Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

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I thought the first movie was great. I don't know how they went and made a second movie that was just as great as the first one. The art style and animation has always been impeccable, although I think they brought it up a notch throwing more chaotic and vibrant colors into the mix and using it to convey emotions more vividly. Story was brilliantly done, I really liked how they leaned into Miles' inner conflict with trying to balance a normal life and being Spider-Man in the context of trying to stay connected with his parents, and I also liked how they made something like saving a life a morally perplexing dilemma. Like here I didn't find myself disagreeing with Miles' POV about saving his dad nor did I disagree with Miguel's POV about how some things have to be sacrificed to save the multiverse/humanity as a whole. Both of them had some really strong points, and emotions were running high when the two were against each other because of that.

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There were so many comic book references and cameos that were so cool to see, both direct and indirect. Some of the standouts were the PS4 spiderman, the movie spidermen, that asian shopkeeper from venom, and donald glover as prowler. Of course this was just some cool fanservice, and they did spend a decent amount of time fleshing out the key spider-men/women from other universes, such as the Indian Spider-Man. Spider-Man 2099 was so fun to watch and I loved how ruthless he was to Miles at times. Miles as a Prowler was a pleasant surprise, and so was the return of the OG spideys from the first film.This movie was also surprisingly hilarious too at times, and it builds upon what made the first film good while having its own distinct style to it. I left the theater wanting more, and honestly there's very little I could say that needs improvement.

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I know quite a few people have made some noise about the cliffhanger ending, and my friends and I definitely raised the question of whether the movie would have benefitted from accepting a conclusion if it was allowed to run for another 45 mins to an hour, max. From a general story POV, the movie leaves us to await the final battle between Miles, the other spideys, and of course the Spot. On paper it seems like something that could have easily been written into the film rather than justify a part 2. I do agree that it could have been done and given the film a more complete ending rather than one that makes us wait for the next film. However, considering how much depth and detail was given to the characters and their stories in this film, I think a third movie makes sense. You have characters like Spider Noir and the other OGs making a comeback, you have the unresolved chapter between Gwen and her dad, figuring out how Miguel and co. are going to play into the final chapter between Miles and the Spot, and there's just the interesting element of Aaron and Prowler Miles and how they're gonna play a role in the third film, if any. On top of that, there's the question of how exactly will the movie end and whether life will be the same for Miles at the end.
I'm very much interested by how all these things are going to play out in the third film, and I have no doubt that since they chose the longer route, that means we can expect a lot more things that we haven't seen before. As someone who couldn't get enough out of this film, I think a third film just means the promise of more fun characters and stories to explore in the Spiderverse. I think of it very much like how they handled Thanos' story in Infinity War, and imo it makes a lot of sense :peepoPray:
OST wise, I think the first film had songs that will forever remain iconic. However, the songs in this one were also decent, although they didn't always catch on to me. Miguel's theme and Mona Lisa stand out, although I will give the other songs a second listen to see how I like them (sometimes I just kinda tuned out the song to hear the dialogue)
My rating is Solid 9/10
If you enjoyed the first spiderverse film, you'll definitely enjoy this one as well.

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