Dog’s Movie House: “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” A Brilliantly Animated And Engrossing Spider-Man Film!

“Across The Spider-Verse” continues the story of Miles Morales (Shemeik Moore) who, in true Spider-Man tradition, is having trouble balancing his school life with his life as Spider-Man. His parents (Luna Lauren Valez and Bryan Tyree Henry) are worried and Miles can’t tell them the secret without exposing his family to danger. Then Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) arrives from her own universe to visit and pretty soon they’re battling for the fate of all the universes. A villain called The Spot (Jonathan Schwartzman) has gained the powers to travel through the multiverse on his own, causing chaos and potential destruction wherever he goes, It’s up to Mile, Gwen, and a leader of the Spider Society Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) to save the day, only the plan Miguel has will have potentially dire consequences for Miles.

That is as concise as I can do when it comes to summarizing the plot. The details are best experienced in the theater. And, oh, what details! You have multiple Earths with multiple Spider-Men (and women, and dinosours, and cats, etc.) and that gives the film an opportunity to fill the film with incredible Easter eggs and cameos from almost every cinematic, comic, and video game incarnation of the famous wall-crawler. You would have to see “Across The Spider-Verse” at least ten times to catch all the cameos and details.

But lest you think “Across The Spider-Verse” is a jumbled confusing mess, let me assure you that the story is as heartfelt and easy to follow as the first film. This turns out to be Gwen’a story as much as Miles and both Steinfeld and Moore nail their roles with humor and heart. Henry and Valez are both very good as Miles’ parents and Isaac brings an appropriate amount of intensity as Miguel O’Hara (aka “Spider-Man 2099). Other standouts are the returning Jake Johnson as Peter B. Parker, Issa Rae as Jessica Drew (aka “Spider-Woman.”) and Daniel Kaluuya as Spider-Punk. Also a lot of fun is Karen Soni voicing the Indian version of Spider-Man and Schwartman making a great impression as The Spot, at first as a bumbling clown but later as a thouroughly terrifying foe.

WIth incredible visuals, lots of action, heart and humor, “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse” is a must see for both animation and Spider-Man fans. If you are just a casual moviegoer, you might be a little confused at all the hoopla, so see the original film first to get caught up. Folks who are looking for something refreshing in the ever-crowded superhero film landscape will find a great deal to love about “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse.” It is truly a cinematic marvel! 5 Out Of 5 On Kendog’s Barkometer! So Sayeth The Kendog!

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