"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" (2023 Film) SPOILER Review & Breakdown (The Film Fanatic Returns!!!)

Now through with my two-year hiatus, I am back to reviewing movies once again! Seeing as the last review was of a Sony-Marvel film, it's fitting that my return is a review of their latest entry in the ongoing "Spider-Verse" saga!

I love "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse." I may not be in the club with everyone else saying that it’s the best "Spider-Man" film, but it’s my solid number two. It accomplishes something truly unique: it taps into the possibilities that a single superhero possesses and delivers multiple variations of that hero that are fleshed-out, instantly likable and completely compelling, all in a film that manages to be under two hours and is still so simply understood. On top of that, it is presented in an art style that is so singular, unlike anything you’ve seen before. From the moment those opening credits roll, you are transported, taken somewhere special.

If you’re reading that thinking it is all a set-up to a clichéd statement of how the sequel, "Across the Spider-Verse," can’t help but fail to "recapture the magic of the original," the good news is that’s not what I’m going for. No, the simple fact is that "Across the Spider-Verse" successfully furthers many elements of the first film. It further explores the possibilities of the art style. It gives us a chance to spend more time with beloved characters. It also impresses with inclusions of deep Spider-Man lore that surely are what make this so worth rewatching. It is jam-packed with those details. I'm sure I didn't catch even a quarter of them, given my knowledge of the character spans the films and a few of the television iterations. Beyond that, as this film showed me, there's so much more to this one character's history that I didn't know before. It's neat that a film can achieve that with such a long-adapted character like Spider-Man.

Alas, I wish I could say that I love this sequel as much as everyone else is. While it's surely entertaining, its efforts to be me more than mere entertainment are severely undermined by one simple, solitary factor. Despite what the film doesn’t tell you about itself, in its title or in the marketing, this is not simply the middle chapter of a trilogy. No, this is a middle chapter of a "Back to the Future," "Matrix" and "Pirates of the Caribbean"-style trilogy, in which numbers two and three are directly connected, and where the middle chapter ends on the most abrupt of cliffhangers. But where those films were upfront about it, either in their marketing, by being produced back-to-back or by showing a trailer for the follow-up during the credits, "Across the Spider-Verse" did no such things.

Correction. After doing research, I understand that it was initially subtitled "Across the Spider-Verse - Part One" and "Part Two" was supposed to follow it up soon after. But, here we are. The whole "Part One" subtitle is gone, the third film’s title is "Beyond the Spider-Verse" and now the impression that's been given by the filmmakers’ choices is that the two films having different titles means that they ultimately tell different stories and now are meant to stand alone from each other, if not completely. "Across" faces those expectations of being a stand-alone film, expectations that it knowingly sets up for itself but that it does not meet simply because its story functions as less-than half of a story. Which boggles my mind because this film set a fairly unique record for being the longest animated film produced by a Western animation studio. The longest animated films fall just beneath the two-hour mark. How does one make a 140-minute film that's filled with everything you could think of, except a complete story - or, at least, something resembling a complete story. "Across" is lacking in a real beginning, middle and end. Once the film starts, the film plays like a string of events that, after two hours and some change, is capped off by a "To Be Continued" title card. Its implementation has to make it the most abrupt usage of the title card in film history.

I was unaware of "Across the Spider-Verse" being a "Part One" going into the film, so imagine my exasperation when the whole thing ended with that card, with timing and music that was straight out of a Saturday Morning cartoon. Except, in that case, you only had to wait until one more week to see what happened next. Here, it is unknown when "Beyond the Spider-Verse" will be released. So, now I’m stuck with half a story that I can’t fully critique simply because many of my complaints as far as story and characters go can be written off with the response, "Just wait for part two! It will answer everything." But will it?

I will express that I won't disparage the film on a technical front. Although I'm neither an expert in animation nor well informed on all the techniques, I as an observer was still amazed by the various styles of art seen in the film. I like how the different styles reflect the personalities of the characters. One particular style accentuates the emotional state of the characters. Gwen Stacy's Earth is a showcase of watercolor-style artwork. This is the place where any emotion the person is experiencing in the moment affects the environment around them. It was beautiful stuff to watch in action. The sound and musical quality of the film is also unparalleled. The sharp sound design reminded me of something like Brad Bird's work in animation. (Have you ever noticed how sharp the sound design of his films are?) Daniel Pemberton continues to heighten everything about the film. His score is vital here because, in a film where the story doesn't have a complete structure, he commands much of the audience's investment. I don't think I would've been nearly as invested as I was if it weren't for his music. The score is so well done that I wish the Metro Boomin soundtrack album didn't interrupt Pemberton's flow. Unlike the last film, the song placement doesn't help the film's incomplete, somewhat fragmented feel. If the film feels like a two-plus hours rotation of action scenes and character heart-to-hearts, Boomin comes in with his different tracks that operate either to either play in the background of those heart-to-heart sequences or to transition the audience to the next thing in the story. Their use seemed a lot less important to the story than the songs used in the previous film.

