#Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse review

[viberevstudios]

Discussion Topics: GEEK BROS interrupt their regularly scheduled programming to react to all the announcements at CinemaCon 2023. Keepin' Up With The GEEK BROS Podcast now playing on your favorite podcasting app or listen here - https://webegeekspc.com/keepin-up-with-the-geek-bros-podcast-cinemacon-2023-special-part-1/

[fandom]

What a nice little gay list this is.

Happy Pride, y'all. The much-anticipated Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now in theaters and folks are embracing a whole new cohort of Spider-folks. The series finales of Succession and Ted Lasso aired and, well, they both left fans with a whole mess of emotions. Emotional support himbos and Roys, you'll be missed. Ranboo's Generation Loss is finally here after years of hype and the fan art and theories abound in the tags. The full trailer for Barbie dropped and is full of existential crises backed by an Indigo Girls soundtrack, which: again, happy Pride. Finally, The Little Mermaid film has folks visiting a whole new world. This is Tumblr's Week in Review.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Succession

Barbie

Pride Month

Ted Lasso

Artists on Tumblr

Asexual

Generation Loss: The Social Experiments

Miguel O'Hara | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

LGBTQ

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Hobie Brown | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Lesbian

The Little Mermaid

The Good Place

Bisexual

Gay

Miles Morales | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Stranger Things

Queer

[atlsanc]

~Spider-man, spider-man,

does whatever a spider can~

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An older post for spider man: across the spiderverse! I really like both movies and can't wait for the second part ahaha so here is a pagespread for the movie 🕷

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[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: Spider-man : Across the Spiderverse

thanks @knightsweeties for drawing my icon's spidersona

So I am WAY behind on movies I should have been watching and Finally cleared my schedule enough to watch this movie

So I think I will break it down into the following. As a fan of into the spider-verse, my expectations for this film are a lot higher than most movies. Here's how I am breaking it down.

Animation

Plot

The Characters

The Lesson

Does it live up to the hype

Final Thoughts

____________________________________________________________

Animation

Across the Spiderverse is an animation marvel.

I wouldnt call it beautiful, because that is such a mundane term. It is artistically masterful. It even goes beyond what it had done in the previous film.

The way the film has each universe has its own art, color and style that transfers to each character. The level of detail is beautiful. The way colors are used in Gwen's universe. How Hobie is never looking consistent in any shot he is in because in his own words "He hates consistency" Its incredible.

The animation is the best part of the movie. If the animation is a cut above the rest and it is the best I have every seen in a CGI film.

10/10 (And that is a hard 10)

Plot

The film takes place a year and 4 months after the events of Into the spiderverse. There is a group of inter dimensional spider people that go around to fight anomalies and ensure the "Canon" is maintained.

Miles aka Spiderman is just trying to get a hang of his life as Spider man, his parents are worried about his future and now he has a new villain, the Spot. The Spot is obsessed with becoming Miles/Spiderman's nemesis and is hopping universes to increase his power.

Miles ends up in trouble with the interdimensional spider people and their leader, Miguel o'hara. And it culminates in the Spot becoming a massive threat to the multiverse, Miles being chased down by the spider people because he is an anomoly and him ending up in a dimension from where the Spider that bit him came from. A world where there is no spider man.

Now there is SO much to cover and this movie is a 2 hour and 20 minutes and it is only PART 1!

Now there are also a bunch of other story lines like with Gwen and her dad, Peter B parker becoming a father and The Spot figuring out his powers. But that is only the beginning.

Now the way the movie takes its time to set things up is fine... but it also feels like there are some things that could have been cut. It feels so long. The movie does do a good job to ensure it never feels boring, but at the same time it feels cluttered and empty in random intervals.

The first part does leave me excited for part 2, but I also feel like I have a lot of movie to process already and I am not in a rush to see part 2.

I think the previous film did a better job maintaining the hype and pacing, while also giving so much development.

Overall 8/10

_____________________________________________________________

The Characters

Miles Morales: Miles is as great as he was in the first film. You sympathize with his situation, he never comes off as annoying or jerkish because the movie does a good job in making sure you understand his perspective. Even when he is arguing with his parents, you know he wants to tell them but all the advice he has been given is NOT to. The problem with Miles though is that his problem is basically the same as the first one, people keep telling him what he is or needs to be and he has to find his own way and rise up. It feels a bit repetitive. But that being said it is a twist on it because with the situation we as the audience have to figure out if Miles is in the right or not.

Spider-Gwen: Gwen gets more development here, including the focus on her dynamic with her father. The strain that occured when he found out that his daughter was the vigilante that he believed killed his daughter's best friend. Its a whole can of worms as Gwen is basically dimension hoping to avoid dealing with that. We also see how she and miles grow closer ONLY to seperate as he learned the truth on why she never visited and why he is an anomoly. Gwen does manage to make up with her dad and she has a new mission, saving Miles. She is in her own way just as much of a main character in this as Miles, which is great for her as it allows us to explore her character more. Her character is one of the best.

