new spider man movie review

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

My esteemed colleague Christy Lemire opened her review of “ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ” with a quote from her nine-year-old asking if he could see it again, so I think there’s some synergy in quoting my nine-year-old to open this one: “That might be the best movie I’ve ever seen.”

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” explodes onto screens this week, building on the foundation of the masterful “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” with stunning animation, unforgettable characters, and complex themes. The first note I took after seeing it was “so much movie.” Like the work of a young artist who refuses to be restrained by the borders of the frame, “Across the Spider-Verse” is loaded with incredible imagery and fascinating ideas. It is a smart, thrilling piece of work that reminded me of other great part twos like “ The Dark Knight ” and “ The Empire Strikes Back .” Like those films, it leaves viewers anxiously anticipating the next chapter (which will come in March 2024), and it earns its cliffhangers by grounding them in a story of young people refusing to submit to a concept of what a hero’s arc needs to be.

“Across the Spider-Verse” opens just over a year after the action of the first movie. Gwen Stacy ( Hailee Steinfeld ) is back in her universe, trying to keep her identity secret from her father, George ( Shea Whigham ). When an alternate version of the villainous Vulture ( Jorma Taccone ) drops into her reality, the bad guy ends up trailed by the intense Spider-Man 2099 ( Oscar Isaac ) and confident Spider-Woman ( Issa Rae ). They reveal to Gwen that they’re part of a secret Spider-Society that has been cleaning up inter-universe messes, capturing villains who end up in the wrong one and sending them home again. When Gwen’s identity is blown with her dad, she joins the Spider-Crew, correcting the errors of multi-verse.

Of course, fans will remember that Miles Morales ( Shameik Moore ) is essentially one of those errors. The Peter Parker of his universe died trying to save him, and the spider that bit Miles was never supposed to be there. But it was. So now what? This story’s backbone is about pushing back against determinism and moving forward with what’s in front of you. Superhero culture has used multiverse stories to expand on the concept of potential, but this film (and I hope these themes really land in its sequel) suggests that it’s way more important to hold onto the reality in your hands than imagine all of the other ones that might have been. It’s about controlling your own fate more than giving into a scripted narrative of heroism. More than most superhero movies, it’s about empowerment instead of destiny. And that’s powerful stuff.

Back to Miles. He’s in his version of Brooklyn, trying to balance being a good student with being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He’s considering telling his mother, Rio (Luna Lauren Vélez ), and father, Jefferson ( Brian Tyree Henry ), the truth, but worries what it could do to their relationship if he does. One day, an odd duck that Miles thinks is just a “villain of the week” pops up in the form of The Spot ( Jason Schwartzman ). Formerly known as Dr. Jonathan Ohnn, the once-Alchemax-employee was forever altered by the first movie’s action, able to control time and space through a series of portals. At first, it’s kind of cute how he tries to steal an ATM with a portal, but The Spot ends up being significantly more dangerous as his powers grow, opening passages that can destroy worlds.

Naturally, the emergence of The Spot gets the attention of the Spider-Society, which sends Gwen and company back into the life of Miles Morales. The first sequence of their reunion is an absolute marvel as the two characters swoop and swing through the city, flirting their way through the sky. It culminates with a series of shots high above the city as the pair sits upside down, the skyline inverted behind them. It’s a quiet sequence in a movie that’s often very loud and a reminder of the film’s stunning visual confidence, just as striking in its calm as its noise.

If the first film interrogated who gets to be a hero, the second film takes that further to ask how heroism is defined. Why does every hero’s arc have to be the same? Why does so much superhero mythology lean into the idea that it is only through tragedy that heroism can be born? In an era when superhero movies have taken over the culture, writers Phil Lord , Christopher Miller , & David Callahan use animation’s freedom to unpack the structure of a world they know and love. It’s a script that earns every one of its 140 minutes, almost overwhelming in its abundance of ideas. (To be fair, my youngest also turned to me at one point and said, “I have no idea what’s going on.” He said it with a smile.)

Of course, most will remember its imagery more than its ideas. Directors Joaquim Dos Santos , Kemp Powers , and Justin K. Thompson build on the first movie’s aesthetics with one of the most strikingly conceived and executed animated films ever made. From the very beginning, the animators are using their form to do things that would never be possible in the MCU, and the art of “Across the Spider-Verse” feels even more self-assured than the first film. It’s not just that every action sequence would cost half a billion dollars in a live-action film. It’s that this freedom has been employed artistically and cohesively instead of just extravagantly. Even in a film where characters defy time and space with every leap and dive, the choreography of the action is easier to follow than some of the Hollywood blockbusters released already this season. There’s a true craftsmanship to the action that’s breathtaking, especially in a late sequence when Miles breaks free from what the canon says he has to be.

