Anarchic animation perfection.

It can never be overstated just how much Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse changed the game. What initially felt like a cheap cash grab from Sony to squeeze just that little bit more blood from their ownership of the Spider-Man name swiftly turned into a truly pivotal moment in animation history.

Busting open the concept of the multiverse before any live-action comic book movie had even broached the subject, Into the Spider-Verse made what could’ve been an overwhelming, impenetrable subject not only cohesive but wildly entertaining. It also happened to be riotously different from any mainstream animation we’d ever seen before.

Quirky, jittery, and positively mesmeric, the film’s strikingly unique animation style clearly wasn’t aiming for the computer-generated sheen of a Pixar or a Disney, nor did it feel like the more traditional offerings of a Studio Ghibli, however, the results were no less impressive. Innovative and intrepid yet comfortingly classic, the film’s intoxicating blend of 2D and 3D animation styles truly felt like a comic book come to life.

Big, bold, and bursting with energy, Into the Spider-Verse was a breath of fresh air in a medium that had begun to feel very safe, offering something that we’d simply never seen from a mainstream animation before, let alone one tied to such a huge superhero commodity. And just like that, animation would never be the same again.

But exactly how do you top something so monumental? Well, you strap a rocket to it and blast it all even further into the multiverse of course.

After reuniting with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Brooklyn's now full-time, friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), is suddenly catapulted across the multiverse on a new adventure, where he encounters a vast team of Spider-People - led by the super-stoic Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) - charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the various spider-heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against his own kind as he’s forced to redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save those he loves the most.

If Into the Spider-Verse changed the game, Across the Spider-Verse positively blows the thing apart. It really would’ve been so easy for Sony and the team behind the first film to rest on their laurels, safe in the knowledge that they crafted one of the greatest animations of all time, yet they’re having none of it, turning in something that not only matches its predecessor but surpasses it in every conceivable way.

Breathtakingly beautiful from start to finish, Across the Spider-Verse is everything the first film was and then some. While Into put in the tireless legwork to establish Miles Morales as a big time player in the Spider-Verse, ensuring that an alternative Spider-Man was not only viable but vital, Across takes the character and fires him into the stratosphere.

After so many years with Peter Parker as the one and only big screen Spider-Man, the first film had a huge task on its hands convincing us that there was an alternate version worth rooting for, yet it did so perfectly. What Across the Spider-Verse does so well, however, is keep that momentum going while affording us the opportunity to root for so much more.

While this is still very much Miles’ story, significantly more shade is added to those around him, offering a far more expansive story. As we’re thrown head-first back into the multiverse, crossing paths with a veritable smorgasbord of Spider-Folk along the way, it can all be a little bewildering, yet the film’s script is so well constructed that our time with Miles and the gang is never undercut by the chaos swirling around them.

As with its predecessor, with so many oddly shaped plates to spin, Across the Spider-Verse’s writing needed to be on point to stay on top of everything, yet the script from Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham nails it once again. With Gwen Stacy’s story brought to the fore and her character given time and space to breathe, the film’s writing is remarkably well-rounded, managing to balance character work and plot function beautifully.

Make no mistake though, Across the Spider-Verse trumps the first film to become the most gloriously nerdy big screen Spider-Man outing yet. Sure, with all the alternative Spider-People, cheeky Easter eggs, nostalgic references, and wild multiverse realms thrown our way at a rate of knots, it can become a tad disorienting, however, go with the flow and you’ll be richly rewarded.

Picking up perfectly from where we last left Miles Morales et al, there’s a keen sense of anarchic joy to Across the Spider-Verse that’s incredibly hard to resist. Whether it’s Lord and Miller’s razor-sharp writing or the infectious buzz created by the film’s directing trio - Joachim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson - there’s an undeniable affection from all involved and this comes across loud and clear in every single gorgeous frame.

Balancing action, comedy, and an emotional warmth is no mean feat, however, Lord, Miller, and all the various contributors to the film juggle them masterfully. With all three components in perfect unison, the result is a true work of art that, like its predecessor, employs a unique, innovative, and intuitive blend of modern and traditional animation techniques that frequently defy all rational thought.

The action itself is kinetic, manic, and truly thrilling, flowing smoothly and breathlessly from New York to the multiverse and back again. Of course, such free-wheeling, vertigo-inducing action is always integral to any Spider-Man movie, yet the way Across the Spider-Verse constructs its set pieces is something else entirely, pushing the boundaries of animation to their very limits.

Of course, action alone will only get you so far without heart to back it up and Across the Spider-Verse has this in spades. Building on their connection from the first film, the dynamic between Miles and Gwen, in particular, is both endearingly sweet and immensely fun, and a major factor in the film’s success, yet what really lends the movie its soul is its strong sense of family.

The chemistry between Miles and his parents is once again the bedrock of the story, however an extra dose of heart is injected into proceedings through Gwen’s fraught but touching relationship with her father. Much as it is with Miles, Gwen’s struggles with balancing her personal life with the responsibilities of a superhero - and specifically a Spider-Person - are at the core of Across the Spider-Verse’s narrative, forming a strong thematic thread that runs throughout the entire film.

As the core components of any Spider-Man story, adolescence, identity, and finding one’s place in the world (or worlds) are present in Across the Spider-Verse and are as strong as they’ve ever been. What makes this approach all the more special, however, is just how intertwined these aspects are with not only Miles and Gwen’s unique characters, but a number of other Spider-Men and Spider-Women we encounter, making what’s on offer far more than cheap, nostalgia-friendly fan service.

Quite honestly, as odd as it sounds, the only true negative to fling Across the Spider-Verse’s way is that it ends and ends rather abruptly. If you go into this film expecting a significant resolution, you will likely come away disappointed as it leaves us precariously perching on a huge Infinity War-sized cliff-hanger until we get the second half of the story next year.

That aside, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is singularly spectacular stuff that not only surpasses the pioneering achievements of its predecessor but supersedes pretty much every big screen Spidey outing we’ve had to date.

With every frame a work of art and every inch of plot meticulously constructed, Across the Spider-Verse is a dizzying, dazzling, transcendent triumph. Like its predecessor, Across the Spider-Verse once again redraws the boundaries of animation and continues to push them to their very limit, yet, despite its relentless, overwhelming spectacle, the film never once loses sight of its heart.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is in cinemas now.