11022640 - SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Movies

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” Review Round-Up: Web-Slinging Bliss in Truly Epic Sequel

May 31, 2023
By The Credits

We are two days away from the premiere of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,  which means the reviews are now out, and the question of whether they could possibly top the Oscar-winning 2018 original seems to have been answered. That first film—so insanely ambitious in content, tone, storytelling, and style—set the bar extremely high. It introduced us to Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a young Brooklynite whose adventures across the Spider-Verse as he becomes Brooklyn’s one and only Spider-Man were dazzlingly realized, borrowing the spirit and vivid color palette from the original comic books and imbuing every single frame with their spirit. It was a triumph in animation and one of the best superhero movies in recent memory, so it was a reasonable question as to whether the new film could swing over that incredibly high bar.

“The film makes you feel like you’re dropping through the floors of a modern art museum on acid, yet there’s a thrilling moment-to-moment logic to it all,” writers Variety critic Owen Gleiberman in his rave review. Bar cleared, it would seem, and he’s not alone in his assessment. Major outlets, from Variety to The Hollywood Reporter to Rolling Stone and Deadline are enthusing over the “sheer panache” (Rolling Stone) of the film, a “dazzling reminder of what superhero movies can be” (IndieWire). “This feels like it could have been the first movie designed to earn a thumbs up from Andy Warhol and Stephen Hawking,” Gleiberman adds.

The film comes from the directing trio of Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, and Joaquim Dos Santos, with a script by returning writer/producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller and David Callaham. Across the Spider-Verse finds Miles growing in confidence and ability as Brooklyn’s Spider-Man, but his world is about to get upended after he follows Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) across the titular Spider-Verse and comes into direct contact with an elite supergroup of Spider-People led by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), also known as Spider-Man 2099. There are a reported 250+ Spider-People in Across the Spider-Verse, and soon Miles will find himself the target of their suspicion.

Joining Isaac are newcomers Issa Rae as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman, Daniel Kaluuya as Hobart ‘Hobie’ Brown/Spider-Punk, Jason Schwartzman as Spot, and Jorma Taccone as Adrian Toomes/The Vulture, and Karan Soni as Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India, Andy Samberg as Ben Reilly/Scarlet Spider, and Amanda Stenberg as Margo Kess/Spider-Byte.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse swings into theaters on June 2. Check out the spoiler-free reviews below:

For more on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, check out these stories:

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” Clip Recreates Iconic Moment From Classic Cartoon

Pavitr Prabhakar Spins His Tale in New “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” Teaser

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” Clip Finds Gwen & Miles Swinging Through NYC

Featured image: Spider-Man/Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) in Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animations’ SPIDER-MAN™: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE.

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The Credits

The Credits is an online magazine that tells the story behind the story to celebrate our large and diverse creative community. Focusing on profiles of below-the-line filmmakers, The Credits celebrates the often uncelebrated individuals who are indispensable to the films and TV shows we love.