It helps greatly that the entire cast here brings their vocal A-game. There are so many celebrity voices here—including a number of cameos only villains would spoil—but I want to give some praise to Shameik Moore, who finds the perfect register for the odd intersection of youth, manhood, and heroism in which Miles finds himself. It’s a vocal performance with just the right blend of curiosity, vulnerability, and growing confidence. Steinfeld, Henry, Rae, Jake Johnson , Schwartzman, Velez, Daniel Kaluuya , Isaac—there’s no weak link. Everyone was clearly inspired by the creative potential of this script. 

Mediocre sequels repeat what came before, knowing that fans will return for more of the same. Great sequels build on what came before, enriching themes and setting the table for what’s to come. I wish that we weren’t seemingly in a blockbuster era of non-endings, but I feel like “Across the Spider-Verse” earns its open conclusion. It’s not just a way to guarantee that ticket buyers return. It’s not a threat to finish an incomplete story. It’s a promise to continue one that’s already so rewarding.

In theaters tomorrow, June 1st.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

• Shameik Moore as Miles Morales / Spider-Man (voice)
• Hailee Steinfeld as Gwen Stacy / Spider-Woman (voice)
• Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker / Spider-Man (voice)
• Oscar Isaac as Miguel O'Hara / Spider-Man 2099 (voice)
• Issa Rae as Jessica Drew / Spider-Woman (voice)
• Daniel Kaluuya as Hobart 'Hobie' Brown / Spider-Punk (voice)
• Jason Schwartzman as Jonathan Ohnn / The Spot (voice)
• Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis (voice)
• Luna Lauren Velez as Rio Morales (voice)
• Greta Lee as Lyla (voice)
• Rachel Dratch as Principal (voice)
• Jorma Taccone as Adrian Toomes / The Vulture (voice)
• Shea Whigham as George Stacy (voice)
• Andy Samberg as Ben Reilly / Scarlet Spider (voice)
• Christopher Miller
• Dave Callaham
• Daniel Pemberton
• Joaquim Dos Santos
• Justin K. Thompson
• Kemp Powers
• Mike Andrews

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‘spider-man: across the spider-verse’ review: a thrilling sequel marks the return of miles morales.

In the second chapter of the Spider-Verse series, featuring voice work from Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Oscar Isaac and Issa Rae, Miles must face challenges across the multiverse.

By Lovia Gyarkye

Lovia Gyarkye

Arts & Culture Critic

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In Spider-Man : Across the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales is all grown up. Well, sort of.

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But Miles, now 15, is also a teenager, which means protecting New Yorkers isn’t his only concern. When not chasing foes or signing brand deals, he’s attending classes at his tony magnet school, preparing to apply to college and trying to find enough time to spend with his parents, Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry) and Rio (Luna Lauren Velez). Early in this much-anticipated follow-up, we see the two adults impatiently waiting in the guidance counselor’s office as their son slowly makes his way across town. At each intersection, Miles’ senses go off, pulling the teen into a new crime-fighting situation and making him increasingly late for this very important meeting. The set piece — with its kinetic animation and self-aware dialogue — represents some of the best parts of the Spider-Verse series.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wowed and wooed audiences with its limber storytelling, inventive animations and refreshing humor. That film, which went on to win the Academy Award for Animation in 2018, was special because it shed the self-consciousness that plagued so many contemporary superhero adaptations. Miles Morales, a Puerto Rican and African American kid who loved to tag the city walls with his art, was a new kind of superhero. He was funny, very cool and well-versed in his franchise’s history. He anchored Into the Spider-Verse , which was buoyant and slick.  

The film begins with Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) giving us the requisite backstory to her character. Just as in Into the Spider-Verse , these opening monologues satirize the self-important and repetitive nature of superhero introductions. “Let’s do things differently,” Gwen says to us in what could be considered this franchise’s tagline. She starts to tell a story we already know, rehashing the events of the first film with details that give us a sense of her perspective. In the year since we last saw Gwen and Miles, the young woman has struggled to adjust to her world. Not only is she reeling from the loss of her friend, but she misses Miles and still can’t connect with her father (Shea Whigham). In an effort to bury her emotions, Gwen joins a band — but that doesn’t really work out super well.

