new spiderman movie reviews

Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, great movies, chaz's journal, contributors, spider-man: no way home.

Now streaming on:

The best of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” reminded me why I used to love comic books, especially the ones about a boy named Peter Parker. There was a playful unpredictability to them that has often been missing from modern superhero movies, which feel so precisely calculated. Yes, of course, “No Way Home” is incredibly calculated, a way to make more headlines after killing off so many of its event characters in Phase 3, but it’s also a film that’s often bursting with creative joy.

Director Jon Watts and his team have delivered a true event movie, a double-sized crossover issue of a comic book that the young me would have waited in line to read first, excitedly turning every page with breathless anticipation of the next twist and turn. And yet they generally avoid getting weighed down by the expectations fans have for this film, somehow sidestepping the cluttered traps of other crowded part threes. “No Way Home” is crowded, but it’s also surprisingly spry, inventive, and just purely entertaining, leading to a final act that not only earns its emotions but pays off some of the ones you may have about this character that you forgot.

Note: I will very carefully avoid spoilers but stay offline until you see it because there are going to be landmines on social media.

“No Way Home” picks up immediately after the end of “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” with the sound of that film’s closing scene playing over the Marvel logo. Mysterio has revealed the identity of the man in the red tights, which means nothing will ever be the same for Peter Parker ( Tom Holland ). With an almost slapstick energy, “No Way Home” opens with a series of scenes about the pitfalls of super-fame, particularly how it impacts Peter’s girlfriend M.J. (Zendaya) and best bud Ned ( Jacob Batalon ). It reaches a peak when M.I.T. denies all three of them admission, citing the controversy about Peter’s identity and the roles his buddies played in his super-adventures.

Peter has a plan. The “wizard” he met when he saved half the population with The Avengers can cast a spell and make it all go away. So he asks Dr. Strange ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) to make the world forget that Spider-Man is Peter Parker, which, of course, immediately backfires. He doesn’t want M.J. or Ned or Aunt May ( Marisa Tomei ) to forget everything they’ve been through together, and so the spell gets derailed in the middle of it. Strange barely gets it under control. And then Doc Ock ( Alfred Molina ) and the Green Goblin ( Willem Dafoe ) show up.

As the previews have revealed, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” weaves characters and mythology from the other cinematic iterations of this character into the universe of the current one, but I’m happy to report that it’s more than a casting gimmick. My concern going in was that this would merely be a case of “ Batman Forever ” or even “ Spider-Man 3 ,” where more was often the enemy of good. It’s not. The villains that return from the Sam Raimi and Marc Webb films don’t overcrowd the narrative as much as they speak to a theme that emerges in the film that ties this entire series back to the other ones. For a generation, the line about Spidey was “With great power comes great responsibility.” “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is about the modern Peter Parker learning what that means. (It also helps a great deal to have actors like Molina and Dafoe in villain roles again given how the lack of memorable villains has been a problem in the MCU.)

So many modern superhero movies have confronted what it means to be a superhero, but this is the first time it’s really been foregrounded in the current run of Peter Parker, which turns “No Way Home” into something of a graduation story. It’s the one in which Parker has to grow up and deal with not just the fame that comes with Spider-Man but how his decisions will have more impact than most kids planning to go to college. It asks some interesting questions about empathy as Peter is put in a position to basically try to save the men who tried to kill other multiverse iterations of him. And it playfully becomes a commentary on correcting mistakes of the past not just in the life of Holland’s Parker but those of characters (and even filmmakers) made long before he stepped into the role. "No way Home" is about the weight of heroic decisions. Even the right ones mean you may not be able to go home again.

Watts hasn’t gotten enough credit in his other two Spider-Man movies for his action and “No Way Home” should correct that. There are two major sequences—a stunner in a mirror dimension in which Spidey fights Strange, and the climactic one—but it’s also filled with expertly rendered minor action beats throughout. There’s a fluidity to the action here that’s underrated as Mauro Fiore ’s camera swoops and dives with Spider-Man. And the big final showdown doesn’t succumb to the common over-done hollowness of MCU climaxes because it has undeniable emotional weight. I also want to note that Michael Giacchino ’s score here is one of the best in the MCU, by far. It’s one of the few themes in the entire cinematic universe that feels heroic.

With so much to love about “No Way Home,” the only shame is that it’s not a bit more tightly presented. There’s no reason for this movie to be 148 minutes, especially given how much the first half has a habit of repeating its themes and plot points. Watts (and the MCU in general) has a habit of over-explaining things and there’s a sharper version of “No Way Home” that trusts its audience a bit more, allowing them to unpack the themes that these characters have a habit of explicitly stating. And, no offense to Batalon, turning Ned into a major character baffles me a bit. He always feels like a distraction from what really works here. On the other hand, this is the first of these three films that has allowed Zendaya and Holland’s chemistry to shine. In particular, she nails the emotional final beats of her character in a way that adds weight to a film that can feel a bit airy in terms of performance.

