Looking back on my review of the first Spider-Verse film, I see that I described it as ambitious, which it certainly was, but with 20 extra minutes of length and an exponential increase in Spider-Man quantities, the sequel has turned the dial up to 11. And for the most part, the efforts are successful. The movie delivers powerful emotional beats, plenty of great humor, and most impressive of all, a non-stop display of beautiful/creative animation. That said, I did have some quibbles.
By the back half, I was absolutely feeling the movie's length, which was made even worse by the growing realization that the story wasn't working toward an actual conclusion, with the ultimate "to be continued" reveal not really sitting well with me. I think this connects with my feeling that the movie didn't have a strong enough central plot thread. We spend so much time on these admittedly great character moments, that the "big bad" ends up feeling like a B Plot. Maybe even a C Plot by the end. I'd also say that some individual scenes dragged on more than I felt necessary. I think the movie was at it's strongest in the opening act. Some of the emotional beats in the back half didn't feel quite as natural. I also think they spent too much time building up the "Miles is in a different universe" twist, which felt too obvious to warrant that much time.
All of that said, I still really enjoyed the movie. The voice acting is consistently excellent. The new Spider-Man designs are unique and fun. And again, the animation cannot be highlighted enough. Setting the bar high for the entire industry.
Review by SkinnyFilmBuffVIP 8BlockedParent2023-06-04T23:36:57Z
Looking back on my review of the first Spider-Verse film, I see that I described it as ambitious, which it certainly was, but with 20 extra minutes of length and an exponential increase in Spider-Man quantities, the sequel has turned the dial up to 11. And for the most part, the efforts are successful. The movie delivers powerful emotional beats, plenty of great humor, and most impressive of all, a non-stop display of beautiful/creative animation. That said, I did have some quibbles.
By the back half, I was absolutely feeling the movie's length, which was made even worse by the growing realization that the story wasn't working toward an actual conclusion, with the ultimate "to be continued" reveal not really sitting well with me. I think this connects with my feeling that the movie didn't have a strong enough central plot thread. We spend so much time on these admittedly great character moments, that the "big bad" ends up feeling like a B Plot. Maybe even a C Plot by the end. I'd also say that some individual scenes dragged on more than I felt necessary. I think the movie was at it's strongest in the opening act. Some of the emotional beats in the back half didn't feel quite as natural. I also think they spent too much time building up the "Miles is in a different universe" twist, which felt too obvious to warrant that much time.
All of that said, I still really enjoyed the movie. The voice acting is consistently excellent. The new Spider-Man designs are unique and fun. And again, the animation cannot be highlighted enough. Setting the bar high for the entire industry.