In this way Across the Spider-Verse gets even more serious about recreating the experience of reading a comic book. The animations are not just striking, but incredibly absorbing in each new dimension. When Gwen gets recruited to a special elite squad of Spider-men and women, informally led by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) and Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), she jumps more freely within the multiverse, allowing us to see the full breadth of the Spider-Verse world.

There’s a free-wheeling energy to the way Across the Spider-Verse layers the styles of each dimension; rarely do they feel like they are clashing. Music supervision by Insecure ’s Kier Lehman and Daniel Pemberton’s composition helps bridge these seemingly discordant parts with a stable sound. Gwen eventually visits Miles, who’s struggling to balance family, school and saving the world. The pressure of meeting all these demands weigh on the young superhero, who, despite feeling more secure, still finds himself stumbling. It’s nice to see their relationship get more airtime as the two young heroes help each other navigate the inherent isolation of their gifts.

In Across the Spider-Verse , Miles’ identity takes center stage, but not totally in the ways you might expect. The film retains its signature tone — moving between humor and sentimentalism with a light touch — but there’s a greater effort now to connect Miles’ origin story to broader lessons about superhero canons. That doesn’t always land as gracefully, and parts of Across the Spider-Verse feel weighed down by this need to belabor a well-established point. Still those moments can be forgiven as the story unfurls, revealing that Miles, with his new challenges, remains a hero worth rooting for.

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Mi... Read all Miles Morales catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero. Miles Morales catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.

• Joaquim Dos Santos
• Kemp Powers
• Justin K. Thompson
• Christopher Miller
• Dave Callaham
• Shameik Moore
• Hailee Steinfeld
• Brian Tyree Henry
• 1.6K User reviews
• 331 Critic reviews
• 86 Metascore
• 106 wins & 164 nominations total

Top cast 99+

• Miles Morales

• Jeff Morales

• Rio Morales

• Peter B. Parker

• Miguel O'Hara

• Jessica Drew

• Hobie Brown

• Pavitr Prabhakar

• George Stacy

• Uncle Aaron

• Margo Kess: Spider-Byte

• Miles G. Morales

• Peter Parker

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' Cast Get Vocal

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Did you know

• Trivia The sequence on Earth-13122, the Lego universe, was animated by 14-year-old Preston Mutanga , who was hired after Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were impressed with his Twitter video recreating the entire trailer with Lego.
• Goofs After hastily concealing his Spider-Man suit beneath his regular clothes, Miles arrives (late) at his dad's promotion party. Initially, there is no sign of his Spider-Man outfit until a Spanish-speaking lady asks Miles if his "cool shirt" is a wet-suit; only then does the outfit magically appear beneath his clothes, even extending to cover his neck. A few scenes later, the Spider-Man suit disappears once again.

Miles Morales : I love chai tea.

Spider-Man India : What did you just say? Chai tea? Chai means "tea", bro! You are saying "tea tea"! Would I ask you for a "coffee coffee" with room for "cream cream"?

• Crazy credits The opening Columbia Pictures, Marvel, Sony Pictures Animation, Pascal Pictures and Lord Miller Productions logos shift between various alternate versions.
• Alternate versions There are at least three versions of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which contain changes such as altered dialogue, editing, scene, and pacing, as well as changes to the audio and sound mixing. The second version of the movie was released one week after the movie's original release after reports of audio issues in several locations. Another version of the movie, which is based on the second version of the movie, includes additional changes to the dialogue, scene, editing, and audio mixing, and was released digitally on August 8, 2023.
• Connections Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Remembering Stephen Hillenburg (2018)
• Soundtracks Self Love Written by Metro Boomin (as Leland Tyler Wayne), Brittany Talia Hazzard (as Brittany Hazard), Dre Moon (as Andre Proctor), Mejdi Rhars and Johan Lenox Produced by Metro Boomin , Dre Moon and Prince 85 Performed by Metro Boomin and Coi Leray Metro Boomin appears courtesy of Republic Records Coi Leray appears courtesy of Uptown Records/Republic Records

User reviews 1.6K

Masterful imax spider-man.

