‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Review Roundup: What Critics Are Saying
Sony has had a hard time finding a consistent vision for Spider-Man in the live-action realm without the help of Disney but they’ve nailed the animated side of things. 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was one of the most acclaimed films of the year and won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film. A highly anticipated sequel is finally getting released to the public called Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and it appears to be another hit.
As of the writing of this, Across the Spider-Verse holds a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is just a tad below the 97% that Into the Spider-Verse holds. While the sequel isn’t as impactful as the first film, critics are blown away by the animation.
“Across the Spider-Verse looks incredible, even better than the groundbreaking first installment, but what’s truly impressive about it is how willing it is to entrust its storytelling to its animation,” Alison Willmore wrote in her review for Vulture.
Across the Spider-Verse will get lauded for its visuals more than anything but Soren Andersen of the Seattle Times was impressed with the screenplay written by Phil Lord, Chris Miller and David Callaham.
“Thanks to a staggeringly inventive screenplay… the movie becomes an immersive experience that sweeps the audience into all-encompassing venues of imagination,” Andersen wrote.
A problem that some might have is that the film isn’t a full story and the movie ends in a cliffhanger. John Wenzel of the Denver Post lamented that he will have to wait for the story’s conclusion.
Everything clicks, right up until and including the cliffhanger ending that reminds us that this is just part one of a two-film sequel. It’s going to be a long wait for March 2024.
However, not everybody was very high on the film. Ty Burr of Ty Burr’s Watch List was one of the few critics to give Across the Spider-Verse a negative review.
“I knew we’d get a sequel eventually, but I didn’t expect them to suck most of the joy out of it,” Burr wrote.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse comes out on June 2, 2023.