But, back to my main point: the story at hand. It’s here I really wish to challenge the idea that other reviewers have put forth, which is that this film takes storytelling to the next level. When you get into the thick of it, it just seems like further regurgitation of things we’ve seen before in other franchises and genres. Ever since "The Empire Strikes Back" set an example for sequels, every single part two has done some variation of this established formula. Take the characters and plunge them into the mud, get even more serious and be a little urgent and dark, and also take time to explore some fundamental philosophical ideas found within the universe and the characters themselves. "Across the Spider-Verse" does all that and more and does what’s been done before with sequels, with the only variation being that it's in the Spider-Man as opposed to the "Star Wars," "Matrix" or "Pirates of the Caribbean" worlds. Only, it’s somehow worse than being a meme regurgitation. Because, while the other part twos that followed in the steps of "Empire" had the gall to stand by with some of the bold directions it went, there’s a feeling that the moral dilemmas that lie at the heart of "Across the Spider-Verse" are all irrelevant, a distraction, filler.

Halfway through the film, in a scene that echoes that of the discussion between Neo and the Architect in "The Matrix Reloaded," likable hero Miles Morales is introduced properly to the Spider-centric multiverse - the Spider-Verse - by the enigmatic yet vaguely menacing Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Issac - giving the best performance of the film, which is actually saying a lot). Miguel explains that every Earth in the vast multiverse has at least one Spider-Person to protect it. He explains that each Spider-Person’s life is similar to one another. They all share specific highlights and also specific low points. Here, the film recontextualizes the real-world history of Spider-Man. Instead of the many deaths of those close to every iteration of Spider-Man being the result of writers too lazy to come up with something original, instead they were meant to help convey a larger point: that no Spider-Man can differ from a predetermined fate that they all share. This collection of prewritten wins and losses make up a concrete "canon." Should the Spider-Person of a certain world break the canon, the hero risks that world and the multiverse as a whole being erased from existence, "Back to the Future"-style.

Now, this canon all Spider-Men must follow involves experiencing specific tragedies. Among them is the death of a police captain close to Spider-Man. This is where we get into the central conflict. Miles’ father, Jefferson Davis, is about to be promoted to captain in a couple days’ time. You see the problem here. Miles is adamant that he will not let his father die. Miguel, and the Spider-Society at large, are adamant that the multiverse remain protected. The dilemma is now firmly established. Much like Neo and other protagonists before him, Miles must make the age-old choice: save the one or save the many. Miles insists he doesn’t have to choose, but as Miguel has shown to him personally, the results of breaking the canon are all-too real. Miles still persists and the film proceeds to have this elaborate chase between Miles and the Spider-Society. (By the way, that Spider-Man therapy joke is the funniest one in the film!)

So, okay, not bad so far. May not be THE most original dilemma in storytelling, but the film doesn’t do it poorly. That is, until one very specific moment after the chase scene ends. After Miles escapes their grasp, Gwen Stacy confronts Miguel. She asks, "Do you know for certain what happens if he breaks the canon?"

Now, one hears this after seeing Miguel’s entire presentation, in which the real destruction of a whole universe that also killed his alternate universe daughter was shown, and one thinks Gwen is foolish for asking a question with such a clear answer. After all, haven’t we seen the effect for ourselves, not just for the lost universe Miquel came from but for the Mumbattan universe that our heroes briefly visited and endangered? Surely, the answer to that is "Yes," right?

And yet, Miguel gives this vague, confusing reply: "Do you want to find out?"

What do you mean, "Do you want to find out?" Didn’t we spend so much time learning for ourselves what was going on? Didn’t we spend considerable time being presented with this whole, weighty dilemma that serves as the thematic backbone of the entire movie? Wasn’t reams of dialogue just spent trying to explore weighty moral concerns? In a single line, the film seemingly throws all of that into the rubbish bin, as though all that didn't matter at all.

That’s like if that conversation between Neo and the Architect was followed up with a scene between the Architect and, say, the Oracle, where the Architect brings his own position into question. Wouldn't that just derail the whole central conflict of the story at large? Thankfully, that wasn't the case with that film. No, instead, the Architect’s argument is concrete, as is Neo’s, and that is what Neo must wrestle with for the rest of his story. It's what makes the conflict so engaging: because neither side has a clear answer.