• UniqueParticle
• Jun 1, 2023
• How long is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? Powered by Alexa
• June 2, 2023 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Spider-Man: A través del Spider-Verso
• Columbia Pictures
• Marvel Entertainment
• Avi Arad Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $150,000,000 (estimated)
• $381,593,754
• $120,663,589
• Jun 4, 2023
• $690,824,738

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 20 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• Dolby Surround 7.1
• IMAX 6-Track
• Dolby Digital
• D-Cinema 96kHz Dolby Surround 7.1
• 12-Track Digital Sound

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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse First Reviews: A Stunning Sequel and One of the Best Comic Book Movies Ever

Critics say this is the rare follow-up that nearly surpasses the original, filled with jaw-dropping visuals, stunning action, great performances, and thoughtful character development..

TAGGED AS: First Reviews , movies , spider-verse

Here’s what critics are saying about Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse :

Does it live up to expectations?

“Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor… We never would’ve thought this one would surpass Into the Spider-Verse , and yet it does by leaps and bounds.” – Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics

“They’ve done it. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t just extend the tale of Miles Morales. The film advances that story into newly jacked-up realms of wow-ness that make it a genuine spiritual companion piece to the first film.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

“It is everything we could ask for [with] a sequel of a movie so groundbreaking, and then some.” – Jesus Agudo, eCartelera

“Simply put, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse delivers.” – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

(Photo by ©Sony Pictures Releasing/©Marvel Entertainment)

How does it compare to Into the Spider-Verse ?

“ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is one of those rare superhero sequels that surpasses the already-great original.” – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

“ Across the Spider-Verse takes everything that made the first one so special and multiplies it, expands it with ambition and depth.” – Jesus Agudo, eCartelera

“It goes bigger and accomplishes more than its awesome predecessor.” – Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics

“The art of Across the Spider-Verse feels even more self-assured than the first film.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“That one spun our heads and then some; this one spins our heads even more.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

“ Across the Spider-Verse vibrates with the same energy as its predecessor even when it feels more leaden with backstory.” – Lovia Gyarkye, Hollywood Reporter

“This is marginally more interesting and watchable than the first Spider-Verse , [but] it’s still more of a ‘feeling’ than a film.” – Roger Moore, Movie Nation

Is it one of the all-time best movie sequels?

“ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has most of the things that a great sequel should: a mix of solid character-driven storytelling with enough heart, action, humor and dramatic tension.” – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

“The mark of any great sequel is how the filmmakers raise the game, compounding their characters’ universe, gifting them with compelling adversarial obstacles and expanding upon the craft itself. Blessedly, the clever minds behind Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse deliver the goods in spades.” – Courtney Howard, Fresh Fiction

“It is a smart, thrilling piece of work that reminded me of other great part twos like The Dark Knight and The Empire Strikes Back .” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“This sequel is very much the webslinger’s Empire Strikes Back .” – Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics

“ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is one of the best films of the year, period. This is how a sequel should be.” – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

How are the visuals this time?

“The watercolor animation is a lustrous blend that swirls together to create something bold, enchanting, and innovative. It is a true step up from its predecessor, using a colorful palette that brings every frame to life as each scene appears as though it’s hand-painted.” – Valerie Complex, Deadline Hollywood Daily

“The images in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse have an intoxicating unpredictability. The film makes you feel like you’re dropping through the floors of a modern art museum on acid.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

“The animations are not just striking, but incredibly absorbing in each new dimension.” – Lovia Gyarkye, Hollywood Reporter

“It builds on the first movie’s aesthetics with one of the most strikingly conceived and executed animated films ever made.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“This is the most stunning animated movie I’ve ever seen… There’s never been anything like it before.” – Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics

“The animation is just as important to the story as anything else. It adds an extra layer of depth and allows creativity in scenes that would otherwise be impossible.” – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

“A veritable history of 20th century art and comic booking is painted over sequences, shots, and scenes, creating pretty pictures but confusing images that don’t advance the plot.” – Roger Moore, Movie Nation

What about the action?

“If you thought the action sequences in Into the Spider-Verse were spectacular, wait until you witness what the sequel has in store… There’s some truly groundbreaking, mind-blowing stuff on display.” – Mark Cassidy, ComicBookMovie.com

“There’s a true craftsmanship to the action that’s breathtaking.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“Action has been pumped up to another level.” – Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics

“Action sequences unfold with their own kinetic logic yet remain fully coherent (something the vast majority of our current crop of live-action blockbusters can’t claim) and engaging to the point that audiences might forget to breathe during them.” – Kate Erbland, IndieWire

“The sequel boasts plenty of thrilling action choreography… but some action sequences tend to move too fast to the point they feel weightless.” – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

Does it have another great script?

