By Jose Anguiano
06/03/20203
While the post credit scene from “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was a laugh riot, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is anything but as Miles Morales gets tangled in a new situation with his friends in a multidimensional timeline housing hundreds of spider-people.
The animation in the first film pushed the boundaries of what could be accomplished by combining 2D and 3D art styles to the point where every studio copied its format.
Paramount’s upcoming “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” is one of the many examples.
“Into the Spider-Verse” is an elementary school project compared to how much the team at Sony Pictures Animation expanded on their ambitions.
Backgrounds constantly changed depending on the situation, almost like modern takes on Maurice Noble drawings, while the framerate was toyed around like a kid playing with their toy collection.
More art varieties were combined to make this the ultimate comic book fantasy come to life – cel shading, watercolors, unfinished sketches, renaissance drawings, live-action integration, and even a certain toy company that Lord and Miller adapted made a cameo (No spoilers here).
Whether you’re a true believer or a general movie goer, this will bring out the art lover in anyone that adores animation.
The scale increased with an ever-changing color palette that reflected various emotions all the characters dealt with in this journey.
The only downside is that, like the first film, it is not accessible to people with epilepsy in a similar manner of “Incredibles 2”.
There are a lot of flashes and spontaneous color changes in this two hour and forty-minute-long adventure that may take a toll on those who are photosensitive.
With or without the easter eggs, the story kept to the core ideals of Spider-Man, sometimes expanding on characters like Gwen Stacy in the beginning before the intro credits rolled.
This led to a darker story that went down some unnerving paths that were never predictable when dealing with fate, destiny and sacrificing loved ones for the greater good.
A lot of the tropes took a detour while offering something new to the narrative – something “The Last Jedi” attempted back in 2017.
Miguel O’Hara is a worthy addition to the roster with his role of watching over the multiverse, and Oscar Issaac gave a performance that would earn him an Annie Award worthy of the late June Foray.
Miles and Gwen had a sweet connection to the point of being shipped as a legitimate couple, if not for Spider-Man reasons that always interfered with the best intentions.
Admittedly, this multiverse took more advantage of the concept than “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, both from a design and story perspective.
Some might find the return to relatable villains disappointing given that “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” unapologetically made its villains irredeemable. But given the MCU’s history of stale baddies, any antagonist that stand out after “Endgame” is a win for one of the biggest comic book companies in history.
The action sequences are upped with more personal stakes like the fight on a futuristic train going a million miles an hour.
Something about Spider-Man and train sequences go hand in hand like peanut butter and chocolate.
Once the world building is set, everything takes off as Morales comes to terms with his superhero and personal life that made Spider-Man relatable in and out of the costume.
If anyone has seen the news on this film, it was originally a two-part movie but it cleverly works its way around that loophole by the time the credits roll.
At two hours and 20 minutes, this never felt as long as “Avatar: The Way of Water” because of the brisk pacing as the lore expanded into new territory.
If “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was the “Toy Story” of Sony Pictures Animation, then “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is their “Toy Story 2”. It improved on everything that made original film distinct from both other Spider-Man media, and other animated films. Not only is the improved animation a trailblazer for this new age of Hollywood, but the story was darker, the villains were surprising in their execution, and the character development dove deeper into what made the comics one of the best in Marvel history. If you’re an art lover, see the movie and pre-order the art of the movie book coming out in July. Multipart movies may have gone the way of the dodo since the days of “The Hobbit” trilogy, but this earned its cliffhanger for the next entry thanks to the dramatic story that gelled with genuine artistic integrity. Here’s hoping that “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse” comes out while the iron is still hot. Join us next week when we talk spoilers!
Cinematic Bandicoot 
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