Shameik Moore. © 2023 Sony/Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Marvel Entertainment, Arad Productions, Lord Miller Productions, and Pascal Pictures. Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson.
Watched it in Dolby Cinema @ AMC Theaters
The Universe Expands with Some Consequences Behind It This year of comic book films is so far pretty mixed with some great while some disappointing or straight-up WTF. However, Sony Animation brought us some of the best animations I have ever seen in cinema and a story that will bring every emotion on screen. This film is wild from start to finish and this being a comic book film and a animated film, I was glued to the screen. It's memorizing, beautiful, emotional, action-packed, and just insane with the scope of this eye-popping film. It's a film that I will remember decades ahead and it's up there as one of the best sequels of all time. Dazzling and down to earth, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the film that everyone will love whether you love comic book films or not. Join me in the multiverse and high-five every Spider-Man we see until we run across the Spider Plushie. Story: After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. However, when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders. He must soon redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most. Since the first film was released way back in 2018, it changed the animation industry by taking unique risks to make their films more artsy or pop-out by creating a unique identity. Five years later, they did it again by changing the animation game by pushing the limits of animation while giving a grounded story that the audience will connect with. While the story and characters are very important to every film, the technical elements should get more praised, especially with this film's groundbreaking animation from every frame and little detail. Over 1,000 animators worked on this film and it's the longest American animated film ever with over 140 minutes. That is insane, especially for an animated film that takes a while to complete. I applaud every animator who worked on this film and it came out beautiful. The animation details are incredible with the iconic comic book style, a mix of 2D and 3D, with different art styles from different eras. It's beautiful from every frame and I loved how there are small nice animation details that make the movement more smooth and poppy. I really love animation and this is by far the best technical animated film of all time with Ponyo still at number one. This film pushes the boundaries of animation but also superhero storytelling through animation. You still have the animated gestures and expressive actions of characters and action moments, but during serious moments without any action, the animation takes it down for a bit and makes a scene realistic. Not in terms of texture or graphical fidelity, but with lighting, emotions of each character, and atmosphere. That's where the animation gets stronger during emotional set-pieces and it works very well. The story itself also is fantastic because of its expansive characters and new worlds that put each character in danger of their own mistakes.
The story is now more expansive than ever. We travel to different universes and worlds that we would never see on the big screen. However, the story also expands on Miles's characteristics, struggles, and point of view of the world around him. While the film explores different universes and connects them all together into a larger-than-life story, it's still Miles's journey. His character arc is what keeps this story integral and the multiverse is just the icing of the cake. While it's nice to see cameos and references in the film, that's not the focus. It's about Miles jumping the hurdles of becoming Spider-Man and being his real self. We see Miles in his personal struggles with family, school, and friends. Plus, being Spider-Man can take a toll on his personal life and he makes new enemies along the way which can damage his personal life. There's no escape until you follow your canon event or break it to become the true Spider-Man. This film explores many ideas that come together on the creation of Spider-Man and this film does it very well. Miles's family is the center of his situation and he cares about his father's fate and his friend's life. However, Miles needs to make some sacrifices in order to become Spider-Man but he's in limbo. I love that it explores many corners and scenarios of Spider-Man and by the end of the film, we see what really happens to Miles when he encounters his true fears. This story is more personal for Miles and the multiverse concept also expands more than ever. I really liked the multiverse plot of this film and I like how each consequence Miles makes can hurt his universe but also his personal friends and family. It not just affecting Miles but also Gwen because she wants to save Miles from danger while also still letting him progress to becoming Spider-Man. Gwen gets more screen time in this film and we follow a similar pattern to Gwen from Miles but the film splits both povs to the larger events of the film. I love this kind of storytelling and it worked very well through the multiverse concept while still being a central focus of the struggles and risks of being Spider-Man.
