Posted by Spider-Man gets trained by Spider-Man to fight Spider-Man with the help of Spider-Man
Hello, on this beautiful sunny morning here in the UK… oh wait it’s raining now… in that case hello on this miserable rainy morning in the UK… Oh, it’s sunny again… Well, hello on what is definitely morning here in the UK. Unless you’re reading this later… in which case… Forget it. Just forget it.
I found myself back in the cinema a few days ago. Which was a pleasant change of scenery. Mrs OddFather has a better social life than me so tends to be out most evenings, meaning I’m on child-watch so no-one steals the baby or something. Either way, working from home and being stuck indoors a lot of the time makes The OddFather something something.
So, yeah, having a rare chance to leave the house I decided to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. There are so many Spidey movies/games/cartoons it can be hard to keep up for the average guy. Luckily, an average guy I am not – make of that what you will. The sheer number of Spidey movies actually works well for the concept of this movie as they all feed into the narrative of an unlimited number of Spideys existing across the multi-verse. Did you see what I did there? Eh? Eh? Eh?
I wasn’t terribly excited to go watch this movie, I’m a bit bored by Marvel content. I watched the first episode of Secret Invasion and almost fell asleep. However, I was intrigued by Across the Spider-Verse nonetheless. My first impressions weren’t all that great. Firstly, they had a poster of a Spuds player on the wall of Miles dorm room. Why would you put sh*t in a movie that will be seen by lots of kids? Think of the children!
More than that though, I found it a little difficult to get used to the animation again. I get it – it’s chaotic, and I remember it working very well in the first movie. Here, it works too but I needed time to adapt. Especially because I got confused by the blurred background. I was actually wondering if I accidentally booked a 3D showing and so tried to subtly check if other viewers were wearing 3D glasses. I don’t do subtle very well though.
It wasn’t a 3D movie and eventually I got used to the animation. It’s quite clever as there’s subtle differences in animation for each universe – or at least some of them.
Gwen’s story really pulled at my heart-strings. Anyone that knows me knows I’m a sucker for father-daughter sentimental stories. And here was no different. Seeing Gwen argue with her father made me anxious about The OddDaughter growing up into a teenager and not wanting to be hugged and kissed – instead arguing against whatever I’m trying to suggest. Got to make the most of these years where she’ll continue to believe I’m the King of the World and so has to listen to me.
Either way, the anxiety made me rush home after the movie to give The OddDaughter a huge hug. Word of advice – don’t unsettle a sleeping 3 year old in the middle of the night.
My bad.
The representation in this movie is great too. I come from a Sikh background and it’s not very often you see Sikh’s in Hollywood movies. And usually when they are they’re done very badly where the turban sits like a hat on their head. So, to see Indians represented in this movie was a nice example of diversity. I guess the Spider-Verse movies have always done that. I’m sure pigs enjoyed the inclusion of Spider-Pig in the last movie – representing all the bacon out there! Mmmm… Bacon. I miss eating bacon. Mrs OddFather is a vegetarian and doesn’t like me cooking bacon in the house so it leaves a gap in my life. What I would give for a bacon sandwich right now. With runny egg… Stop… Focus OddFather. Focus. We have a job to do.
Across the Spider-Verse is a very funny movie. I laughed out loud several times. I guess I shouldn’t expect any different from the writers of the Lego movie and um… the Lego movie part 2? Cameo scenes are very well done too. Integrating scenes from previous live-action Spidey movies and even a live-action cameo from a well-known actor. I shall leave him nameless so as to not spoil the movie for anyone. The music too follows on from the first Spider-Verse movie by being spot on – it really differentiates Miles’ movies more from all the other Peter Parker content out there.
I don’t think it’ll be a spoiler to say this movie ends on a cliff hanger for the third movie, Beyond the Spider-Verse which comes out next year. Providing they don’t ruin that movie, and providing that movie isn’t better than this movie, I would say this is the best Spider-Man movie I have seen. And I love all the Spider-Man movies. It’s crazy that this doesn’t even come from Marvel, it’s a Sony movie. How can a studio that released this amazing movie also be responsible for Morbius? Insane.
I’m going to attempt to finish this review – like all recent movie reviews – with some wise words… Kids grow up fast, and before you know it, you’re arguing with them and trying to get them arrested for killing their best friend under the guise of Spider-Woman?? The first 5 years are formative for kids – make life fun for them, let them express themselves and build their confidence… but most of all – enjoy it! The hard moments may be hard, but make up for the hard times by celebrating the good times.
Verdict
Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse is my favourite Spidey movie. That’s coming from someone that’s enjoyed all Spidey movies. The fact it’s an animation may make people turn away, but this movie has the right balance to be entertaining for adults and children. Go see it!