The Spot: When it comes to pathetic villains that grow into massive threats, you can say I have a soft SPOT for them. I like the backstory and how absurdly dumb it is but how it makes sense. The spot is growing into his own and a twisted version of miles, like he had to deal with in the first movie. Coming into his own but lacking control only to grow exponentially as he grew in confidence. The spot now has a mission, be the true nemesis of Miles whether he wants it or not, and he is willing to rip apart the multiverse to do it.

Miguel O'Hara: The hard ass future spiderman that is obsessed with making sure no other universe collapse. He is fervent in his belief that Canon can not be broken and any and all threats to the spiderverse need to be dealt with. He is also a foil to Miles because he is a bigger, serious and seemingly more competent version of him. Miles' own friends take this guy's side over his, and it is a great point of tension. Personally, I think he is wrong with his takes and while the movie tries to show him as right, it fails to take into account how inaccurate it is by ignoring the times things DIDNT break. If Canon was so definitive, than Miles universe would have collapsed when his world's spiderman died. Regardless I do like the character.

The Spiders: The other spider people were great. Seeing Peter b parker, and Spider byte were some of my personal favorites. Spider woman was great... but it bothered me that a PREGNANT WOMAN was doing all this crazy dangerous stuff. I dont care if she is a spider person that is dangerous and could cause a TON of complications. WHY DID NO ONE POINT OUT THE DANGER TO HER? Rant done, I did enjoy all the jokes that were made and most of the spiders were endearing and fun to see. (Lego spider man is the best one confirmed by Miguel)

Overall solid 9/10. While Gwen got an upgrade and Miguel was a welcome antagonist I think there were a LOT more characters here and it cost some of them development. But despite that it is still good.

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The Lesson

Its basically a coming of age story that life is unpredictable and that people can advise you but you are the only person that can decide how you write your story. That is similar to Miles story in the first one and it could be argued that this is just an expansion on that. Or it can be said that the first lesson was to rise to the occasion and never fear failure while this is to push forward and decide whats right for you.

Overall its done well if a bit of a rehash.

9/10

__________________________________________________________

Does it live up to the Hype?

Yes. 100% if you liked the first one you will love the second one. But I can also see the argument that the first movie was great as a stand alone, and with this being part one it now becomes dependent on how the second part delivers, that is the problem with movies in Parts. I do think it will deliver, so I am not worried on that end. So yes, it lives up to the hype.

_____________________________________________________________

Final thoughts

Across the Spiderverse brings a new redefinition of animation as we know it, it is a solid plot and it has a lot of hype and build up going into the next part. I am glad I waited before watching as it allows me not to get sucked into people's opinions and I can say I enjoy it without just agreeing with the crowd.

solid 10/10 for me. It is one of the best Animated movies I have ever seen and I cant wait for part 2.

Also what is with spider people and child endangerment? Spider woman and peter B parker. I got my EYE on you

TLDR: Its an INCREDIBLE movie, its long and it lives up to the hype.

[agentnico]

Top 10 BEST Movies of 2023

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all partied hard and are now surviving a dreadful hangover by sitting with your family or friends and enjoying a well deserved marathon of Lord of the Rings. 2023 - what a year! In the movie biz alone there were those little minor events known as the strikes of the actors and writers. Just when we thought COVID was over and stopped affecting releases, these strikes were like “errr no, actually..!”. To be fair, the way the streaming services were underpaying their actors and the studios enforcing AI so much into the media, it was good that these artists stood up for themselves and showed it to the man so to speak! Anyway, we’re not here to talk Hollywood politics, but to celebrate all the quality filmmaking that was exhibited this past year. I’d say in all honesty this year felt weaker compared to 2022. To be fair last year gave us Everything Everywhere All at Once, Top Gun: Maverick and of course the legendary RRR, so the bar was high for 2023. That being said, I still enjoyed some solid films, so let’s rank my Top 10 favourite movies of 2023, but first some honourable mentions…

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

Evil Dead Rise - one heck of a gore fest, and the best opening title card of the year hands down!

Past Lives - a simple yet brutally honest love story.

The Boy and the Heron - Wanna hear Robert Pattinson sound like not Robert Pattinson?!

Guy Richie’s The Covenant - The least Guy Ritchie film Guy Ritchie directed.

The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar - Wes Anderson and Roald Dahl are a match made in heaven.

Barbie - I’m Just Ken…need I say more??

Wonka - Timmy makes for a good Willy.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - A solid Marvel entry - a rarity these days.

Tetris - Gosh those tetrominos really get ya!

