Sequels are hard, but you knew that already. Moviegoers have been pummeled by horror franchises, walloped by action franchises, and thrashed by sci-fi franchises. Through years of substandard crap, we’ve been trained that anything with a title that includes a Part Two/The Spawning/The Quickening or some usage of a colon probably sucks. 

That’s not always the case, though. Done right, sequels aren’t simply a craven cash grab. They can illuminate aspects of the original, tell a story that’s more complicated, flesh out supporting characters, and even tell an aspect of the story a different way. Just look at Aliens, The Godfather: Part 2, or perhaps the greatest live-action superhero sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

And speaking of superheroes, you might have noticed two things. First, the superhero cinematic boom continues. Second, superhero fatigue is probably real. Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania underperformed, leading to a deluge of op-eds/online posts confidently predicting the death of cape cinema. The truth lies somewhere in the middle, since all genres fade in and out of popularity.  In 1959, some moviegoer thought, “Jesus, I’m tired of cowboy movies.” Westerns were the dominant genre then, but not so much now.* 

What if I told you that one of the greatest sequels to date is an animated superhero movie? What if you’re sick to death of cape and cowl flicks, and you have a lingering suspicion that animated fare is simply dressed-up kiddie stuff? You might think that’s the worst of all possible worlds. Look, before you decide to sneak across the Canadian border, heed my words, gentle reader. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the second of three films in the Spider-Verse trilogy, isn’t just better than anything in the MCU. It might be one of the best films of the year and an honest-to-God work of art.

One year after the events of Into the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is New York’s only Spider-Man. He helped shut down a troublesome transdimensional portal, made new friends who are also of the Spider-persuasion, and celebrated his fifteenth birthday. Perhaps most importantly, Miles has learned that the face under that webbed mask doesn’t have to be Peter Parker. It can be anyone.

But Miles is still the only webslinger in NYC, and that’s a lot of work. His parents Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) and Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry) love him, yet they don’t know about his jumping and thwipping exploits. They expect great things from him in the form of top grades. A college in New Jersey beckons. Miles sort of wants that, too. Moreso, he wants to tell his parents about who he really is, and he’s terrified of what that knowledge could do to their relationship.

Also, one year after the events of Into the Spider-Verse, Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) is New York’s only Spider-Woman. It’s a different New York in a different world. Her father George Stacy (Shea Wigham) is a cop, and he doesn’t know about her extracurricular activities. He’s hunting her. She knows she has a responsibility to save lives, but she wants to tell her father about who she really is, and she’s terrified of what the knowledge could do to their relationship.

Things get complicated when Miles also has to deal with a superpowered dingus called The Spot (Jason Schwartzman). He’s more than a guy who can open holes in the world, he can open holes to other worlds. Things get more complicated with Gwen’s arrival on Miles’ world, and her involvement with the Spider-Society. What’s that? Just a multidimensional assemblage of Spider-People led by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), the Spider-Man of 2099. He’s laser-focused on stopping problems that can affect the multiverse, and Miles could be one of those problems.

There are a lot of sequels out there. For many of them, the plan is to do what the first movie did, just the same and bigger. The great sequels, the ones that really matter, know a secret that’s not a secret. To be great, a sequel needs to understand what worked about the first movie and use it as a foundation to build upon. It needs to honor what came before while being willing to strike out in new and daring directions.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a great sequel, and I don’t think it’s hyperbole to place it on the same pedestal as The Empire Strikes Back. Directors Joachim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson had big shoes to fill, considering Into the Spider-Verse won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. They used the original as a jumping-off point to create a visual feast, a movie that’s overwhelming in the best ways. The animation is stunning, and like the original it’s a crazy quilt of different artistic styles that flow together. It’s a lot to take in. Across forces you to pay attention because not only is the animation gorgeous, it also effectively illuminates what characters are feeling. We see it as it works in tandem with the perceptive script and smart vocal performances.

The script by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and David Callaham is, and I heartily apologize for the pun, a marvel. That’s not because of the thrilling and creative action sequences,** nor is it because of the very, very clever sense of humor. Consider that in Into the Spider-Verse, the main theme is that you don’t have to be Peter Parker to be Spider-Man, and that anyone can wear the mask. Here, the movie investigates what it takes to be a hero, and if it’s really true that heroism comes from moments of loss and trauma. So many superhero stories lean into the concept that the hero must lose their parents/uncle/spouse/step-grandfather and emerge from the emotional maelstrom as the strongest version of themselves. Across the Spider-Verse responds with, “Maybe it doesn’t always have to be that way?” 

Voice acting is rarely appreciated in animated projects, and when well-known actors are brought in, audiences have been trained to either nod at their schtick or give their half-assed performances a break because they’re celebrities. That’s not even close to the case here. Everyone with a speaking role crushes it, and while actors like Karan Soni, Issa Rae, and Andy Samberg might not have much screen time, they all make strong impressions. If there was one actor in this cast of heavyweights that waltzes in to steal the whole damn thing, it would be Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk. Coming from a Thatcher-esque universe, he’s a hero that’s brash, hilarious, and contrary. How contrary is he? Look for the moment where the most punk rock thing for him to do is be kind and supportive. It’s also worth mentioning the reappearance of Jake Johnson’s Peter B. Parker. Last time he was a sweatpants-wearing sad sack. This time around he’s brought along his infant daughter Mayday, and Johnson sells the annoying enthusiasm Peter has as a new parent.

Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld are co-leads this time around, and the film is stronger for it. As Miles, Moore rides the adolescent line between absolute confidence and nagging uncertainty. He’s vulnerable, cocky, terrified, and ready to step up to be a hero again. Hailee Steinfeld plays similar notes, and like a great jazz musician, her notes compliment Moore and vice versa. Steinfeld’s Gwen has been superheroing a little longer, seen a little more. There’s a kind of pessimistic fatalism to her performance, a sense that things largely are terrible and it’s simply the way things are. She’s lost so much during her life that she’s accepted it can’t be helped, and yet she still wants to do the right thing. 

The Dark Knight and The Empire Strikes Back are two of the greatest sequels ever made. They built on the originals and surpassed them. Like those films, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse does the same. Like those films, Across ends on a cliffhanger.*** I hope, like those films, that this film becomes as beloved. The only difference is that this film could only exist and function correctly animated. I feel positive this will make it on my top 10 of the year list. If it doesn’t? Then we’ve had an exceptional year of movies.

 

*Still, once in a while an exceptional Western is released, reminding us of the best of the genre. 

**Which, if they appeared in a live action movie, would cause the budget to be north of $500 million.

***There will be people complaining that since Across ends on a cliffhanger, it’s not a complete story. That’s not correct. Look at who the film begins with and ends with, and you’ll see the film provides a satisfying character arc.



Tim Brennan
Tim has been alarmingly enthusiastic about movies ever since childhood. He grew up in Boulder and, foolishly, left Colorado to study Communications in Washington State. Making matters worse, he moved to Connecticut after meeting his too-good-for-him wife. Drawn by the Rockies and a mild climate, he triumphantly returned and settled down back in Boulder County. He's written numerous screenplays, loves hiking, and embarrassed himself in front of Samuel L. Jackson. True story.  
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