Fan-favorite Steinfeld’s character, Gwen, is thankfully in more of the spotlight in this film, delving deeper into her tragic upbringing and her feelings of being marginalized in her world, especially at home. She has a driving pop-punk theme that is part of a killer soundtrack where rock, hip-hop and reggaeton thrive, and an aesthetic of soft pinks and lavenders and stunning color streaks with heavy brushstrokes. to create an almost immersive comic book experience.
The coaching team of Joaquín Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson has mastered every detail, from a wheelchair basketball game on a nearby court to a shelf of beef patties in a warehouse in Jamaica. We are building a realistic and multicultural New York. .
Both of the three Spider-Verse films create dimensions with this kind of detail, but that doesn’t just mean animation. (To be fair, though, the endless city skyline seen upside down from Gwen and Miles’ field of vision is a satisfying visual return to the first game and its singular masterpiece.) Dimensional is in the driving force of the story. itself.
This isn’t just a multi-world slogfest, it’s a building romance. Because what is adolescence but facing the possibilities of life, the infinite self? It’s about figuring out your identity and finding your place, superhero or not. The fact that Miles and Gwen also fly spider webs and swing skyscrapers accompanies their emotional arc in the film.
Spider-Verse also raises interesting questions about the limits of canon and whether the tragedies of the deaths of Uncle Ben, Aunt May, and Uncle Aaron are prerequisites for Spider-Man’s origin story. And whether trauma completely defines these heroes, and if so, whether they can find a kinship there.
The most disappointing part of “Spider-Verse” is the ruthless cliffhanger at the end, leading the film into a two-part tradition of too much story and too little time to tell it. But Across the Spider-Verse is never boring or precious, thanks to its characters and comedy. I think this proves that when it comes to Spidey’s Census, it’s a multiverse where two is a team, three is a party, and hundreds are full of opportunity.
Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse
PG designation. Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes. at the theater.