Right, with that, let’s get into the actual fun stuff - The Top 10 Best Movies of 2023!…

10) MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING - PART ONE - Tom Cruise - what a guy! I mean yes he’s a Scientologist, has a constant death wish by breaking his ankles on film sets and also guilty of jumping on Oprah’s sofa like a monkey, but my my is he a charmer! You guys know the drill with these Mission Impossible movies - Tom Cruise throws his body around like a potato fearing not for his life nor broken limbs, but you have to respect the man for wanting to give the audience their tickets’ worth of entertainment, and Dead Reckoning not disappoint! There’s never a dull moment, the action is constantly inventive and exciting, and honestly with how consistent the quality of these films are, I say keep ‘em coming, Cruise-man!

9) DREAM SCENARIO - Anyone who knows me knows how much I love me some Nicolas Cage! The guy’s an acting legend, and he’s had it rough a decade ago when he got stuck paying off hi tax money and starring in crappy B-movies, but recently he’s been on a hot streak of great original content, and Dream Scenario adds to that. I love this idea of a random dude suddenly appearing in people’s dreams for absolutely no reason. It’s so rare to have a new original conception in a film in our day and age, and the execution here is great. As a bonus, the movie features possibly the best fart joke in the history of the cinema.

8) FALLEN LEAVES - This features the deadest karaoke ever - the Finns sure know how to party!! Also bonus points for featuring an out-of-left-field reference to Jim Jarmusch’s zombie flick The Dead Don’t Die, which by no means is a great film, but the fact that the director of Fallen Leaves knows about such obscure pieces of cinema only reiterates the fact that he gets cinema. Which in this case is a straightforward romantic love story, but one that I instantly connected with. Reminded me of Compartment No. 6.

7) OPPENHEIMER - On one had this is probably the most “well-made” movie of 2023 cinematically speaking. Christopher Nolan does not hold back in using his typical non-linear way of storytelling, with the film weaving narratives and different time periods seamlessly as it explores the profound depths of a man who’s actions altered the world’s trajectory forever, for better or worse. It’s an incredible historical piece of cinema, and the movie gets extra points for the whole ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, but the reason this film is not higher on the list is due to the fact that I believe it is overrated. Cause every single person raved about how bloody amazing this thing was, I became tired of the positivity. Yeah, I know, I’m being a Scrooge but what you gonna do about it?? Oppenheimer is stuck at No. 5!

6) ROBOT DREAMS - I’m sorry to go vulgar on this occasion, but my-my was I shipping this dog and it’s robot to absolutely fudge each others brains out!! Yet the movie happens to do the funny thing of being the biggest cockblock ever….. and that’s the best thing it could have done. Simplistic cartoon-network style animation made beautiful by an earnest story, accompanied by the delightful sounds of Earth, Wind & Fire.

5) KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON - When a movie forces you to stay in the cinema for over 3 hours, it better be one epic film, as your man here was straining his bladder to health threatening levels. However this is a Martin Scorsese picture, as such this is event cinema! And this one may be up there with one of his best. Killers of the Flower Moon is a major saga of greed, murder, corruption and despair, told through the eyes of a filmmaker who somehow is still managing to mature more as a director even though he’s already over 80 years of age.

4) THE HOLDOVERS - The Holdovers is very much a vibes movie. It has that old-timey retro feel to it from how it is shot to make it look like it’s from the 70s (reminiscent of John Hughes films and Dead Poets Society). You also have the constant snow falling and the Christmas music just really delivers that cozy winter feel. It’s a wholesome Christmas movie through and through. Paul Giamatti gives a career-best performance and the writing is absolutely stellar, as such The Holdovers is destined to become a holiday classic.

3) BEAU IS AFRAID - A 3-hour long anxiety attack that A24 spent $30 million to produce. For a movie studio to spill out such a massive amount of cash on a completely original IP that is divisively out-there and wild is such a unique thing to happen in Hollywood in this day and age, that like the film or not this act needs to be applauded. It just so happens that Beau Is Afraid is batshit bonkers and truly an act of madness, yet one that I will forever cherish. I bet David Lynch had the biggest hard-on when he watched this movie - you betcha!

2) PERFECT DAYS - Essentially plays out like a live-action remake of WALL-E from the director of Paris, Texas. Honestly this is such a sweet and delightful film about a toilet cleaner doing his thang, and somehow inspired me to want to clean toilets myself. A beautiful piece of independent cinema that appreciates the little things, and truly embraces the ideology of stopping to smell the roses.

1) SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is, put simply, brilliant! It’s everything that made Into the Spider-Verse great dialled up to 1000%, and the result is honestly fantastic. Look, I watch a lot of movies. And yeah, movies are great and I love them deeply. But in watching so many films I have in a way lost that magic of being in awe every time I go to the cinema. Cliches and repetitiveness in films stick out like sore thumbs. However with Across the Spider-Verse I felt like a kid again, purely stunned in amazement at every single frame, engaged with the characters and story-line, not knowing where it will go next. Like I cannot reiterate how much fun I had watching this movie! The animation is phenomenal, the narrative so rich, a pulse-throbbing music score (I even have Pemberton’s score on vinyl now just cause I love it so much!) superb character development and so many fun and unexpected twists and turns. Across the Spider-Verse is THE movie of 2023 for me and I believe this is the first time ever an animation took a top spot on my list. Here’s hoping Part 3 of the Spider-Verse saga will play out like The Return of the King!

