Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The pure wow effect of a head-on collision with something unprecedented and revolutionary, which dominated the experience of Into the Spider-Verse, naturally couldn’t happen again. However, that doesn’t change the fact that the second animated Spider-Man movie is an absorbing audio-visual explosion that still manages to conjure up the same delightfully goofy expression of wonder and fascination on the faces of viewers. Whereas live-action comic-book movies are running out of steam and losing the audience’s interest, the second Spider-Verse is hyper-dynamic, not only in the way it depicts movement and action within individual shots and whole sequences, but also in terms of narrative and the expression of emotion. It has a lengthy runtime, but in spite of that it remains an impressive piece of work given everything that the film manages to convey in the course of it. And not just in terms of peripeteias and dialogue, but also in the breadth of the titular Spider-Verse. The medium of animation itself plays an essential role in this. Whereas the animation in the previous film was breathtaking mainly from the perspective of expressive physical movement, this time it takes on a narratively illustrative and emotionally impressive role. In particular, viewers are aided in finding their bearings across the various parallel worlds and their inhabitants not only the stylisation of the drawing, but also by the animated interpretation, from the technical execution to the rendering of the stylistic specifics in time and space (from sketch-like elements and action lines, through the handling of movement and poses, to the scale and use of typographic VFX). The animation also makes it possible to express and convey emotions in a condensed and very effective way – again from body language and expressive stylisation of facial expressions (unlike in live-action comic-book movies, the animated Spider-Man is not in any way limited by his mask) to the work done with the colour palette of the given scene and the proportional deformation of the characters. In addition to that, we also have a sophisticated meta-treatise on the conflict between personal will and a rigid canon, which unsurprisingly can be extended from the central story to the iconoclastic position of the animated Spider-Verse movies, which are brimming with creativity in comparison with the live-action Marvel films conformably occupying the space within the usual and automatically accepted boundaries of pseudo-realism and clichés. But that is rather the icing on this perfectly thought out and phenomenally rendered cake. The animated Spider-Man catapults us into a new dimension of blockbuster entertainment and it will be interesting to see if its live-action fellow travellers will hang their heads in shame alongside the animated competition that has already come into being. (07/07/2023)

Perfection! Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has a level of originality, sophistication, and inventiveness that leaves the competition light years behind. It not only lives up to the brilliance of the first installment but also manages to elevate it further. It sets the bar high for what animated movies can achieve. Phenomenal in every detail. (06/08/2023)

The sequel to Spider-Man is a solid and excellent animated film, it's wild, creative, shocking, serious and rightly fatal, and the comparison to Infinity War is spot on. It's just that a few things slightly bothered me and that's why I can't give it a full score. The film has a lot of cool and eye candy stuff that will please any comic book fan. Visually it is a revolutionary spectacle, it’s action packed (I liked the opening fight with Vulture and the final epic chase with 100 spidermen, which is one of the best scenes of the movie and the viewer will want to repeat it again). The soundtrack is also excellent and perfectly fitting – I immediately looked up a few songs. The villain, The Spot, is impressive, but he doesn't get much space in the second, and they have saved him for the final part of the trilogy. The second half is all about Miguel O'Hara, whose character I enjoyed the most. The surprise final unexpected twists are also very shocking and take this whole film to the next level, I liked that. On the other hand, what disappointed me a bit is the big absence of humour, it's all too serious and in some passages could have been spiced up with some wisecracks, as the first half was quite slow paced and on the second viewing I'm afraid it might be a bit boring, but otherwise I'm extremely satisfied with this one. 85% (06/15/2023)

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant animation! The last time there was anything like this was five years ago, really, but more importantly: Brilliant story! An animated film that can leave at least eight live action films featuring Spider-Man biting the dust, that’s something you must see. Every joke, every dialogue, every character, every action scene has its place. At first, I was scared that the movie ran two hours and twenty, but when it was over, I felt it wasn't enough. So I'm looking forward to the third part immensely (as if I wouldn’t after that finale), and given how packed this one is, I've definitely got something to keep me entertained until the premiere. (06/01/2023)

I gave the previous installment a five-star rating because its originality, blend of animations, action, and humor left a lasting impression on me. Yet, I found myself putting off watching the sequel. Today, I decided to dive into the multiverse. I was concerned that the sequel might not live up to its predecessor, and unfortunately, it turned out to be true. While my disappointment was mild, it was disheartening to see the creators rely on overkill, as if they believed that without overwhelming the audience, they'd fall short. Additionally, I noticed a decrease in humor, which was a significant departure from what made the previous part so enjoyable for me. The shift towards darker and more serious themes didn't necessarily resonate with me; I missed the lighthearted moments that brought laughter. It felt like humor took a backseat to the exploration of various family values. Despite my criticisms, I found myself thoroughly entertained throughout, barely noticing the film's runtime. Still worth a solid four stars. / Lesson learned: Just because you can stick to objects, walls, or people doesn't necessarily make you Spiderman. It might just mean you need to wash your hands. With soap. 4*+ (11/19/2023)