Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (2023) Review

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-verse was one of my favourite comic book films ever, and after all these years the sequel, Across The Spider-Verse has been released and I have finally had a chance to watch it and here is my review for it. The premise of the film sees Miles Morales travel across the multiverse where he meets other Spider-Men that at are charged with protecting it, Miles must understand what it takes to be a true hero. 

Main Character

Shameik Moore is back as Miles Morales and he is fantastic. He plays the teenage spider-man very well and he is easily likeable which is great to see. There is more to him though, Moore adds real emotion to the story of Morales and the things he goes through is well done. Gwen Stacy voiced by Hailee Steinfeld gets way more to do in this film and I would argue her character is as important as Miles. She gives such an emotional performance and Gwen is a character that we learn a lot about and see how she really fits into this story. The dynamic between both characters is really well delivered and I am glad it worked so well. 

Supporting Characters

This film has probably the most amount of characters a film ever has, so I certainly won't be going through all of them but I will acknowledge that they are all great. 

Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Velez return as Miles parents and they are a large part of this story. Seeing how the dynamic between Miles and his parents goes down is a really crucial element of this film and the two performers did a great job. 

Oscar Isaac plays Miguel O'Hara and is fantastic. It seems like he is becoming the king of comic book films and shows and he is no different here, O'Hara is the leader of the team of Spider-Men and he is the most serious character in this film. As you learn more about him, you understand why he does what he does and it makes him a really interesting character. 

Jake Johnson is back as Peter B Parker, though he has a much smaller role. Even though he isn't in the film a huge amount he is used effectively and I felt like he was somebody that added to the overall story of the film and how it affects Miles life. 

There are some other great characters specifically Jason Schwartzman as The Spot, Issa Rae as Jessica Drew and Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk. They all were fun additions to the cast here. 

Story

The story is fantastic. As I mentioned above, it focuses equally on Miles Morales & Gwen Stacy and it deals with both stories incredibly well. This film exceeds what the majority of people would expect for an animated film with the amount of depth and emotion that goes ahead with these characters and the situations that they are put in. This is also a great ending, which feels appropriate for the film and effects every character that has been a spotlight of the film. 

Script

The script is really great. The comedy is well written, this film is funny and not in a childish way. It is clever with its comedy and it picks appropriate times to use it. But the drama is where the film succeeds, you really do care about these characters and how the events in the film change the characters. 

Style 

The first film was amazing to look at and so creative in its design. This film is even better, you can't take your eyes off the screen because of the colours and use of technical devices that no ever film does like it. This films pacing is great too, it clearly has different acts to the film and I was never bored, 

Overall

Overall, Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is an Epic film that just like its predecessor is one of the best comic book films ever made. Ignore the fact that it is an animated film, this is an amazing film and especially for Spider-Man films needs to be see. 

Rating - 10/10