There you have it - my favourite films of 2023. Naturally I don’t expect my list to be the same as yours, so don’t go throwing a tantrum if I missed out a movie you loved. Or do throw a tantrum, see if I care. But also don’t, cause like we’re all friends here, right? Right??!

[ayaspen]

Is “Across The Spider-Verse” a great sequel ? Yes.

One thing to know about me, is that I’ve always been a spider-man girlie, granted I wasn’t even born when the Raimi’s trilogy dropped, and it took me twelve years after to discover that Spider-Man was not actually blonde (my younger brain always thought he was for some reason) but there’s no denying that Spider-Man has always been a pop culture symbol, even if you don’t know his story, there’s no way you haven’t heard or seen pictures of the masked vigilante who swings around the city with his webs.

And although there were different interpretations to his story, he was always the ordinary kid in Queens (or in our case Brooklyn) who’s got too much power in his hands and is struggling what to do with it, to later become the masked vigilante who saves people and understands the responsibility he have toward his people.

When Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse dropped in 2018, people had mixed reviews on the subject, (and I was a middle schooler who stumbled upon the trailer by accident but was intrigued nonetheless) I think people were afraid that this was going to end up not meeting their expectations, and boy did it exceed them!

The movie did very well (and for good reasons!), and managed to re-introduce the story of The Spider-Man with a twist, in this case introducing the Spider-Verse, and everyone went nuts about it, from the music to the animation to the well-crafted story. The movie was one of the best movies of that year, if not of all times.

But what happens when that movie has a sequel ?  4 years later and with a very enthusiastic fan-base ? Will it be a disappointment or another win ? 

Today, I’m ready to say that Across The Spider-Verse is as good if not better than the original, and here’s why…

Hello and welcome to Butterfly Scribbles, I am the Butterfly in question, and today we’re going to cross the multiverse…I mean the Spider-Verse, my bad!

So ladies and gentlemen, let’s do this again one last time!

(This review may contain spoilers for the movie, so If you haven’t seen it, I highly encourage you to do so, and then read my review after, have a nice time!)

PLOT:

Miles Morales, is very much accustomed to being “Brooklyn’s one and only Spider-Man”, he loves his job, but him leading a double life starts to interfere with his life as Miles and his relationship with his family (and his grades), which leads to him feeling the loneliness this job imposes and starts terribly missing his spider friends.

After that he gets a visit from his best friend Gwen, and learns that there’s a whole universe full of Spider-people teaming up to protect his very existence which leads to a great conflict and a “Spider-hunt” to stop him from going to change his fate and protect the people he loves most in his life, all while redefining his story and doing what he thinks is his role as a hero.

I think the plot of the movie does a really great job of solidifying Miles as his own hero, he is constantly put into situations that tests his morals and beliefs of what he thinks he is doing right, while everyone is treating him like some ignorant teenager, there’s even a great scene where miles stand up for himself and says: “Everyone keeps telling me how my own story is supposed to go, Nah, Imma do my own thing” which is nothing if not great character development.

The twists at the end of the movie are also sure to leave you feeling blown away!

Characters:

Miles:

Like I said before, this movie gives the best arcs to its main hero, Miles goes through a journey of self discovery and finding himself all while struggling with the distance he creates with his family, especially his mom whom he keeps lying to, and her trying to understand what is going on with her son, to the point where she’s scared of him moving away from her.

Miles also feels like an outcast even with his peers, when he discovers the Spider-Verse, Gwen and Peter are against him joining the team for his safety, Miles then feels pressured to prove himself in order to gain respect and inclusion, which does not end up really well.

In the end, he chooses to do it his way, and decides to have fate in his powers and do what perceives to be the right thing, and save people when he has the chance to do so, even if it means having to deal with bigger consequences.

Gwen:

Gwen was one of the fan favorites after the release of the first movie, but the sequel gives more depth to her character, and expands upon her struggles, how she lost her best friend, peter parker, how he looked up to her and wanted to be “special” like she is, also justifying her choice to not be involved in friendships anymore.

Gwen also has an ongoing conflict with her dad, the captain of the city, who hates Spider-Woman and is leading a manhunt against her, blaming her for the murder of Peter, and how that creates a conflict with her father as Gwen, which leads to a confrontation and an identity reveal.

I think it was very smart to include Gwen as one of the protagonists of the movie for obvious reasons, now we know more about her, we sympathize with her as a heroine, and its show 

the similarities her and Miles are experiencing, establishing her role to be more than a love interest and I’m all here for it!

