Photo Courtesy of Sony Animation via Wikimedia Commons. ‘Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse,’ uses a variety of visual motifs such as eyecatching colors as well as intimate storytelling to pull fans into the film.
By Woodlief McCabe ’23
Staff Writer
After “Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse” experienced lucrative success upon its release in 2018, this past summer’s “Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse” is a clever, emotionally intelligent and visually stunning sequel to the first film.
It opens with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), aka Spider-Woman, delivering an introductory monologue that mimics the one protagonist Miles Morales (Jharrel Jerome) gave in the first film. Gwen struggles with loneliness and grief from events that predate the first film and the loss of connection with the friends she has made. She is also struggling to keep her identity a secret from her father, a police captain intent on capturing and arresting the masked vigilante known as “Spider-Woman.”
Gwen deals with this differently than Miles. She quits the band she is in and pushes people away, choosing to be alone so she never has to experience the pain of losing anyone ever again. This character struggle is depicted visually: as Gwen plays her heart out on the drums, rhythmic explosions of color and movement cover the screen as she attempts to drown out and play through her pain.
When she dons her suit to respond to a disturbance at an art museum, unfamiliar Spider-People from other universes arrive on the scene. They defeat the intruding Vulture (Jorma Taccone) and introduce Gwen to their elite Spider Society, which she begs to join as she feels her own universe has nothing to offer her.
Back in his own universe (known as Earth-1610), Miles Morales is also still living a double life as Spiderman. He has not stopped thinking about the multiverse friends he made, especially Gwen. Miles is juggling fighting a new enemy known as the Spot while also trying to be a good student and be present for his family. Being a superhero can take a toll on a teenager, especially when they have no one to talk to about it.
When Gwen reappears and reveals the existence of the Spider Society, the viewer is shown enjoyably colorful and beautifully dizzying sequences of the two of them flying through the city, working in synchronicity. Miles follows her into another universe, and we get introduced to a whole new cast of Spider-People while reuniting with some familiar ones.
The similarities between different Spider-People’s experiences is a thread of connection woven throughout the entire film, growing stronger as we are introduced to the many Spider-People — and one horse — in all universes.
The film doesn’t prioritize the action sequences but rather takes a humanizing and intimately personal lens to the heroes. Some of the best scenes in the film are the introductions of some of the new characters, like the cockney punk Hobie Brown (Daniel Kaluuya), and Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), a Spider-Person from Mumbattan. In fact, I wanted even more screen time for these characters.
Regardless, the film successfully executed the introduction of new characters into an existing film series, providing a clear sense of their personalities without disrupting the flow or pushing aside the existing characters we already love.
The film itself is gorgeous. Like the first movie, this one feels like a love letter to the art of animation and illustration. Each universe is given its own visual style, and each character then gets their own animation style. These universes are individually unique locations with rich stories to be told but maintain a connectedness that does not need to be obvious to be effective.
The superteam of Spider-People is a dazzling mosaic of movement and color. The animation is beautiful, sometimes gliding, sometimes halting. Occasionally, it is highly detailed, but sometimes, the characters are standing before a background awash in watercolor. These choices enhance the emotional moments, leaving characters isolated or crowded out by their circumstances.
At the center of attention of the film are its visuals. They are more than just a medium for conveying the plot. This is what animation is for — creating a visual language that illustrates what live performance and set design could never do. The “Spider-Verse” films continue to elevate the medium of animation and remind us that this kind of splendor is possible when the medium is centered in the production.
“At the center of attention of the film are its visuals. They are more than just a medium for conveying the plot. This is what animation is for — creating a visual language that illustrates what live performance and set design could never do. ”
The visual motifs of the different characters also help to develop their personalities quickly – for example, Hobie’s edgy, angular style sets him apart immediately. These styles work as a shorthand for who these characters are and make them memorable in a sea of Spider-People.
Part Two in the “Spider-Verse” trilogy-to-be deals with the aftermath of the first movie and the emotional toll that it has taken on its characters. Despite some chase scenes, the first half of the film is slow. Miles deals with planning for his future in school, his parents’ expectations and their reactions to his odd behavior. When Gwen comes to visit, they swing around the city, but they also sit and have conversations about how being a part of the legacy of Spider-People has affected them.
Miles deals with his hurt of not knowing sooner that Gwen could travel through dimensions. Meanwhile, Gwen struggles with the knowledge that in every universe except her own, Gwen Stacy falls for Spiderman and dies. The internal struggles in the movie keep pace with the exterior threats as the Spot’s power increases and becomes more dangerous.
It takes a bit of time for the film to develop its central conflict, but when it does, it feels as though it barely lets us digest the information before providing a feast of new plots to consider. While the first half is well-paced and character-driven, the latter half delivers the multiverse and character lore at a rate that feels like it is making up for the slow pace of the first half.
Toward the end of the film, there are two huge revelations made without any other subplots being resolved. Based on how it is structured, it is no surprise to learn that this was originally meant to be one film that had to be cut into two.
We are in an era of media that loves a multiverse. Marvel, DC and even indie studios are putting up their own takes on what it could mean to have other versions of our own world out there. Some are successful; some feel forced. “Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse” is proof that we can have superhero multiverses done thoughtfully and executed well.
However, if Marvel and other franchises want to engage us in the multiverse, some culling must be done. Ideally, this film will be included in a trilogy – and if the producers are smart, they won't weigh us down with excessive additions such as a whole new series, a TV show and a prequel.
As much as we may love the characters, sometimes it's okay to be left with a few questions and curiosity. The charm is lost by asking the creators to fill in every second of the history of the characters. “Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse” also gives us new characters that don’t rely on the audience’s love for their more popular counterparts.
All the Spider-People have different personalities, powers, ideologies and goals. Though this film does technically connect to the other Sony and Marvel Spiderman movies, they did not rely on audiences’ knowledge of them to carry the plot. Miles Morales and his friends are original characters.
The use of the Spider-Verse characters did occasionally seem to want to elicit an “I know that reference” response from the audience, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as what has been done in other franchises, and the nature of the film was set up so that it did not feel especially shoehorned into those scenes.
The first “Spider-Verse” film was a tough act to follow, and we won’t know if the follow-through will pay off until the third installment. Still, “Spiderman: Across The Spider-Verse” certainly stands as a visual marvel and a compelling continuation of these characters’ stories.