I think it’s wildly impressive that we are over 10 “Spider-Man” films deep and have yet to have a (truly) bad one! That’s some “Scream” level of consistency!

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is the sequel to the 2018 film “Into the Spider-Verse,” and follows Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) as they travel through different universes and come in contact with other Spider-People. Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Vélez, Jake Johnson, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Karan Soni, Daniel Kaluuya, and Oscar Isaac also star, while Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson direct.

I really like “Into the Spider-Verse” (my initial review was a tad muted, it was my second film of a nighttime double feature, but I quickly came to see the errors of my ways), and was looking forward to the sequel. It retains most of the charm, humor, style, and gorgeous animation from the first go-around, even if some of the surprise novelty has worn off and it is very much a “Part 1 of 2” installment.

The voice cast remains top-notch, with Shameik Moore making Miles a more than likable and sympathetic lead. He shares nice parental-child chemistry with Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Vélez, and angsty teen back-and-forth with Hailee Steinfeld’s Gwen Stacy (who herself is charming as usual). New cast member Oscar Isaac is a welcome addition as Miguel O’Hara, a Spider-Man from a different universe. He is emotionally drained from a devastating past and willing to make the tough choices for the greater good that we aren’t used to getting from our Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man; I look forward to seeing where they take him in the third film.

The animation is as breath-taking and creative as the first time around, with different textures, transitions, and styles to mimic a comic book feel. Much like the first film I think at times things can get a little messy and overly-busy, but a few wonky frames hardly cancel out what is a moving piece of art. Between the “Spider-Verse” films, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” animated movies are in good hands moving forward.

The plot is a bit of an oddball, because some of it feels rushed while at other points it sags, and it feels equally like catch-up and set-up. It has already been announced that this is part one of a two-part conclusion to the series (the final chapter is due out March 2024), and the final 30 minutes of this film is all just getting characters into their starting positions for that finale. It’s a lot like 2021’s “Dune” in that if the second part delivers, all the set-up here will be forgiven. However one can’t help but watch this (at least the third act) as a commercial for “Beyond the Spider-Verse” instead of its own movie, and I think it’s fair to criticize that (compare them to, say, the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy; a clear single narrative spread over three films, but each has its own contained story and feel).

I did (mostly) like the references and call-backs to previous Spider-Man films, even the live-action ones, and much like “No Way Home” it makes you retroactively view the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield joints in a whole new light. A few of the Easter eggs feel a little out of place, but you gotta take the good with the bad when it comes to fan service.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is a very beautiful and creative film that will surely develop a following like its predecessor, and ranks in the top-half(ish) of the “Spider-Man” films (for my money, 2004’s sequel remains the gold standard not only for the character, but the superhero genre in general). I think it’s in your best interest to go in with realistic expectations and not expect anything that will top 2018’s outing or reset the medium, but you can rest easy knowing that this film manages to spin a web of fun.

Critics Rating: 7/10