Other characters: 

I think the highlight of this movies is the hundreds of Spider-people we see, each with their own personality, costumes and very funny cameos too! 

My favorites have to be Spider Girl (Peter’s baby), Spider-Woman, Pavitr and Spider-Punk!

Animation and Music:

I think it’s necessary to have a whole section on this review dedicated to praise the animators and the song mixers for this movie, and It’s safe to say that without these two, the magic of the film wouldn’t be the same, I mean just imagine if It wasn’t an animated movie! and If it didn’t have such great singles like “What’s Up Danger”! 

truly a tragedy.

The animation for this movie specifically was really amazing, they combined multiple coloring styles to create the personality of each story like Gwen’s watercolor world in the start of the movie, the battle scenes are epic especially in the Spider hunt scenes with Miles and Miguel.

For the Score of the movie, I personally like the last track “Across The Spider-Verse (Start a Band)” track,I think the music really fits the last and best moments of the movie!

In conclusion, and If you haven’t got it yet, I’m In LOVE with this movie! (I mean, why else would I write a whole essay about it right ?) It’s the perfect sequel to a perfect first, and I’m convinced it’s the best movie of the year and one of the best superhero movies ever !

So if you haven’t watched it yet, I highly encourage you to do so, because It is a great watch even for people who know nothing about Spider-Man.

If you did, well let me know in the comments so we can talk about it even more, cause I’m not even close to being done with it yet!

[peterskateboard]

watched across the spider-verse twice now and as an avid spidey enjoyer i am beaming with joy.

here's some of my thoughts without spoiling too much:

- i want peter b. parker to adopt me

- i am so proud of miles

- the different animation styles were perfect. every single shot a canvas that you could hang in a museum. the dimensions shown were all so beautiful and the art in general made me sob. probs to everyone who worked so hard to bring this masterpiece to life

- genuinely, i really fucking loved how the emotions on gwen's earth were expressed by the art changing colors, luminosity and the water colors fading

- earth-65 was straight out of a comic i had goosebumps all over my body

- the animation was even more vibrant than in the first movie i couldn't believe my eyes that that's something people DREW

- nueva york looks like that "society if....." meme i was giggling in my seat when that thought popped into my mind

- dark garfield made me holler. caught me off guard but made me holler

- miguel o'hara is such an interesting character watch me inhale all of his comics in the next couple of weeks

- i'm so happy that peter b. parker hasn't lost his edge to be unserious he's my favourite adaptation of spider-man (next to andrew's) his character wasn't ruined don't let the dude bros fool you

- MILES IS SPIDER-MAN

- mrs morales and mr davis are the parents everyone deserves to have

- i've never felt more proud to be a spider-man fan than during this movie :) my little nerd heart was so pleased and happy and overstimulated and flabbergasted and nostalgic and awestruck and

- atsv made a laughing stock out of the entirety of mcu films that are about the multiverse i cheered

- animation. is. cinema.

- the inclusion and diversity made me cry. everyone can feel connected to this movie which makes me so unbelievably happy. kinda wished spidey therapist had more screen time though (as an aspiring therapist myself i found the idea so cool and funny)

- there's one specific scene where i personally felt like vibrating at the speed of light out of excitement

- i want to live in the spider society HQ. take all my things i'm gonna sleep in the lobby

- all the spider-people are my people fr

conclusion: i'm not the same i was one movie ago. the wait was more than worth it. i love spider-man so much

[filmbrainbmb]

New Projector review! Miles Morales is back in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the rare sequel that may be every bit as great as the original, and I'm taking a deep dive into this film's web of greatness, with more ideas than you can sling a web at.

[filmshady]

10 things I thought about while watching SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE

Miles Morales swings back into action in "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," proving he's the hero we need – or just the hipster of the Spider-Verse, complete with a penchant for avocados.

Spider-Gwen's sass level is off the charts. She's like the Deadpool of the Spider-Verse, breaking the fourth wall and leaving villains more confused than a cat at a laser light show.

Spider-Man Noir's back, fighting crime with a side of existential dread. Is he a hero or just a detective caught in an identity crisis? Someone get this man a colour wheel.

Spider-Ham's puns are as relentless as a swarm of angry bees. Are they still amusing or reaching porky pun saturation? It's a ham-fisted attempt at humour that might just leave you groaning.

Peni Parker brings the anime vibes to the Spider-Verse, but it's like watching an episode of "My Spider-Mech Suit Can't Be This Cute." Kawaii or kawow, the jury's still out.

Kingpin's shoulder-to-head ratio is back and still a geometric mystery. Is he storing secrets under those shoulders, or is it just a secret stash of snacks?

