Spoiler Free Across the Spiderverse Review

Where do I even begin? 

This movie was epic from beginning to end! The pace was perfect, the story flowed well, you were right alongside Gwen, Miles, Miles's parents, or whoever you felt closest to, and there were so Marvel Comics and MCU references to make any Marvel or Spider-Man fan happy. The animation in this movie surpassed the first in many ways due to the different universes (seven from my count) that you'll experience. The music lived up to the first one, and I can't wait till someone puts those songs on Spotify. And as the trailer showed, you'll meet a lot of variations of Spider-Men, everyone from a cat, a cowboy, a T-Rex, a Peter Parked car, and of course all the classic Spider-Men that you know from the comics and TV shows. 

Admittedly I only watched a handful of Spider-Man animated episodes as a kid but I fell in love with the character when I saw Tobey Maguire portray him as Peter Parker, in the 2002 Spider-Man. Since then, I've enjoyed learning more about Peter Parker not only through Tobey but Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland. Then when Into the Spiderverse was introduced in 2018, I was a little hesitant because it was an animated film, and I thought it would be childish. However, the story was so well done, Miles Morales, was a real teenager who struggled with fitting in in the first place. His parents were smart and acted as parents should, and you had to love how his dad trolled him when he dropped him off at school. I was very impressed with this film. The animation style was so unique, the comic book references made it stand out, and the portrayal of Peter B Parker (Jake Johnson) touched that Tobey Maguire love in my heart. There were many times during Across the Spiderverse that pulled at my nostalgic MCU heartstrings but these moments didn't overtake the whole story the movie was trying to tell. It did a good job balancing fan service while telling a story that I think reflected a bit of Dr. Strange: Multiverse of Madness but in a less darker way. 

Even though I didn't grow up reading every Spider-Man comic, I understood most of the references in Across the Spiderverse from watching the MCU, internet memes, and seeing Into the Spiderverse, so if you aren't a hardcore comic book nerd, you'll still laugh. The villain in the beginning, The Spot, who we see in the trailer was hilarious. His character paralleled a lot of other Spider-Man villains we have met in the past, and then as the movie continues, we meet some "baddies" who complicate things for Miles and what he's trying to accomplish.  

The movie has its silly moments, but it also had a lot of heartfelt moments. As a parent, I was right alongside Miles's parents. The director shared in an interview that this movie is about Miles wanting to grow up and find his way in the world, even though he's only 15. Yes, he's Spider-Man and has experienced things not all 15-year-olds have, but something is coming he's definitely not ready for. I really appreciated that his parents didn't play dumb about everything. They're solid role models for Miles and even admit they've made mistakes, and when things get tough, they work as a team. And it's fun as a parent to watch them balance letting Miles grow through his own experiences away from the nest while trying to help him mature into a good and stable person. It's also entertaining to watch Miles work through that himself even though his teenage experience is hardly the same as his fellow classmates, hence his desire to be with his spidey friends. 

We learn a lot more about Gwen Stacy and her background, we get to meet Peter B Parker again as a daddy toting his little daughter May Day around, and we are introduced to variants of Spider-Men including, Miguel O'Hara, Pavitr Prabhakar, Hobie, Jessica Drew and more. It sounds daunting all these new characters, but as any Spider-Man fan knows, each variation of Spider-Man that we've seen in the MCU follows a pattern of losing someone close to them then using that to become a better hero. So if you haven't read any comics, you won't be completely clueless about each of these Spider-Man's origin stories. 

Bottom line, if you're a Marvel fan and have seen all or most of the Spider-Man movies, you'll LOVE this movie. The fan service is on point, and all those inside jokes that we MCU fans have come to be a part of will have you giggling. You'll cheer on our spider heroes and feel remorse for their struggles. You'll try to contain your excitement to avoid embarrassment (unless you see it this weekend), and you'll smile wide when you get the reference. You'll be shocked by the twists and turns, and do your best after the film to figure out what will happen next. And when it's time to leave, you'll want more! It's actually hilarious that Sony is doing Marvel right more than Kevin Feige. I know I said it, but it feels like Marvel has no direction, and this movie is so nice because it puts us on some kind of trajectory. There is so much I want to talk about but there is SO much that can be spoiled, so I'll end it all here. 

Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse comes out June 2, go see it before I or another friend accidentally spoils it all for you!