between family members burn bright in this story, and at times the audience forgets that these are characters and not real people. 

And if you thought the first movie explored multi-verses well, this movie takes that exploration to a different dimension – millions of them in fact. While crafting a story about parallel universes could have come across as messy or even stale, this movie manifests as fresh organized chaos. On the surface you’re pulled from one idea to the next in a seemingly random fashion, then later realize every frame and piece of dialogue is carefully woven into a perfectly crafted web. See what we did there? Choice echoes as a recurring theme across many Spider-Man movies and comic books and does so in this movie too. While faced with a multitude of universes at his fingertips, Miles explores the rules of fate and choice as he decides how to write his own story. 

Into the Spider-Verse was lauded for its bold art styles depicting its world and characters. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse continues this tradition by going even further giving each world visited by the heroes its own unique visual identity. Did we mention the etched Vulture? Once again, it’s as if panels from the comics were brought to life, and the vibrancy makes action sequences a joy to watch.

Speaking of which, the animation is hands down some of the best you will see in 2023. Everything from the topsy-turvy action scenes to the quieter character moments are handled with the utmost care. You can feel each lurch as Miles and his friends careen down the side of a building as well as the melancholy that comes with having to keep secrets from the people you love most. 

Overall

This movie artfully continues the legacy Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse created, while presenting something brand new. Look forward to momentous fight scenes, memorable characters, hilarious lines, challenging messages, diverse representation, heart-warming tears, sweet romance, and surprises (that we won’t spoil for you but just know it’s taking every ounce of our beings not to). Go watch the wild ride that is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and emotionally prepare yourself for the fact that this is not the last part of this saga.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse – 5/5 vibrant superhero adventures.

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