Dr. Olivia Octavius is back with her tentacles, and it's less science experiment and more interpretive dance. Is she conducting experiments or auditioning for a Spider-Man-themed Broadway musical?

The introduction of the new Spider-Folk raises questions. Are they fresh heroes here to steal the spotlight, or are they just glorified extras caught in a web of confusion?

Prowler's back and I can't help but wonder if he's still jamming to the same tunes. Does he have a killer playlist, or is it stuck on repeat like a broken record?

The multiverse logic in Across the Spider-Verse is more tangled than a spider's web after a caffeine binge. It's like trying to solve a Rubik's Cube blindfolded – you might figure it out or end up more confused than ever.

[mads-haus]

some thoughts on Gwen Stacy + trans representation

full review here

[mjotaku]

best song of the album.

[unpassive-viewer]

My Predictions for the Final Spider-verse

My semester is over, b*tches. You know what that means - I watched both the Spider-verse movies again. After seeing them with fresh eyes (meaning I thought about nothing but The Hunger Games and international relations for four straight months), I have a handful of predictions for the next movie. I am mostly interested in putting these all down so I can check my skill whenever the next film finally comes out. Disclaimer - this is motivated by no external knowledge. I've only read like three Miles comics and played the PS4 games, so this is all guess work. I have no idea how faithful this franchise is to the other media.

So, obviously throughout two movies we have the narrative of "Miles doesn't know who he is or what he wants". In the first movie we have the Great Expectations essay, and in the second we have his college applications where his advisor says "I don't know Miles, and I don't think he knows himself," (or something to that effect). We set the stage for the third film asking who Miles is going to be, both as himself and as Spider-Man.

Enter to Earth 42. We left Miles with the Prowler/Miles 42 and Aaron Davis on an Earth with no Spider-Man, which is being destroyed by the Sinister Six Gang. Based on the Spider-Man theme of redemption and how villains can always become good, I think they team up to help Earth 42.

Gwen + crew join the equation, with Miguel close behind. Miles needs his own watch to keep from glitching, so I have to assume there will be some dire scene where he's glitching out. A near miss, but he gets the watch. Either that, or Earth 42 Miles helps him build one, and he misses Gwen + co. altogether.

There will be someone who holds off Miguel. I think it will either be Miles42 or Spider-Woman, despite the former being a "villain" and the latter being unwaveringly aligned with Miguel's ideas in the second film.

Miles makes it back from Earth 42 just in time to fight Spot. I don't think Miles saves his dad, though - I think Gwen does. She's not lost anymore (she mended her issues with her dad), so she has to make up for betraying Miles in ATSV. We got a little foreshadowing of the Garfield-esque fall from TASM 2 in ATSV (I think in Mumbattan?), so I'm certain we will see the real fall in the third film. But of course, Miles can save her because he's an anomaly and from a different dimension and the rules don't apply to him the same way.

Based on Miles losing his uncle in the first film, I think someone close to him will still die in the third one. I just have no idea who.

I think the way that Miguel finds out that the worlds can tolerate Miles being an anomaly is that his canon event is interrupted and the world doesn't implode. I think they'll finally consider that despite being an anomaly, he's already had many of the canon events of a true Spider-Man.

I think they take out Spot the same way he came into being, by reversing whatever the process was that made him what he is. I think this mostly because there's no time to introduce new tech into the final movie of a trilogy. His first flashback scene in ATSV shows him holding something which reacts to the energy from the collider and transforms him. Miles, Gwen + co. just need to figure out what it was and reverse-engineer things.

Hobi was used a lot as a fast-acting plot device in ATSV, so I have to assume he will play a similar role in the last movie. He'll make an offhand comment about something that's obvious to him but not to anyone else, and it'll serve to expedite the plot.

Either that, or we find out more about Miguel's attempt to live in the alternate universe from Peter Parker, and they gain enough insights into how the multiverse works that they find a solution. Maybe both.

The only one I really don't know about is the Spider-baby. She obviously motivates Peter Parker to do the right thing (kids serve this purpose for him in both films), so I have to assume she'll just remain in that static role. Penny, Spider Noir, Pveter and Spider-Ham I think will just be muscle again.

Since we didn't get a real "What's Up Danger" scene in Across the Spider-Verse, I think the climax of the third film is going to blow the rest of them out of the water. What's Up Danger and the (lesser) scene on the train to the moon in ATSV both showed Miles breaking the glass he was perched on, because he's still scared. Logically, the climactic scene of the third film is going to be a reflection of those scenes, but we see he isn't afraid anymore. He is Spider-Man in the next film. Not a kid wearing a costume, trying to figure out what he wants and what his values are.

Oh, and obviously Miles gets and keeps the ability to go between dimensions. I also think the Spider Society will have some kind of overhaul and they begin to treat anomalies more fairly.

I know it's years out, but god I cannot wait to see this movie. The character motivations are so consistent between the first two films, I really want to know if I'm right about anything.