But for the central argument in "Across the Spider-Verse," there already seems to be a sign of an easy-out. Initially, both of their positions are well-founded, but that response Miguel kills it. But maybe that's the point. Maybe the Spider-Society's mission is a sham, but then why waste so much time pretending that it isn't and building a whole moral argument around it? So far, it looks like Miguel has no leg to stand on and now the whole "Miles vs. the Spider Society" thread has no true suspense going into the follow-up because the dilemma is nonexistent. Which brings me back to the cliffhanger.

"Across the Spider-Verse" is entirely a set-up for things to come. It has one payoff in and of itself - the fallout and then make-up between Gwen and her father George Stacy - but no matter how beautiful the moment is, the fact remains that it has little-to-no relevance on the larger story. For that, as entertaining and energetic as the film less, the film is largely a dissatisfying experience when it comes to offering something more substantial and complete. There’s no semblance of finality or anything resembling conclusion. Say what you will about the ending of something like "Avengers: Infinity War," but even though that ended abruptly to set-up its direct continuation, at least the main goal of that film was technically accomplished by the end. It didn’t matter that most of us knew that it wouldn’t last because, in the eyes of the plot itself, it had that solid stopping point. We may not have believed it to be complete, but the characters sure did. In contrast, this just ends on a record scratch, right when the characters get even more curve balls thrown their way. It's here that the momentum of the conflict really takes off. I felt myself getting energized and excited, but then that title card showed itself, completely blindsiding me. In retrospect, I should've known that the film was about to end because it ends the same way other aforementioned part one’s do, the ones not based on books anyway.

In these part one’s, a primary character is separated from the larger cast and the set-up is that he has to be rescued by the other primary characters. Once again, "Empire" first set the example. It ends with Han Solo trapped in carbonite and left with Jabba the Hutt, leaving him to be rescued by the other Rebels. "Back to the Future Part II" ends with Doc Brown trapped in 1885, leaving Marty to go rescue him. "The Matrix Reloaded" ends with Neo trapped in limbo, leaving the others to rescue him. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest" ends with Jack Sparrow trapped in Davy Jones’ Locker, leaving the other pirates to rescue him. And now "Across the Spider-Verse" ends with Miles trapped in the wrong Earth, leaving the others to go rescue him. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next one starts the same way the other continuations did: with a rescue mission that occupies the first-third of the film.

Revisiting the structure of "Across," this is a film that feels rather clearly cut in half. The first-half sets up the Spot as the new antagonist in Miles' story. But after an hour of him being the focus, the character just dips for the rest of the film. The next hour or so is centered on Miles’ conflict with Miguel and, by extension, the Spider Society. The two halves are loosely connected together but it never feels like they’re happening in the same movie. When Spot reappears during the closing moments, I had completely forgotten that he was even part of the story. By that point, the whole film had gone off in such a different direction after he dipped from the story.

There's no shortage of threats heading into the third and, presumably, final chapter. On top of Spot and Miguel, the ending leaves our Miles in the hands of his alternate universe self, the one who might've been the Spider-Man of his universe had it not been for the intervention of Alchemax's collider but who now operates as his universe's Prowler. I’ll give the film this. There’s so many things that it has set-up that I am desperate to know how the next one will resolve it all, whenever that final chapter will be released. If only this film was upfront about its incomplete nature and didn't omit "Part One" from the title and marketing.

So, plenty of mixed thoughts. I lean towards liking the film on the whole, despite my grievances. It's easy to enjoy and get sucked into. It has style, it is alive. The art is impressive, particularly when we're in Gwen’s world. I thought the humor was still on-point and the performances were all solid, every single one of them. Unfortunately, when you peel back all those layers, the true heart of the film, the story, is woefully incomplete and frustrating. In all reality, I wait with anticipation for the next one not necessarily out of eagerness, but because I’m looking to the next one to make sense of this film’s choices. If it comes about that it ties everything up, perhaps there’s a future retrospective where I conclude that this doesn’t feel so messy. But nothing the next one does will ever change the fact that this was, in all reality, a placeholder film, as pure and simple as they come.

Conclusion (+ Hello Again!)

"Well, I'm back."

I must say, returning to this site after all this time, it still doesn't feel real. I hope many of you who were following along with me before are still here and excited about what I have in store. Writing movie reviews is a particular muscle I haven't stretched in some time, so there might be many mistakes in the process as I readjust. I hope you all enjoyed my review/breakdown on "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse." I understand a lot of people love this one, like its predecessor, so I'd love to know what you all think of my take, regardless of whether you agree. Your thoughts and opinions, as always, are welcome! Just remember to be kind! This is Dallin, your resident Film Fanatic, back to the keyboard and ready to write!