Is This The Best Marvel Movie Ever?

Miles Ahead

Tripwire’s senior editor Andrew Colman reviews Spider-man: Across The Spider-verse out in cinemas now…

Spider-man: Across The Spider-verse
Directed by: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson
Voices: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Tyree, Henry Luna, Lauren Velez, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham and Oscar Isaac

After the high points of Avengers: Infinity War and Thor: Ragnarok, Disney / Marvel gradually came unstuck after a succession of inferior and rather vapid sequels, forcing audiences to re-evaluate the corporation’s floundering, creatively stale formula. Yes, there was the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home, but even that relied on novelty rather than anything innovative.

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-verse on the other hand wasn’t fanfared as something pivotal (blanket promotion notwithstanding), but more another slab of zany light entertainment, like its enjoyable but ultimately forgettable predecessor. So when I turned up for the gala screening (prefaced as it was by an intrusively loud DJ set – this film is not aimed anywhere near my demographic) I expected more of the same – somewhat twee, pre-teen one-liners, hyperactive, overdriven action sequences and sledgehammer direction. There was a wee bit of that, certainly, but after a half hour or so it dawned on me that there was ambition afoot. This wasn’t just a cynical exercise in money-printing, but a zany, intense ode to all things four color, which captured the spirit of the medium but also transcended it.

It takes a short while to adjust to the cadences and intense pace of the movie, which focuses on fifteen-year-old Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) the Spider-Man of his universe who succeeded Peter Parker, along with his love interest Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) who is also Spider-Woman. After a predictably destructive showdown between Gwen and an absurdly ornate Vulture in a museum, she opts to leave Earth 65 with Miguel O’Hara (Spider-Man 2099) and Jessica Drew (another Spider-Woman), to the Spider-Society, who exist in another dimension. We eventually learn that this society, replete with Spideys from myriad realities, is in charge of damage limitation concerning the activities of each and every Spider-persons “canon” across the multiverse, and inevitably there are some deeply unfortunate anomalies that may upset matters.

What is impressive, despite any misgivings I may have, is that at times the graphics are so well done that the characters are remarkably humanised, which brings the proceedings that much closer to the magic of the source material. Miles Morales is a palpably developed character, along with most of the chief protagonists, while the quality of the art is a quantum leap from the first instalment. Certain set-pieces, particularly when the narrative comes into focus, are a feast of pop-culture references, while the art direction and narrative cohesion makes for a gripping last hour. Morales’s trajectory takes us from the lightweight and ephemeral to a noirish, hard-boiled conclusion, where the strain of his increasingly solitary journey is naturalistic and tautly suspenseful. You actually don’t know what’s going to happen next, and at no point does the drama feel forced. The concepts are remarkable, regardless of all the complexities, and above all adequately suspend disbelief, while the finale (bear in mind there’s a third movie in the works that follows on from this one) opts for the “less is more” cliff-hanger.

In every aspect of the storytelling and framing, it is superior to the overly familiar live action antics of the MCU stable. It’s as if the showrunners and producers finally got a handle on the possibilities of what CGI animation could achieve, and wilfully threw out the rule book. What this movie brings to the table is a far bigger palette, and the ability to be considerably more imaginative than the obviously more constrained and inflexible MCU flicks.

So could this movie be the game changer? Despite the time required to make such movies it wouldn’t necessarily require any “A” listers to take on the roles, and could lead to a lot more of such projects. Again, the formula would eventually pall but as it stands this is far better comic-related fare than anything in recent memory, or indeed ever. All in all, the MCU needed a shift in tone and format, and such detailed animation should provide this. The proof of this will be in subsequent projects, but for now we have this tour de force that will generate more than a ripple in the fan continuum.

So is it the best Marvel movie? It’s a close call, but probably.

Spider-man: Across The Spider-verse is out now in cinemas

Here’s the film’s trailer

Check Out A Brand New Trailer From Spider-man: Across The Spider-verse