[qloverreviewsfilm]

"nah. i'm gonna do my own thing."

spider-man: across the spider-verse (2023) - 97%

when i first saw spider-man: into the spider-verse (2018) in theaters with a dear friend of mine, it was an amazing experience. i had been a lifelong fan of spider-man noir, and seeing him on screen made me so happy. that was my expectation going into it: "i hope noir is good." little did i know i was in for one of the most innovative movies of all time. not even most innovative animated movie (which it was) or superhero movie (which it was), just one of the most innovative movies i'd ever seen.

that being said, when they announced a sequel, i wasn't surprised at all. i wasn't surprised that it kept being delayed (animation at that level, yeah, it'll take a while). i was surprised, however, when they announced it was going to be in two parts- as opposed to just a second movie and a third movie. trilogies seem commonplace enough in modern film, but a trilogy where two of them are part of the same story... it was interesting! (godfather being the exception because part one and two really do feel like two whole stories on their own).

so, i saw spider-man: across the spider-verse (2023) in an empty theater at noon. i wished i could've gone to a packed showing, but i'm glad i got to have the one on one with the story. it allowed me to feel more immersed. immediately i was astounded at the movie, with gwen's world's colors and style, with the familiarity of her story as a spider-person without it feeling trite at all. i was immediately engaged, and it didn't ever stop.

i think, structurally (anyone who knows me knows i'm in love with the study of story structure), the movie takes a few blows. no scene feels out of place, but some feel they overstay their welcome. some of the overlapping dialogue didn't hit as well as i feel like the movie wanted, to me.

but those being my only critiques, i think that this movie (and its predecessor) are two of the most important movies in the meta-modern era. not only are they built on the expectation of referential storytelling, but they don't take themselves too seriously- they know what they are, 50% fun superhero rollercoaster, 50% serious storytelling. and they balance that so, so well.

and i don't even know what to say about the animation- it surpasses the first one tenfold. it's the most beautifully animated movie i've ever seen. i think this movie and the netflix show arcane are quite literally changing the animation industry for the better. i think animation in media can tell stories that lend themselves to the abstract, to the existential, to the philosophical in ways that live action may have trouble with. not that live action can't do those things, but it takes more skill and intention, in my opinion. i think it's easier for animation to tap into visuals that evoke emotions that aren't as familiar, and therefore more memorable.

maybe i don't know what i'm talking about. but what i do know is that i wish spider-man unlimited got some speaking lines, or more screen time at least. here's hoping he gets a good scene in beyond.

love, q <3

entertainment - 22/24

writing/characters - 17/20

acting/direction - 18/20

cinematography/aesthetic - 24/24

music/sound - 16/16

[heart-of-the-morningstar]

SPOILER REVIEW FOR ACROSS THE SPIDER VERSE BELOW THE CUT

1000000/10, best movie, go see it immediately, Spider-Man my beloved 💖💖💖

- The Visuals

• Holy shit guys, this might be THE best animated movie ever created. They took the visuals and art styles from the first movie and cranked it up to 10,000!!

• Seeing all the Spider people in different art forms had my eyes glued to the movie, there were so many Easter eggs and nods to other popular Spiders, I know I didn’t see them all!

• The backgrounds were absolutely gorgeous! My personal favorite being the ones from Gwen’s universe, almost every shot had different colors in the background and it was just mesmerizing!

• They did a fantastic job distinguishing each universe from one other by using different color schemes and art styles, even when some of them looked similar, you could tell there was something different!

- The Characters

• They definitely go all in on character development in this film, they wanted to give everyone more character and personality and backstory. We’re missing a few of our Spider friends from the first film but they’re replaced with some new faces!

• Miles, the absolute GOAT, was such a great protagonist in this film. We spend a lot more time with his family this time around and they didn’t shy away from the slow and heavy moments. His mom even gets more of a role in this movie and she was great! He’s only 15 y/o in this movie and absolutely outsmarted every single other Spider at one point which was great to watch! There’s a plot point in the movie concerning Miles that will absolutely break your heart 😭

• Gwen gets a lot more screen time than in ITSV, she’s a stand out character in this movie! We get to see the relationship she has with her dad and get to go more in depth about how she lost her Peter! And I’m happy they didn’t rely too heavily on the romantic aspects between Gwen and Miles, but they touched on it and it was incredibly sweet!

• Miguel O’Hara my beloved!!! (I’m an Oscar Isaac stan, Moon Knight was the best Marvel tv show, fight me on it, lmao) I wouldn’t consider Spider-Man 2099 a villain, but he made a very good antagonist to Miles, he was very threatening! He didn’t get a very in-depth back story but you were given just enough information to sympathize with his pain. Something seemed fishy about his story, maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I’m hopeful they dive into it more in the sequel!