“It’s a script that earns every one of its 140 minutes, almost overwhelming in its abundance of ideas.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“Its funny jokes and poignant touches get obscured in the endless maelstrom.” – Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

“ Across the Spider-Verse still contains plenty of humor, but if it falls short of the original in any way, it’s that it’s just not quite as funny.” – Mark Cassidy, ComicBookMovie.com

Does it honor the source material?

“ Across the Spider-Verse gets even more serious about recreating the experience of reading a comic book.” – Lovia Gyarkye, Hollywood Reporter

“From the comic panel-like transitions to the dynamic action sequences, the movie exudes an organic love for its source material. It isn’t just a film but an experience and a nod to every Spider-Man fan who has ever flipped through the pages of a Marvel publication.” – Valerie Complex, Deadline Hollywood Daily

Are we looking at one of the best comic book movies ever?

“ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has the right mix of character development, emotional stakes, and action to make it a comic book movie masterpiece.” – Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

“ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is comic book perfection.” – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

“If the first film showed what superhero movies could be, Across the Spider-Verse goes even further: It shows what they should be.” – Kate Erbland, IndieWire

“What sets this film apart from other superhero fare is its sheer commitment to authenticity.” – Valerie Complex, Deadline Hollywood Daily

“More than most superhero movies, it’s about empowerment instead of destiny. And that’s powerful stuff.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“It’s perhaps the single best Spider-Man story ever brought to the big screen, and I say that with all the love in my heart to Spider-Man 2 .” – Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics

“With both Marvel Studios and DC Studios expanding to other universes, it’s all grown a little tiresome over the years. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the best of them all.” – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

How are the performances?

“The voice cast again is excellent, with this installment giving them even more emotional ranges to play. Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld are given tough assignments and ace them thoroughly.” – Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

“I want to give some praise to Shameik Moore, who finds the perfect register for the odd intersection of youth, manhood, and heroism in which Miles finds himself.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“Oscar Isaac delivers an engaging supporting turn as the no-nonsense Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099… Karan Soni provides hilarious comic relief as Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India.” – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

Are there any problems, then?

“There’s a greater effort now to connect Miles’ origin story to broader lessons about superhero canons. That doesn’t always land as gracefully, and parts of Across the Spider-Verse feel weighed down by this need to belabor a well-established point.” – Lovia Gyarkye, Hollywood Reporter

“For all its artistic triumphs, the plot sometimes feels overly complex… There are so many people, and details can be hard to follow.” – Valerie Complex, Deadline Hollywood Daily

“ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse really only has one flaw, and that’s that it’s only half of the story.” – Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

Will we want to watch it more than once?

“You’re going to miss things on the first viewing, but don’t worry, you’re going to want to see it again immediately after the credits start rolling.” – Matt Rodriguez, Shakefire

“It’s the kind of movie that demands more than one viewing, especially given its barrage of Easter eggs and references that you might miss the first time around.” – Casey Chong, Casey’s Movie Mania

“You could watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse a dozen times and not catch all of the surprises and Easter Eggs.” – Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics

Will it leave us excited for Beyond the Spider-Verse ?

“It leaves viewers anxiously anticipating the next chapter, and it earns its cliffhangers by grounding them in a story of young people refusing to submit to a concept of what a hero’s arc needs to be.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“ Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has made a pact with us, one that’s increasingly rare in the pop movie universe. It’s promising that the series is going to keep us hooked, in every frame, on surprise.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety

“Assuming the next installment sticks the landing, we’re going to have not just one of the best animated franchises of all-time, or even superhero properties, but just a classic trilogy.” – Joey Magidson, Awards Radar

“This conclusion will surely be worth the wait.” – Kate Erbland, IndieWire

“I want the sequel RIGHT NOW. I literally can’t wait for it to get here.” – Travis Hopson, Punch Drunk Critics

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse opens in theaters everywhere on June 2, 2023.

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Spider-Man: No Way Home Reviews

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is a reward for sticking with the webbed hero through multiple franchises for almost two decades.

Full Review | Jun 10, 2024

This multiverse mash-up featuring some iconic villains and an MCU Spider-Man in the making, ensures that Tom Holland cements his place at Marvel. With an emotional sucker-punch and pathos to spare Spider-Man: No Way Home really delivers.

