Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Review - A sequel that not only matches but surpasses the original

When Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse came out in 2018 it blew away everything that Hollywood animation studios were doing till then out of the water.

The movie with its unique flavor and blending of different art styles raised the bar for Western animation, which till then had been mostly lagging behind what studios in Japan have been doing for well over 2 decades.

So the sequel Across the Spider-Verse has a lot to look up to and I am glad to say that this movie is one of those rare sequels that not only matches the original but surpasses it.

Everything from the animation, scale, emotion, and story has been taken up a notch and while a lot of sequels try and fail at this, here it works thanks to some excellent direction and a strong screenplay.

The movie is set a year after the events of Into the Spider-Verse and the story covers both Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy and how their secret identities take a toll on their personal lives.

However, they are soon recruited into a team that has every Spider-Man from every universe, who join forces to protect the Spider-Verse and face off against a new and deadly threat.

While the animation is spectacular, special mention has to be given to the music by Daniel Pemberton and the excellent voice acting by the cast, not a single performance feels forced or dull.

The main cast of the movie including Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, and Jake Johnson bring their A game in every scene.

Despite the darker themes explored in the movie, the movie does have its share of jokes. After all, you can't make a good Spider-Man movie without some jokes, and boy do they deliver. They are a testament to why Spider-Man is one of the most beloved superheroes in the world.

This movie also has a ton of references and surprise cameos that you can miss, so it may take you a few rewatches to catch them all.

So if you enjoyed 'Into the Spider-Verse', then the sequel will leave you wanting more.