With its complex narrative and wildly imaginative approach towards animation, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse proves you don’t have to dumb things down to have popular appeal. It’s an approach that resonates with a large and vocally appreciative audience.
Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) proves it is still tough being a young Spider-Man and balancing high school, girls and keeping the parental units unaware of your superhero antics. He’s also enduring the absence of gal pal Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld). When Gwen returns and seeks his help on a mission, it turns his life inside out.
The look of the film is unlike any other and uses a plethora of animation techniques and a robust palette of colours to dazzle the eye. It’s not just the visual presentation that is arresting, there are so many fresh ideas for the expansion of its characters. This is buttressed by a unique look by the animators and the approach of the voice actors.
The expansion of the multi-verse is impressive and requires some past knowledge of the first chapter in the saga, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Viewing that first film before seeing the new edition is an advantage in understanding the nuances. Even without prior knowledge, it is still a bold and inventive work that rewards those that can keep up.
Rob Hudson
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