Full Review | Original Score: 9/10 | May 31, 2024

Marvel Studios has ensured that its latest and best release of the year, Spiderman No Way Home, is the feature film with the most surprises for fans. [Full review in Spanish]

Full Review | Dec 5, 2023

Director Jon Watts has spun a near-perfect cinematic web with this third effort in the Spider-Man franchise.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Aug 10, 2023

A once-in-a-lifetime movie event that still manages to cap off Tom Holland's Spider-Man trilogy in an exciting way.

Full Review | Aug 9, 2023

Spider-Man: No Way Home is not just the most epic and surprising of Jon Watts’ Spider-Man movies, but it’s also one of the most complex and enjoyable superhero films we’ve seen this decade.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 3, 2023

A celebration of Spider-Man that I wanted… I cried, I laughed, & GOD I wanted to jump/scream to the high heavens. Nothing can prepare you for the BRUTAL action sequences that are at the top of Spider-Man films. But the ending? PERFECTION I LOVED IT

Full Review | Jul 26, 2023

A heartfelt, nostalgic homage to the Spider-Man legacy that fans will rewatch countless times, laughing and crying along for many more years to come. A memorable, passionate, once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Jul 25, 2023

Spider-Man: No Way Home is about chosen families, and it’s about crystalizing the fact that though it’s dark today, these people are the reason why no one in the universe will ever be lacking love.

Full Review | Jul 23, 2023

Spider-Man: No Way Home completely moved me by the amount of heart that was put into the final installment of the trilogy by its entire cast, and the desire to please fans who cared not only about the MCU, but the character Spider-Man, in particular.

Full Review | Jul 19, 2023

Spider-Man: No Way Home is truly an open love letter to the Spider-Man franchise crafted with such thoughtful care.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Feb 23, 2023

It does have some shoehorned elements in for the sake of fan service, but overall I think that its positives far outweigh any faults it may have.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Jan 6, 2023

Unfortunately, Marvel and director Jon Watts, with the third official entry from Spider-Man in the MCU, fail to learn a key lesson from the issues of previous Spider-Man franchises — sometimes less is more.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 6, 2023

It hits hard, gets emotional, it's darker than the others, for good reason. It makes you think deeply about the meaning of Spider-Man. It doesn't need to be light & fun...

Full Review | Original Score: 9.5/10 | Dec 30, 2022

The most ambitious, action-packed and emotionally satisfying live action Spider-Man movie ever made.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Nov 12, 2022

Much of the charm from the prior MCU web-slinging efforts remains intact.

Full Review | Sep 8, 2022

By the end, the direction of both the story and the MCU was murkier than before. But at some point all you can do is let the brains at the MCU hive-mind figure it out and then hope they’re able to bring it all together. It’s the best approach.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 16, 2022

The spontaneous cheers in the cinema for Spider-Man: No Way Home were well worth it.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 15, 2022

"The one of the main things that I did like about this film is that some of the questions and the issues people had with the previous iterations were address and/or fixed in this film." - Naturally Na

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Jul 28, 2022

Spider-Man: No Way Home is almost a psycho-study of the two-decade-long Spider-Man phenomenon.

Full Review | Jul 25, 2022

• Across the Spider-Verse is an animated masterpiece that upends Marvel’s Spider-canon

Sony’s Into the Spider-Verse sequel is a bigger, bolder, more ambitious film than its predecessor — and a powerful deconstruction of Marvel’s Spider-Man mythos.

By Charles Pulliam-Moore , a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.

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The concepts of multiverses and people traveling from one reality to another existed long before Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse . But the 2018 animated feature did such a tremendous job of using those ideas to define Miles Morales and deconstruct the very idea of Marvel’s iconic webhead that it almost single-handedly got the whole of Hollywood hell-bent on producing as many genre-bending multiversal epics as it possibly could. Save for Everything Everywhere All at Once , few of these other parallel dimension narratives have really been able to hold a candle to what Sony and Marvel managed to achieve with Into the Spider-Verse — a movie that told one of the most powerful Spider-Man stories of all time.

Similar to the way Into the Spider-Verse never felt like it was explicitly trying to stunt on any of Sony’s previous Spider-Man movies, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse — from co-directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson — always feels like it’s thoughtfully drawing upon the stories that came before it in hopes of tapping into some deeper, fundamental truth about what it takes to wear the spider-mask. But rather than simply using Miles to expand upon and celebrate Marvel’s 60-year-old Spider-Man mythos the way Into the Spider-Verse did , Across the Spider-Verse is much more focused on artfully blowing the webhead’s canon so wide open that it’s almost hard to believe as you’re watching it.

