Across The Spider-Verse Reactions Are Calling The Sequel A Masterpiece
Criticis are over the Moon about Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, with some even calling it a masterpiece.
Fans of the 2018 film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse have been eagerly waiting for the highly anticipated sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and it looks like it will be worth the wait. The animated Marvel film has been getting absolutely stellar reviews after an early screening, with some critics and journalists even calling it a masterpiece, according to Variety. Audiences can expect another powerful story from the Miles Morales version of the Spider-Man franchise.
The first Spider-Verse movie focused on how Miles got his superpowers and learned how to properly use them thanks to a chubby, down-on-his-luck Peter B. Parker (voiced by Jake Johnson) from another dimension. Along the way, he met many other kinds of Spider-People, including Gwen Stacy (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Min Noir (voiced by Nicolas Cage), and even Spider-Ham (voiced by John Mulaney). The film served as a great coming-of-age tale for young kids and adults alike while captivating audiences with its stunning animations.
In Across the Spider-Verse, audiences will pick up where they left off, with Miles and Gwen diving back into the Multiverse to find even more versions of Spider-People across five new dimensions. The franchise will introduce a new villain, The Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), who threatens to destroy the entire Multiverse and everyone living inside of it. All of the Spider-People will need to work together to defeat The Spot, though Miles is conflicted when he discovers that they have different ideas of how to handle the situation.
Even though Across the Spider-Verse won’t be released to theaters for another week, critics and journalists have had a chance to see the film and share their positive feedback.
Sean O’Connell, the managing editor for CinemaBlend, is the one who called the film a Masterpiece, saying, “Every frame deserves to be hung in a museum. The jokes and nods to Spidey lore are perfect.” The beautiful animation was created by Sony Pictures Imageworks, who crafted a movie that makes it feel like the audience walked into a comic book.
One critic shared that Across the Spider-Verse is “darker” and “sadder” than expected, which is surprising for an animated movie with a PG rating. However, the first film was also rated PG despite sharing some heart-wrenching scenes and several on-screen deaths.
Tessa Smith, a writer for Rotten Tomatoes, said that Across the Spider-Verse “raises its own bar which seemed impossible.” The first Spider-Verse movie definitely set the bar high for any follow-up films, but the creators seemed to have outdone themselves with the sequel. This is often difficult for filmmakers to accomplish since a sequel can feel like an unnecessary addition that doesn’t live up to the standard of the first film.
Fans of the first Spider-Verse will be happy to hear Shameik Moore’s voice as he makes his return as Miles Morales, and of course, Jake Johnson will return as Peter B. Parker and Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy. Fans should also listen closely for new voices that have joined the cast, including Karan Soni, Andy Samberg, and Daniel Kaluuya among others.
Catch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse in theaters on June 2, and then get ready for a third Spider-Verse film coming on March 29, 2024.
