By Kyle Chan, Staff Writer
With the release of a new trailer, the Spider-Man Across: the Spider-Verse movie countdown becomes closer and closer. The highly anticipated movie will broadcast in theaters on June 2, 2023. The movie will also sequel the award-winning animated film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
In 2018, Columbia Pictures and Sony Animation Studios released Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a computer animated superhero hero film featuring the Marvel Comics character Miles Morales. It was the first animated Spider-Man franchise film and instantly saw huge success saleswise and critically. It towered over its $90 million dollar budget, hitting a gross income of $384.3 million dollars worldwide. Also, its Rotten Tomatoes score of 97% made it one of the top rated movies for both studios.
The first movie focused on our protagonist Miles Morales, who was bitten by a radioactive spider, struggling to live up to the expectations of his father. The story features multiple versions of Spider-Man, each from different multiverses. Miles struggles with his new identity and responsibilities until he meets Peter Parker. Throughout the movie, Parker mentors Miles as they both embark on an intricate journey of self-reflection and how to live up to the expectations as Spiderman. As Miles gains a strong sense for his newfound powers, the most notable scene in the movie is when he jumps off the building indicating his “leap of faith”. From then on, Miles becomes increasingly comfortable with his powers and ultimately collaborates with Spider-Gwen and the other versions of Spider-Man to stop the villain, Kingpin, and his goal to open up new dimensions to get his family back.
Based on the trailers for the second movie, it seems that the film will not disappoint with the stellar animation style and quality. Similar to the first movie, the sequel incorporates a slew of new rendering techniques mixed in with hand-drawn elements. With the vast and complex array of distinctive Spider-Mans, fans can expect many diverse art styles blended into the film.
The movie can be seen as an action-packed and comical film based on the clips chosen into the trailer. From the earliest trailer released back in December 2021, Miles is shown receiving guidance from his mother, which is nice to see as he needed advice from his father in the first movie. There is also a defined relationship between Miles and Gwen Stacy, who often travel together to different dimensions. Based on the second trailer, there is an introduction to the presumed main villain of the movie, The Spot. However, it quickly jumps into the multiverse, where the Spider-Mans from different verses meetup. Notable characters include Miguel O’Hara (Spiderman 2099), Spider-Woman, and the Amazing Spider-Monkey. Watchers can see another battle unfold, one that is between the different Spider-Mans. It will probably include two factions, each representing different ideals for the responsibility of being Spider-Man. Although it is not clear what pits Miles against Miguel, it looks like it will be a devastating battle for the heroes across the Spider-verse. There will likely be a Spider-Man that meets their doom from the consequences of the bloodshed. Within the character of Miles Morales, the film illustrates the transitions from self-discovery and upholding your ideals to dealing with pain and conflicts.
