Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Edwin Arnaudin: We'd originally planned to discuss Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Thursday night after our respective screenings, but both left our theaters feeling a bit shaken by the experience and needing a little more time to process what we'd been through.

What was foremost on your mind after our second cinematic adventure with Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), and how did those thoughts evolve overnight?

Isa Whitaker: I think you captured it perfectly last night when you said you "OD'd on color." I definitely felt that, but in the best way possible. I left the theater with my mind racing in a thousand ways. There was so much to process, and as the night went on I found myself eager for another viewing.

Edwin: As with 2018's Into the Spider-Verse, the visuals are indeed the main attraction. Not only do we have a person of color as Spider-Man and representation across the cast of characters, but the array of animation on display remains a constant source of eye candy.

However, as Miles reconnects with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), his crush from another dimension, and meets a group of Spider-Folk tasked with containing abnormalities within the Spider-Verse, led by the brooding Miguel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac), the thrills and humor we love are present but it eventually becomes too much. I felt bombarded by the visuals, storytelling, and jokes, all of which started to feel repetitive and bloated a tight, two-hour movie into one 15-20 minutes too long.

Isa: It was definitely a long-winded adventure, and I found myself completely immersed through the first two acts. I started to feel the length of it as the ending neared, but honestly, if they would have Godfather: Part II'd it and paused for an intermission, I could have sat through Part 2 then and there.

Edwin: You know, I would have done the same. I'm curious to see what happens in the next installment and wonder if some of what we get here might have fit better in the continuation. (I also wish I'd known it was a Part 1 as that might have helped me better process the final 15-20 minutes.)

Isa: Yeah, I whispered and told my wife it was a Part 1 as it was starting to mentally prepare her for the cliffhanger, but I was not expecting that ending at all.

Edwin: Which details do you think directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, and the screenwriting team of Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham could have tightened up here, either during those initial acts or in the final stretch?

Isa: Man, that's a tough one. I would initially say some of the moments where characters were engaging with family members, but at the same time there are some real gems during those moments, so it's hard to say exactly. I'm most definitely going to need another viewing, but I know for sure it's not the pit stop in the Lego Universe. That was one of my favorite parts.

Edwin: This one felt pretty emotionally stunted to me, especially after the big heartfelt moments of its predecessor. The scene with Miles and his parents (Luna Lauren Velez and Brian Tyree Henry, my picks for cast MVPs) on their building's rooftop plays out with a natural grace and angst, but many of the other would-be big exchanges feel forced and rely on explicit messaging via hamfisted dialogue to get its points across. We're a Spider-Verse audience, dammit! We don't need things spelled out for us.

But I agree that a second viewing will be rewarding on numerous levels. That way, viewers can accept the film more for what it is and spend more time marveling at all the creativity unfurling onscreen. I wouldn't mind revisiting the scene with Gwen and her father (Shea Whigham), in which the walls of her bedroom transform into a cascade of watercolors, poetically conveying the tone of their discussion. Which other sequences stood out to you after the hilarious Lego detour?

Isa: The scene where Miles is talking to his mother and she's making him promise to take care of himself is a moment I think a lot of parents will relate to and get watery-eyed over, especially if they have kids in the preteen to teenage years.

Edwin: Not being a parent, I'll take your word for it. (However, if we want to talk about Spider-Cat "vomiting" a web onto Miles' face, I've got some stories!)

I'm also curious what you think about the film's more meta elements, particularly the Canon Events — moments that every Spider-Man in each universe must endure as part of his/her hero's journey, lest something very very bad happens. As someone who reads A LOT of comics, how did this commentary on these storytelling "rules" play for you?

Isa: I found that detail to be really interesting and unexpected, and heartbreaking for all my Spider people out there. Because knowing all things must be kept canon, there's no way to avoid Uncle Ben dying, or Captain Stacy dying, or Gwen Stacy dying. Also, I think it was a cool way to basically make all forms of Spidey media (shows, movies, video games, comics, etc.) connected in a way.

Edwin: Well, we'll see how inevitable all of that truly is in Part 2, but I also found that concept of Cabin in the Woods-style requirements necessary to maintain a certain order a fascinating idea.

Isa: Did any characters that made their on-screen debut stand out to you, or did you like certain ones better than others?

Edwin: I can't think of a new character I didn’t like. Similar to Into the Spider-Verse, they're all introduced so seamlessly and in such entertaining fashion that I looked forward to each new variant. On the Spider side, it's tough not to favor Hobie Brown aka Spider-Punk, who Daniel Kaluuya voices with an infectious cockney charm. And on the villain side, it was a treat to hear Jason Schwartzman's distinctive nasal sound emit from Miles' adversary The Spot.

How about you? Any favorites from the comics that you were especially happy to see in animated form?

Isa: Agreed, Spider-Punk was a favorite and one I was looking forward to seeing. I thought he was done well. I also enjoyed The Spot as a villain. Without saying too much, Miles will definitely have his hands full in Part 2.

There were definitely other ones I remember being excited to see, like the Unlimited Spider-Man from the ’90s cartoon and the 1967 animated show. I can't wait to be able to watch it at home where I'll be able to pause the movie and count all the other Spider people that I'm familiar with.

Also, have you listened to any of the soundtrack or score?

Edwin: Not yet, but now that I see Nas has a track and A$AP Rocky appears on a few, I'll give it a spin. Any other recommendations?

Isa: I've been listening to the soundtrack and score and have been enjoying them both. The sounds take me back to moments in the movie and helps me to remember and feel the emotions from certain scenes. Favorites from the soundtrack so far are “Annihilate” (Swae Lee, Lil Wayne & Offset), “Am I Dreaming” (A$AP Rocky & Roisee), and “Calling” (Swae Lee & NAV). Even more so than the first film, I feel like the music plays such an integral part of the whole experience.

Edwin: Nice! Well, as you noted, I too could have dove right into the follow-up after a brief respite, but considering 4.5 years elapsed between Spider-Verse chapters, I hope there's not as long of a wait between these installments! I'm still gathering my bearings a tad and my eyes have almost stopped shaking, so I'm not quite ready for that revisit just yet. But I also can't shake the feeling that this is one shaggy, overwhelming movie, in need of some serious editing to bring out its best version. I give it a B for now, but as with many parts of a whole (looking at you, Dune: Part One), I'm curious how it'll play once the full story is told.

Isa: Part 2 is scheduled to drop March 2024! Overall I'm feeling an A-minus from me.

Grade: B-plus. Rated PG. Now playing at AMC River Hills 10, Asheville Pizza & Brewing Co., Carolina Cinemark, and Regal Biltmore Grande

(Photos: Sony Pictures Animation)