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” could have just been a greatest hits, a way to pull different projects into the same IP just because the producers can. Some will see it that way just on premise alone, but there’s more going on here than the previews would have you believe. It’s about what historic heroes and villains mean to us in the first place—why we care so much and what we consider a victory over evil. More than any movie in the MCU that I can remember, it made me want to dig out my old box of Spider-Man comic books. That’s a heroic accomplishment.

In theaters on December 17 th .

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Now playing

Simon Abrams

Asphalt City

Glenn kenny.

Dad & Step-Dad

Carlos aguilar.

Robert Daniels

About Dry Grasses

Carol Doda Topless at the Condor

Marya e. gates, film credits.

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of action/violence, some language and brief suggestive comments.

148 minutes

Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man

Zendaya as Michelle 'MJ' Jones

Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange

Jon Favreau as Harold 'Happy' Hogan

Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds

Marisa Tomei as May Parker

Alfred Molina as Otto Octavius / Doctor Octopus

Jamie Foxx as Max Dillon / Electro

Willem Dafoe as Norman Osborn / Green Goblin

Tony Revolori as Eugene 'Flash' Thompson

Angourie Rice as Betty Brant

Martin Starr as Mr. Harrington

Hannibal Buress as Coach Wilson

J.B. Smoove as Mr. Dell

J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson

Benedict Wong as Wong

Writer (based on the Marvel comic book by)

• Steve Ditko
• Chris McKenna
• Erik Sommers

Cinematographer

• Mauro Fiore
• Michael Giacchino

Latest blog posts

Steve Martin Is an Auteur Without Having Directed a Thing

The Unloved, Part 124: Play Dirty

Beyoncé and My Daughter Love Country Music

A Poet of an Actor: Louis Gossett, Jr. (1936-2024)

Spider-Man: No Way Home Review

Saturday morning cartoon meets deep mcu drama more of this, please..

This is a spoiler-free review of Spider-Man: No Way Home, which will hit theaters Dec 17th 2021.

Once-in-a-lifetime films are pipe dreams for most studios, yet, here’s Marvel showing off the fact that they have us all in the palm of their hands yet again. Spider-Man: No Way Home is somehow a perfect harmony of a Saturday morning cartoon and the deep drama that we’ve come to expect from these epics. You’ll find no spoilers here, but the film will remind you repeatedly that there are a whole lot of reasons that Sony and Marvel kept the details of this one as close to the vest as possible.

Despite the fact that there’s so much we can’t talk about here, we can still find plenty of tidbits to discuss, because there’s truly never a dull moment in Spider-Man: No Way Home. That’s due in no small part to stellar performances across the board. The MCU as a whole has never been a slouch when it comes to casting. Some of the best actors in the world now hold their own respective Marvel roles. But, whether it be the pandemic or No Way Home's lack of buildup from other installments in the MCU, the performances here feel like something different. Willem Dafoe nails everything he does, but his reprisal of Norman Osborn is something for the MCU history books. His character — like the rest of the villains who find their way into Peter’s (Tom Holland) universe — is given a new depth that was never explored in previous Spider-Man films.

Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer 2 Screenshots

Built around performances like Dafoe’s — Alfred Molina’s Doc Oc and Jamie Foxx’s Electro aren’t anything to sneeze at, either — is the root of Spider-Man: No Way Home’s success. Amidst the laughs and the tears is a deep, heartfelt empathy that’s felt missing not just in the early MCU, but in the Spider-Man films that preceded this one. That’s not the fault of the creators or the performers of those respective series, but more a result of the times in which they were made, and what audiences were expecting at those times. The early live-action era of superhero fare was much more focused on thwip, thwip, bang, bang than the complex emotional impact of it all. Spider-Man: No Way Home’s empathy finds itself woven into the storyline in a way that doesn’t feel overly didactic or pandering, but instead truly drives home the ethos of Spider-Man: with great power comes great responsibility. Even when it freakin’ sucks. (Especially when it freakin’ sucks.)

The involvement of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) really helps to drive home the age difference between Pete and the rest of the Avengers, which furthers The Spectacular Spider-Man of it all. Underneath all of Tony Stark’s tech is a kid who just kinda wants to do kid stuff sometimes. Like, y’know, get into college or whatever.

