Sony Animation reached new heights in their craft and execution of an all-time classic Spider-Man story focused on Miles Morales with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Due to the genuine heart on display throughout Miles’ journey in becoming his own Spider-Man as well as the team’s ambitious artistic vision, it seemed tough to believe that any sequel could top what Into the Spider-Verse achieved. Yet here we are.

The follow-up journey for Miles (voiced by Shameik Moore) is undoubtedly one of the most captivating comic book movies, Spider-Man stories, and animated films of all time simply because of how it elevates and expands on everything that made the first film great. Across the Spider-Verse is sort of two films in one with the first half establishing the stories and perspectives of two pivotal characters – Miles and Gwen (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld). While Gwen was more of a supporting character in Miles’ story in the first film, she’s given a good chunk of the spotlight for her own arc, and it pays off greatly in fleshing out what it means to be a Spider-hero.

The opening moments of her dealing with her father (voiced by Shea Whigham) trying to hunt down Spider-Woman – who he doesn’t realize is Gwen – is great.  There are a lot of unspoken feelings between them that eventually lead to some heartbreaking conflict and Gwen’s story greatly sets the tone for the rest of the film. The emotions and stakes already feel high once we start to catch up with Miles and it helps give Gwen a great arc that’s intertwined with and connected to Miles throughout the film. As for Miles, fans will have a blast being reintroduced to him as a full-fledged Spider-Man. It’s incredibly fun to see him fighting against a hilariously chaotic villain like The Spot (voiced by Jason Schwartzman), trying to keep his identity a secret from his parents, and attempting to balance his dual life as a hero.

Moore once again excels at making Miles a very real and charming character whose struggles as both a hero and a person culminate in a touching coming of age tale. Every conversation he has with his parents elicits laughs or genuine warmth because the chemistry and voice acting are instantly engaging. His reunion with Gwen has these adorable romantic feelings that fans will vibe with, and there’s this overall sense of fate that draws them together that ties perfectly with what Miles comes to learn about his role as Spider-Man.

Not to mention, The Spot is an incredibly fun and sneaky dangerous villain for Miles to face off against. Schwartzman’s voicing is perfectly comical and the way The Spot is characterized – from his hilarious origin story to him coming to understand the power he possesses – is flawless. Although he’s been seen as a low-tier villain in the past, The Spot proves his potential here and, personally, it’s awesome that this idea of him needing to prove himself is a part of his arc.

The Spot is another layer to the film’s meta-analysis of comic books and Spider-Man as a whole – which is where the film really starts to become something special. Once Miles enters the multiverse to stop The Spot from gaining an uncontrollable power, Across the Spider-Verse becomes the big screen Spider-Man celebration that fans have always wanted. There are so many incredible easter eggs, cameos, and Spider-Man variations on-screen that it would take hours of pausing to take note of them all. As a fan, it’s absolutely fulfilling to see Sony really pay homage to Spider-Man’s legacy – not just in the comics, but in pop culture as a whole. It’s genuinely hard not to be on the verge of tears at times because of how well the history of Spider-Man is represented. Even better is that there’s creative vision to bring it all to life in stunning animation.

Sony Animation continues to shatter boundaries with how they give different Spider-Man variants their own distinctive visual style that fits with their personalities and respective genres. Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk (voiced by Daniel Kaluuya) is given a rebellious treatment like no other and his changing look is an absolutely eye-dazzling, mind-blowing design. The way that Spider-Man India’s (voiced by Karan Soni) bustling world is visualized defines the vast creative scale this film has and watching Miles explore it is just plain fantastic.

There are even some awesome surprises when it comes to the visual styles that are represented and it’s great how this film franchise represents how ambitious and risk-driven this crew is. Admittedly, they’re ambitions stretch a little too far at times as the backgrounds for certain parts of the film, mainly Gwen’s world, can be a little distracting and overbearing. Also, the keen focus on dazzling and artistic animations might’ve led the team to have some big oversights when it comes to the audio and sound mixing since it can be tough to hear dialogue in important moments – especially the opening.

However, it’s easy to put the small faults aside when Sony Animation’s strengths are so grand, and they go incredibly deep in making Across the Spider-Verse a true Spider-Man story. A film like Across the Spider-Verse could’ve been just a straightforward Spider-Man story that sees Miles ultimately fight and defeat The Spot and feature cool, but empty nostalgia with how it treats its Spider-Verse. To be fair, there are a lot of Spider-Man variants who are simply there to fill up the screen or deliver a solid joke along the way. However, there’s a deeper purpose to Miles exploring the Spider-Verse that becomes clear and delivers a legitimately enthralling and immaculate dissection of a Spider-Man arc that changes literally everything in Miles’ journey.

The second half of Across the Spider-Verse is definitely where some viewers might feel a little overwhelmed by how jam-packed it is with information, wild twists, and surprises. At times, it can literally feel like you’re watching unstoppable chaos unfold and the big second half shift in the story direction can be a lot for audiences to take in when its all happening. Plus, it is worth noting that Across the Spider-Verse is really just the first half of a two-parter so it can be a little annoying how much is left hanging and how the story doesn’t feel totally complete at the moment.

However, it’s tough not to love the ride that Across the Spider-Verse brings you on through its wild second half turn because it’s just so epic and presents the potential for a game-changing finale. The way it utilizes the Spider-Man storytelling canon to establish these great questions of fate and spark a deep change in Miles to rebel is remarkable. It feels like such a fitting turn in Miles’ story arc and sees him make some shocking revelations about himself and his role as Spider-Man.

The final act is just sheer risk-taking at its finest with how it leaves characters’ fates hanging and puts them in situations that’ll forever change them. It’s amazing how the film is always willing to challenge itself through opposing ideologies surrounding purpose and creating meaningful questions about who’s good and who’s bad. Miles is in an especially interesting place by the film’s end, and it puts him in a position to really come into his own as a hero and a person. Plus, the entire chase sequence of Miles being hunted by the other Spider-Man variants is a visual marvel and a testament to the creative ambition this team has. While it might not be ready to put the last period on Miles’ story just yet, Across the Spider-Verse exceeds and breaks expectations at every turn and shows plenty of potential to make the Spider-Verse films one of the best trilogies of all time.

Across the Spider-Verse is a triumph unlike anyone could’ve expected and a film that loves Spider-Man, its history, and impact as much as its fans do. Miles’ story continues to be as big-hearted and genuine as ever and finds way to pay homage and break past what’s been done with Spider-Man before. It’s undoubtedly one of the most exciting and ambitious films hitting theaters this year and shows a lot of potential to be a part of one of the best film series of all time.

Watch the Trailer Here: