Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse has received overwhelming praise from critics, who have described it as “in the running for the best superhero film ever”.
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, the animated superhero film is the sequel to 2018’s Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.
In the follow-up, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) is launched on another adventure into the multiverse alongside Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld).
A synopsis reads: “Miles Morales catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.”
In a five-star review, Empire described it as “another masterpiece”, writing: “Across The Spider-Verse cranks every dial to 11, and somehow doesn’t collapse in on itself. Visually astonishing, emotionally powerful, narratively propulsive – it’s another masterpiece.”
Giving the film an ‘A’ grade in their review, Collider wrote: “Across The Spider-Verse isn’t just easily one of the best films of 2023 and one of the best animated films in years, it’s also in the running for best superhero film ever, and arguably cements Miles Morales as the best Spider-Man we’ve seen on the screen so far.
“Across The Spider-Verse is ambitious and remarkable to a point that it almost feels like a miracle this movie even exists – thankfully, we live in the universe where it does.”
In a positive review on Verge, it notes that the sequel’s ending will make the year-long wait for the third outing, Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse, “absolute hell”.
“Across The Spider-Verse is a bigger, bolder, and more ambitious project than its predecessor in almost every way – so much so that its entire story doesn’t at all fit into a single movie with an especially satisfying ending,” the review reads.
In a three-star review, the Guardian was less effusive with praise. “It’s dynamic and intriguing, though the detail and the emotion can get lost in the splurge,” they wrote.
Other cast members include Brian Tyree Henry, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya and Oscar Isaac.
Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse is in cinemas now. The film’s follow-up, Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse, is scheduled to be released on March 29, 2024.