‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ went beyond every expectation

Marvel had a rocky start in 2023 with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, but they have been flying high since the release of the last instalment of Guardians of the Galaxy. 

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was released in 2018, and it was one of the most successful MCU films of all time, even though it was an animated film. Its sequel, Across the Spider-Verse, was set to release on June 2 this year, and the expectations were high. 

With an amazing storyline, stunning and unique animations, and positive reception from both critics and fans, the sequel triumphed over the first film.

After the events in Into the Spider-Verse, the protagonist Miles Morales is seen living a teenage superhero life like every other Spider-Man does: attending school and crime-fighting as a vigilante. 

His daily life comes to a halt when he faces a new supervillain, Spot, who causes quite a commotion in his neighbourhood, and his multiversal spider friend, Gwen Stacy, comes to his universe to pursue him. 

Miles Morales dons his Spider-Man persona and pursues Spot with his new spider-friends across the multiverse: Indian Spider-Man Pavitra Pravakar and outcast Spider-Punk. Miles joins the Spider Society with their assistance, where Spider-Men from different universes get together.

However, every version of Spider-Man has a traumatic event in their life that shaped them into the friendly neighbourhood superheroes they became. 

But Miles Morales had no traumatic event, as he never saw his loved ones die. Turns out, the spider that bit Miles came from a different universe. Miles’ father, Jefferson, dies in that universe, and Miles wasn’t supposed to become Spider-Man in the first place. Miles challenges the inevitable death of his father, so he embroils himself in a multiple-way fight against the Spider Society and Spot, who will kill Jefferson.

Can Miles save his timeline? Who becomes his allies and enemies in the end? How will Spot be stopped? The 140-minute animated film answers them with a cliffhanger at the end, where Miles’ spider friends band together to save the day. 

The ending also signifies that there will be a third film, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which will be released next year.

There are 280 variations of Spider-Man, of which 95 are unique, and the plot revolves within six universes, including Mumbai and Manhattan combined Mumbattan and futuristic Nueva York. This shows the diversity and tenacity of the thousand-member animation team that pushed the limits of this film, and the lifelong fans of Spider-Man are in for a treat.

Across the Spider-Verse is a visual treat for the audience and a work of art by itself. The story is very well structured compared to recent MCU films, and the film soundtrack is a masterpiece, with songs from well-established hip-hop artists like Metro Boomin, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne, and A$ap Rocky. 

This film has a stellar cast, including Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Daniel Kaluyya, Oscar Isaac, and so on.

Into the Spider-Verse won the Oscar for best-animated film in 2019 and grossed over $380 million. Across the Spider-Verse has already grossed $208.6 million in four days after premiering. Will it win major accolades and surpass its predecessor’s record? 

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