Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse Is a Masterpiece — And a Reminder That Sony Should Take Care of Its Animators
The Empire Strikes Back.
When I saw this in 1980 it blew my feeble little 7-year old mind. (Yes, I’m old.) It was an amazing sequel, even if the good guys didn’t necessarily “win”. I mean, Han Solo had been taken away by Boba Fett; Luke Skywalker just found out Darth Vader was his father; and the Rebel Alliance was wondering what its next move was against the Empire. It was a fantastic “middle” movie that followed a great movie in its own right, with a third epic to follow years later.
And here we are again with Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse. Yes, I don’t mind comparing it to Empire Strikes Back. Because, as different as it is in tone, it too is an awesome “middle” movie. And, like Empire, it sits on one hell of a cliffhanger.
The movie follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) as he continues to live his Spidey life. But fate somehow reconnects him with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), and introduces him to the multiverse, where hundreds of Spidey types dwell.
Along the way, he makes a vicious enemy of “The Spot” (Jason Schwartzmann), a doofus that originally doesn’t mean any harm. That is, until he realizes that Miles sees him as a joke and grows resentful, and, soon after, destructive.
Complicating matters further is Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), aka Spider-Man 2099. He explains a dire matter to Miles and tries to keep him under control. Welp, big mistake.
It all culminates together into a tour-de-force, with a whopper of a chase through the multiverse city that has to be seen to be believed.
But the miracle here is how wonderfully everything balances out here. Across the Spiderverse has genuine action that’s thrilling to watch (including a whopper of a fight with the Vulture in the beginning); it’s funny as heck (thanks to the return of Peter Parker, portrayed with charm and hilarity by Jake Johnson); and it leaves a whopper of a conclusion for the third go-around.
Not to mention the new characters that come into play. While I do miss Noir Spider-Man and Spider-Ham (I’m sure they’ll be back), they’re replaced by the charming Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) and the absolutely bonkers Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya, in a show-stealing performance). Their presence adds a lot to the movie, to go along with the original characters.
It’s just a fantastic film and getting to watch it again has been a real delight. But it’s also left some questions pertaining to the third film.
As you might have heard, Sony had to delay Beyond the Spiderverse (the third chapter) from its March 2024 slot. Apparently, the SAG/AFTRA strike, which is affecting actors, along with the previous writers’ strike, have forced Sony to delay it “indefinitely,” with no date.
But then I heard something else — Sony didn’t take good care of its animation team. Reports indicate that they were left underpaid for a great deal of work that was put up the table. And considering the movie was a monstrous hit with nearly $700 million at the box office, they should reconsider paying them.
That’s because the animators are worth it. They created a genuine look with the Spiderverse films that completely stand out from anything else we’ve seen on the market. They’re literally like comic books brought to life. They nailed it. And to not appreciate that is downright nuts. Especially when you consider how well they did on Spider-Punk/Hobie Brown alone.
I know it’ll take some time to settle the whole SAG/AFTRA and writers’ thing (just because Hollywood execs are…well, Hollywood execs), but once the dust settles, I hope Sony catches up with its animators and treats them well so they can make a final chapter just as fitting as the first two films.
Across the Spiderverse is absolutely mind-blowing and one of my favorite films this year, if not my full-on favorite. (Year ain’t over yet, and, well, I really liked Meg 2: The Trench.) I highly recommend checking it out and supporting the artists, writers and actors that took the time to put everything together the right away. And here’s hoping that Sony makes things right for them so we can get the conclusion of the story we deserve.
Sooner rather than later, please.
Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse is available digitally today, and has a home release on September 5th. And yes, I pre-ordered the Steelbook.
Have a good week, all! And thanks for stopping by and reading. Appreciate all of you.
