Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse

Stream on Disney+

Runtime: 2 Hours 21 Minutes

Rated PG

Miles has been Spider-man for a year since we last saw him and been alone on his journey. After an encounter with a new villain known as The Spot, Miles becomes entangled in web of his past, accidents, the multiverse all crossing paths. The Spot’s ability to visit other universes causes Miles to meet back up with his former friends, Peter B Parker and Gwen Stacy, but it seems like they are hiding something from him.

Themes:

Spider-man, the multiverse, loss, great power = great responsibility, school, family, parents, tragedy, alternative takes, feelings, being a lone wolf, needing others, teamwork, secret identities, failure, learning, teaching, lying, growing up, parents, running behind, friendship vs romantic relationships, each person’s story, familial love, and doing the right thing.

Language:

A*s - 2 D*mn - 1 Hell - 2

“Oh my gosh,” shoot, jeez, heck, crap, and dang are all used. There is name calling such as nosey, stupid, and crazy.

Stuff to be aware of: (I wrote this years after the movie came out, so spoilers below)

LGBTQ+ - there is a poster hanging in Gwen’s room that says “protect trans kids.” Captain Stacy has what looks like a trans flag on his uniform. These are” blink and you’ll miss it” moments, but they are there.

Scary - In Gwen’s universe Peter Parker turns into the Lizard and he could be scary to younger viewers. The Spot is pretty goofy, but he does at one point talk with an ominous voice and runs at Miles. Miguel grows vampire teeth and almost bites someone. He later moves in creepy ways and his voice changes to sound scarier.

Sexual - Spider-woman (Jessica Drew) mentions that her husband is hot. Miles seems to have a bit of a thing for Gwen. He draws and spray paints pictures of her. The Spot tells Miles that his costume is a bit tight in the back. There are some jokes made about The Spot’s holes and him talking about his holes makes people uncomfortable.

Gwen mentions staying in another Spider-man universe. Miles asks if that is like staying overnight. One Spider-man is seen shirtless.

Violence - There is plenty of Spider-man fighting and violence similar to the first movie. In this article I will mention violence beyond what is expected.

Other - Spider-woman (Jessica Drew) is pregnant and mentions that her husband and her don’t know the sex yet. Mile’s dad says, “it was like pregnancy,” referring to his studying for a test. His wife corrects him. Miguel gives himself a shot.

Overall:

Seeing It With Your Family

This one is a bit more visually intense than the first movie and there are a few more curse words. The plot is also a bit more complicated so younger viewers may need some things explained. Also, this movie’s plot is darker and some of the characters that were on Miles side switch back and forth which could be difficult for kids who really love certain characters.

There has been a big stir online about how the colors in Gwen’s apartment, world, and hair being the colors of the transgender flag. She comes out to her father as being Spider-woman. Also, Miles is seen as an “anomaly” and cast out of the “Spider Society.” Online this, and other aspects, have been seen as being an allegory for transgenderism. Personally, I did not interpret these as a allegory for the trans journey. I think all films are open to interpretation and can speak to different experiences people have. Not sure what the writer’s intentions were, but the film didn’t come across as that to me. A lot of the themes people are pointing to (revealing a secret identity, being at odds with law enforcement, being an anomaly, being outcast, being alone, etc.) are all part of the Spider-man mythos. However, the two things mentioned in the LGBTQ+ area above could mean that this is what they are going for. The average movie watcher probably won’t catch it.

What I Thought

This one is just as good as the first movie and does a good job setting up a third film. For an animated movie the writers do a great job making the threats seem real, but also humanizing the characters, their journeys, and how they view and deal with tragedy. The overall story gets a bit darker, but handles it’s themes well for a family aimed movie. The writers also do a good job dealing with the gray areas of being a superhero. The theme of saving one person vs saving an entire world is very heavy in the movie and by the end it feels like each character walks down the path of what is right and grows and joins a side.

One last thing, we get more of Gwen in this movie and watching her story and knowing more about her is sad, but also leads her to a beautiful story arch full of compassion, selflessness, and responsibility. The way that her story and this entire movie is injected with what makes Spider-man (and his alternative selves) who he is is done so well. Loss, heroism, and with great power comes great responsibility fuels the story and makes it a great one.