Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse. PG. 140 minutes. Four stars.
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There are two things to note at the start. First, if you want to see this, first watch its predecessor, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse (2018).
Second: this film is long - nearly two-and-a-half hours, with no intermission, so prepare yourself. It's too much of a good thing, really.
Still, it is a good thing - a very good thing, in fact, as long as you're partial to Spider-Man.
In the previous film, we were introduced to New York City teenager Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), of African-American and Puerto-Rican heritage, who in classic fashion was bitten by a radioactive spider and acquired superpowers. There was a lot of action, a lot of drama, and a lot of heroics and Miles learned something about power and responsibility, as the original Spidey, Peter Parker, did in earlier Marvel comics and movies. And there was a lot about multiverses, which to be honest I found - and find - a bit hard to follow. I was never very good at science, even the comic-book kind.
The new film builds on its predecessor and delves even deeper into the multiverses where events play out differently and each has its own Spider-Man/Woman/Whatever. And the consequences of messing with each reality can be dire: saving the life of one person who was meant to die can mean catastrophe for many. But what if that one person is dear to you?
We resume a year or so after the action of the previous movie. Miles (Moore) is in a bit of trouble at school and is trying to think about tertiary studies. But such mundane concerns are put to one side when he is asked by Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld) - the Spider-Woman of her universe - to help save the Spider-people from The Spot (Jason Schwartzman).
The Spot might not sound like a particularly threatening name for a supervillain - it's noted that his black dots on white resemble a Dalmatian or a dairy cow - but the former Dr Jonathan Ohnn is a menace.
His body is covered with interdimensional portals he uses to travel between different universes and he poses a serious threat.
But there's more at stake than simply fighting and defeating the "villain of the week", as Miles derisively dubs The Spot, much to the latter's annoyance.
I confess to not being able to follow precisely which Spider-person was native to which dimension and what all the issues were and the consequences - things were moving so fast and between so many different worlds with a lot of characters in the mix, including a pregnant Spider-Woman, a British Spidey, an Indian Spidey, and Miguel O' Hara (Oscar Isaac), who's the leader of the Spider-Society, a group of Spider-People from alternate universes tasked with protecting the Multiverse.
The animation, as before, is dazzling and varied, evoking everything from old-school Western cel animation to anime and comic books.
But I think I got the gist and the film worked emotionally.
Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse does suffer a bit from middle-film syndrome, leaving some things hanging: another instalment is plugged at the end so at least we know there will be resolution.
The animation, as before, is dazzling and varied, evoking everything from old-school Western cel animation to anime and comic books. There are "footnotes" (some pop up and disappear very quickly), split screens, and more besides - the film is a feast for the senses.
But as with the best Spider-Man tales, it's also a genuinely moving story. Spidey, whatever his incarnation, can speak to people more than many superheroes, since his life is concerned with the everyday (getting grounded, trying to form a relationship) as much as with action and adventure - and given his youth he has a lot to learn.