Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac
Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Release Date: June 2nd
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Something strange happened when I sat down to watch this movie, as the film began and the slates of Columbia, Sony, Marvel appeared, I GOT GOOSEBUMPS. I think it was the tense sound design and how the graphics were glitching on screen that got me, I have never experienced this before. When the movie has not even started, and I am getting a good feeling, something is right and also I could be in for one hell of a WEBventure. I could not contain my excitement throughout, and how I was blown away at the high imaginative scale of the animation and creativity. Each scene was so clever and intelligent when explaining the information that we as an audience need to know. Near the beginning of the movie, we are reunited with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) as she gives us a recap of her back story with the use of her drumkit. It was so brilliant, that the snappy use of sound and character movement makes you fully invested and grabs your attention from the start. This smart method is used in different ways for the majority of the movie, and for the most part it works flawlessy, and sometimes it does not work.
In certain points scattered throughout the movie, we are overloaded with information that it can be hard to keep track and process what we need to know. In one scene, we are shown a flashback as there is dialogue voiced over it, adding to the graphic that we need to read that is visible at the right bottom corner of the screen. But I really am nitpicking at this stage, and it does not take away from the magnitude of this $100 million budget, as you can visually tell that every cent of it was used to almost perfection. Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is again so likeable and you can’t help but feel the energy that he shows, and sometimes you wish you could glide with him as slings through the streets of New York. Newcomers Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) and Hobie (Daniel Kaluuya) give steller performances in their own right to there own character traits. But, it is very diffuicult to fully delve into the specifics of this film, without using caution and avoiding upsetting super fans of Spiderman. But, they will not be disappointed and there certainly will be lots happy and pleased faces leaving cinemas across Ireland.
At the very few minimal points in this film, where the non stop action and bizarre craziness comes to a hault, it can be a little slow when there is a reliance to the plot and storyline. But, I think that I constantly wanted more and more of the non-stop fast pacing madness that had me smiling like a Cheshire cat when on show. At a running time of 2hr 20mins, I think it might be a little long for our younger spidey fans, but the grown ups will be wanting more.
Overall: 8/10
Movie Reviewer