• SPIDER-PUNK, HOBIE BROWN OMG, what a fantastic new addition, he’s such a fucking anarchist and it’s great! He speaks in a thick cockney accent and I love his rebellious nature, he don’t give two shits about what anybody thinks! His character’s look might be the most impressive in the film, apparently it took animators 3 years to make him look the way he did!!

• Pavitr Prabhakar, baby boy, sunshine!! He’s a little cocky but in a cute way! His home of Mumbattan was SO GOD DAMN COLORFUL! I honestly wished he had more screen time because he was super funny and HIS HAIR, SO FLUFFY AND SOFT!!!

• Everyone’s favorite Peter B Parker makes a return! I can say he didn’t have as big of a role in the film as ITSV but he was still great regardless! And now he has a baby girl named Mayday!! And he kept trying to show everyone pictures of her like an actual new parent would lol.

• Jessica Drew is also a new character! She was super badass with her Spider Cycle! AND she was pregnant the whole movie which is even more badass! (Also, side note, when Gwen asked about her pregnancy, I really appreciated that Jess said that they she didn’t know the sex of the baby instead of saying gender, it was small but I liked that little detail!)

• Spot, the main villain of this movie (and the next) was interesting! If I had any real complaints about this movie, it would be that Spot was not in this movie as much as I hoped. I understand why because this is the first part of a 2-part movie, but by the end of the movie, he shows up and I was like “Oh yeah, Spot, where the hell has he been??” But he technically is a character we’ve seen before (I don’t wanna say who because it’s actually funny who he turns out to be!) He starts out being kind of goofy but he gets very threatening!

• There are bunch of other minor characters that I won’t go too deep into but my favorite minor character had to be Ben Riley, he was made to be super over dramatic and stated really obvious things while he was on patrol, got a few laughs out of me!

- The Plot

• Babes, the story is so good in this. I don’t want to give EVERYTHING away cuz I want y’all to see it for yourselves but I will say that this is a 2-parter! There is a “to be continued” at the end of the movie just so you’re prepared!

• The basic premise is that the Spiders have to take down Spot because he’s hopping to different dimensions, making himself more powerful. Spot has a personal grudge against Miles and wants to take away everything from him. You can tell from the trailers that Miles is trying to defy Miguel and what he’s doing, which ends up going in a very suspenseful direction! Again, not going to spoil everything, but it’s just such a great story!

• Like I said, they focus more heavily on family dynamics in the sequel which I loved! More time with Jeff and Rio which was nice to see, Rio has a great talk with Miles during the movie and it was so heartfelt! Gwen and her dad have a few scenes together too, it’s a really great relationship to watch unfold. Gwen and Miles have some great character moments together, but of course it’s not all positive!

• The dynamic between the different Spiders is a blast as well! I was never bored with this movie, it kept me engaged even during the non-action sequences because they did a great job making you care about these characters!

• This movie clocks in at almost 2 1/2 hours but I promise you, you’re not gonna feel that time. I did not want this movie to end! They throw so much at you but at the same time, you’re gonna leave wanting more!

• Where this movie ends is…wow!! I can say I definitely didn’t see it coming until a few seconds before they revealed what was going on, and I sat there and just went “oh…oh no…” for the last 10-15 minutes lol. And apparently the sequel will be out next year! And thank God cuz I could not wait another 3 years!

• A heads up! There aren’t any end credit scenes so you don’t have to stay for those! The only thing that happens after the initial credits is text appearing saying “Miles Morales will return in…” and it gives you the next movie title (won’t say what it is!)

- Miscellaneous (mostly Easter eggs and cameos)

• There were so many GOD DAMN Easter eggs in this film, it’s insane! I know I’ll have to watch it a few more times if I want to catch everything the put in here! There is def one cameo that stands out above everything else (I won’t say who, but you’ll know when you see him 😏)

• They actually showed very brief scenes from Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s movies which caught me completely by surprise, but I sure as shit was happy about it!!

• They don’t show any scenes from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man (which I understand cuz Marvel 🙄) BUT they make two references to it, one with a line from Miguel and with the cameo I mentioned previously!

• The Spectacular Spider-Man had a fucking voice line and I almost passed out, like I watched the shit out of that show, I was so happy he was included! They also showed the PS4/PS5 version of Spider-Man which I thought was pretty funny!

- Final Thoughts

• Peak cinema! The story, the characters, the visuals…all incredible! Go watch it right now immediately!!

[thejewofkansas]

The Weekly Gravy #141

I’ll start the week off by watching some more shorts by the recently deceased Kenneth Anger: Rabbit’s Moon (1979) – A few years after the first version was released, Anger re-edited Rabbit’s Moon, speeding up the frame rate, changing the soundtrack from classic doo-wop to a 70s rock song called “Things That Go Bump in the Night,” changing the stylized zoom of the Moon to what appears to be stock…

[mbrainspaz]

JUST SAW ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE AND

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