The other side characters are amazing as well. I loved Miguel O'Hara as Spider-Man 2099 and since he is the main antagonist of the story, it made Mile's journey more difficult throughout the multiverse. However, the villain of this film really took over the first act and half of the second act of the film. The spot really made Miles's consequences way worse and his backstory is hilarious and dark. Having two antagonists in the story is unique and it does a great job differentiating each other on who really is messing up Miles's journey. It's nice to see Miles's mentor come back including newcomers like Jess Drew, Spider-Man India, and Spider-Punk. Spider-Punk is my new favorite Spider-Man and his personality just stands out easily. The voice cast here is fantastic and they really bring out their all into this film, especially Hailee Steinfeld. Everyone did a great job in the film and by the final frame of this film, you are begging to get more adventures of each character's stories but we will have to wait until the third film is completed. The score of this film is a complete overhaul of the first film with more exciting music and great character music themes. Spider-Man 2099 music theme is fantastic and the way they used music for suspenseful scenes is fantastic. Plus, Metro Boomin's songs are also a great addition to the music overhaul of this film's soundtrack. The editing is way more fluid in this film, especially during the fight scene in 2099. The runtime didn't bother me a lot and it flew fast which is a good thing. There is a lot to jam into this film but it didn't feel rushed. However, even with the cliffhanger in the end, I feel like there wasn't an ending which made me sorrowful for a bit. I still believe the first one is still a fantastical comic book film but this is definitely one of the best sequels I have ever seen in terms of story and technical achievement in cinema. A grand slam for animation. Multiverses can be a little bit tiring now but this film really hit the home run by making the multiverse concept big while still being a central story about struggles and scarifies through personal and superhero life. This is a fantastic animated film and it subverts every expectation in the comic book genre. This is a beautifully done film and when the credits roll, you beg for more adventures of Miles Morales. This is a grand achievement for animation and I'm happy this film hit the ballpark for me and for the fans. I cannot wait for the final film in the trilogy. Now Playing in Theaters! Vizeit Score: "A+" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for continuing supporting my indie cinema website.) Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Cheif/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
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Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman. © 2023 Columbia Pictures/Sony, Saks Picture Company, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment, and Excellent Cadaver. Directed by Gene Stupnitsky.
Early Screening at AMC Theaters
Pretty, Awkward Never in a million years that we would see another rom-com in the modern Hollywood landscape. You will get canceled, get called out, or other dumb shit. However, Jennifer Lawrence and the creators of this film didn't give a flying fuck about anything. They took every risk and joke they can make and the result is hilarious from beginning to end. This is the rom-com film that I miss when they took risky routes and made it edgy yet hilarious. It's the summer comedy of this year and you will read why this film is hilarious and sometimes, drunk as fuck. Story: On the brink of losing her childhood home, a desperate woman agrees to date a wealthy couple's introverted and awkward 19-year-old son before he leaves for college. Typically in any rom-com film, you would have crude jokes, dumbass scenes, and over-the-top lines that only fan-fiction writers would write. This is straight up that but much better in terms of visual gags, writing, and performances. I really laughed my ass off throughout this film and the jokes here are straight-up hilarious and dumb yet entertaining. Not many comedies today give me the same laugh-out-loud moments as this film. It's refreshing to go back to the 90s tropes into a modern look of teenagers. Two generations collide and none of them can get along. Society, ladies, and gentlemen. Anyways, the plot of this film is actually pretty good. While it has the typical comedic cliches, there are some fresh elements that kept the story entertaining and not stale while still being crude as fuck. The theme is pretty simple which is moving on from the past and embracing a new future while becoming a better lover. I like how this film tackles these themes with not just the main character but the co-lead as well. Love and overcoming your struggles. Pretty straightforward but in a raunchy R-rated comedy. There are some unexpected turns in this comedy and while logically, it's dumb, it just serves it off to make an ending that can be good or bad based on how you feel about the film. Well for me, I like the ending not because it's not cliché as fuck, but because it has heart and conclusion to it.
The characters in this film are very good. I really enjoyed Jennifer Lawrence's performance and she really carried the film for half of the film. What I mean by that is the other side characters weren't interesting until the drama really started to kick in with more edgy humor. I wasn't interested in Andrew Barth Feldman's character as Percy until mid-way through when his character starts to get crazier. However, the side characters later on were much better and I'm happy every side character gets a closure...including that cocaine dog. The comedy here is very edgy and crude but it works well. The visual gags really help elevate the comedy and with some context behind it, it flows very well. While it can be very on the nose, it sure made me chuckle. The cinematography here is pretty good and the editing here is solid. The CGI can be very noticeable but it's nice they use some practicality. The pacing is fast yet it didn't bother me which is great. Overall, this film really got me entertained from beginning to end with hilarious performances and a simple story with meaning behind it. However, I still have some criticisms.
One of those criticism is the editing itself. The CGI/VFX is very noticeable and there are some weird editing moments that kind of took me off the film for a second. Editing is still solid but there are questionable cuts that could've been fixed with another pair of eyes in the editor's room. Some of the side characters are okay at best, but the plot can be a little tangy and predictable, and while this is not a negative for me, it can piss off some people because people can be "offended". What a world...just watch Booksmart instead. Still, I had a good time with this peak romcom. This film was a pleasant surprise. It has edgy comedy that I missed, hilarious performances, a solid plot, and is widely entertaining. This is the romcom of 2023 and I'm happy it's making a return. While it can be raunchy and insane in this current landscape, it is still a nice throwback to witness edgy comedy at its finest like its fine wine. Now Playing Only in Theaters! Vizeit Score: "B+" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for continuing supporting my indie cinema website.) Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Cheif/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC]) |
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