Like Into the Spider-Verse , Across the Spider-Verse ’s story revolves around one Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), the one and only Spider-Man operating on Earth-1610 after the untimely (but cosmically fated) death of his reality’s Peter Parker. As an experienced savior of the multiverse, Miles has every reason to think of himself as hot shit and one of the more impressive Spider-People thwipping around in any universe. But as the sole costumed hero working to protect his New York City from its supervillains, Miles can’t help but feel profoundly alone in his day-to-day civilian life, where he’s surrounded by normal people like his mother Rio (Luna Lauren Velez) and father Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry). 

Much as Miles’ parents love their son, Miles knows that they’d never be able to understand how being bitten by a radioactive spider turned his entire world upside down the way Gwen “Gwanda” Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) and Peter B. Parker could. Miles also knows there aren’t many ways to just pop over into someone else’s universe without trouble ensuing. When Gwen appears in a glowing vortex one afternoon with the promise of adventure, though, not only can he not get his super suit on fast enough but he also can’t pick up on the complicated web of secrets she’s hiding.

Though Across the Spider-Verse is undoubtedly a Miles Morales story, one of the more immediately noticeable ways the film differs from Into the Spider-Verse is in the amount of time it spends showing you what the world looks and feels like from other people’s perspectives. To Miles, both his loneliness and newly romantic longings for Gwen are emotions unique to him and his (relatively speaking) sunny, brightly lit universe that’s rendered in an array of warm, highly saturated tones. But Across the Spider-Verse takes care to establish up top how reciprocal those feelings actually are — not just to frame itself as a love story but also to help showcase how differently and imaginatively the common narrative threads shared between Marvel’s various Spider-people can be realized.

Across the Spider-Verse doesn’t just give Gwen more screen time; it commits itself to making you understand why it’s difficult for her to talk about her past and how truly thorny a Spider-hero’s personal and professional relationships with the police can be. Even if it were simply prose, the nuance Across the Spider-Verse digs into Gwen’s character with would make it a tremendous piece of superhero storytelling. What ultimately takes Across the Spider-Verse ’s handling of Gwen and other characters to the next level, though, is the way the movie uses a wide range of character / dimension-specific design languages to explore ideas that are more impactful when depicted visually as opposed to verbalized through dialogue.

As has been the case with all of Marvel’s recent projects touching on the multiverse, Across the Spider-Verse ’s story quickly becomes something of a curious nightmare for its hero as Miles’ reunion with Gwen puts him on the radar of an interdimensional body of Spider-folks known as the Spider Society. Though Across the Spider-Verse also features a very interesting take on the Spot (Jason Schwartzman) as its central villain, it’s really Miguel — a hulking Spider-Man from the future — who brings the most menacing energy to the film as the embodiment of a militaristic order that runs counter to everything that makes Miles who he is.

It’s often discomfiting to see Miguel, Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), and swarms of other Spiders ganging up on and chasing after Miles as Across the Spider-Verse starts to make good on its title. Every single one of the movie’s masterfully produced fight sequences is designed to emphasize how, in a multiverse overfull of Peter Parkers and variations of him, Miles’ differences — his Blackness, his Puerto Rican cultural roots, the fact that he was never a Silver Age comics dweeb — make him so unique that it’s easy for people to question whether he actually belongs. While Into the Spider-Verse touched on something quite similar, Across the Spider-Verse takes a much more pointed, meta approach with its commentary about Miles and, in doing so, encourages you to think very critically but meaningfully about who Miles represents and what it means when people dismiss the very simple fact that he is Spider-Man .

Across the Spider-Verse is a bigger, bolder, and more ambitious project than its predecessor in almost every way — so much so that its entire story doesn’t at all fit into a single movie with an especially satisfying ending. Across the Spider-Verse leaves little question that Sony’s forthcoming follow-up, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse , is going to bring this whole thing home and solidify the studio’s status as being the architect of one of Hollywood’s most successful takes on the multiverse. But Across the Spider-Verse also lands on a cliffhanger so delicious that waiting for the next sequel to drop next year’s going to be absolute hell.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse also stars Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham, Andy Samberg, and Amandla Stenberg. The movie hits theaters on June 2nd.

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