It’s the Tony Stark of it all, though, that takes us to what may be the most exciting long-term effect of Spider-Man: No Way Home. In other canons, Peter’s involvement with Iron Man comes after he’s established himself. The scrappy kid from Queens didn’t need a billionaire to sort out his gadgets. He did it on his own. Now, we’re obviously well past that in this Peter Parker’s story, but now that we’re far enough from the fall of Stark, Spidey’s finally taking things into his own hands. Heck, the kid even uses math to get out of a desperate situation.

What's your favorite MCU movie of 2021 so far?

While there's a real thrill in watching a story of this scope, which takes from and adds so much to the MCU as a whole, I’m not going to tell you that Spider-Man: No Way Home is without its flaws. When folks talk about superhero fatigue, they’re often not talking about audiences becoming tired of seeing people in capes. What they typically mean is an overall boredom with tropes that have been long-standing staples in the genre. The MCU has been forced to reckon with these tropes over the years to varying degrees of success, but there are some moments in this one that fall into one of the most frustrating hero habits of them all: the lone hero. This complaint and the specific fallout from certain choices made by our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man will undoubtedly see resolution in later films. But, for now, they’re annoying.

Spider-Man’s other tiny “pitfalls” are what you’ve come to expect from a Marvel film. Sometimes there might be a little more CGI than there should be, maybe some moments of dialogue will be considered a little hokey. But they’re our hokey moments, dangit! When I compare Spider-Man: No Way Home to a Saturday morning cartoon, that’s said in the fondest possible way. It has all the cheesiness you expect from a high school-aged Peter Parker, met with the silliness that comes along with a kid who uses web-slingers to swing around New York City to fight bad guys who are sometimes literal lizards.

Those tiny tidbits aside, the scale of Spider-Man: No Way Home is wild. Folks concerned that it was going to Spider-Man 3 itself with all the villains involved need not be worried. The vast majority of everything presented in this newest chapter works in such a way that you’ll leave the theater both thrilled and counting down the moments until we see Peter and his friends again.

Spider-Man: No Way Home hits all the right notes as the MCU's latest entry. Its impact on the universe as a whole, as well as the overall emotional beats, all feel earned. Stellar performances meet what feels like a Saturday morning cartoon rife with all the devastating punches we've come to expect from this sneaky universe. Though it struggles with some tired superhero tropes, everything else about it will leave fans grinning ear-to-ear.

More Reviews by Amelia Emberwing

Ign recommends.

Things you buy through our links may earn  Vox Media  a commission.

Spider-Man: No Way Home  Is Aggressively Mediocre

The one good idea that the Tom Holland–starring Spider-Man films had was a simple, obvious one: They really did make Peter Parker a kid. Tobey Maguire had been 27 at the time of his first turn as the high-school-age superhero, while Andrew Garfield had been 29. It’s not so much that those actors were too old for the material; it’s that the material could never fully utilize the character’s youth and inexperience because we as humans have a visceral resistance to watching people who clearly aren’t kids making childish decisions. Holland, by contrast, was 21 when Spider-Man: Homecoming premiered in 2017, and he looked even younger. As a result, the filmmakers for this latest Spidey cycle, including director Jon Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, have been able to sell us on some of Peter’s dodgier choices. They’ve also managed to mine the age gap between him and other characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for humor as well as one meme-worthy moment of genuine pathos. (“Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good.”)

But in most other respects, Watts’s Spider-Man films have been black holes of imagination. (The first entry featured a huge set piece at the Washington Monument — an inspired idea on paper — and did absolutely nothing interesting with it. The setting might as well have been an office building in suburban Atlanta. It probably was at some point.) This is a particular shame when it comes to Spider-Man, since previous attempts at the character, even at their worst, have often been visually spectacular. It does take a unique brand of corporate cynicism to drain any and all grandeur from the sight of Spidey swinging through the canyons of Manhattan; trapping the most cinematic of all superheroes in nondescript swirls of CGI sludge feels like its own act of villainy.

In other respects, too, these movies’ Spider shtick is starting to get old. They continue to treat Peter Parker as a child, and the ultrabuff, grown-up Holland now looks increasingly out of place. The new film begins with Peter Parker unmasked and publicly castigated and shamed for killing the previous entry’s villain, Mysterio. Among the real-life consequences of Parker’s cancellation is MIT’s rejection of his and his friends MJ (Zendaya) and Ned’s (Jacob Batalon) college applications. Determined to fix this problem, Parker goes to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and asks him — I am not making this up — to cast a spell making the rest of the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man so that his friends can get into the college of their choice. And Doctor Strange — again, I am not making this up — agrees to do so. Holland is a fine actor, but I’m not sure any actor could survive the sheer idiocy of this character’s decisions here. Peter might be a teenager, but I don’t recall him ever being this stupid, either in the comics or the movies. Anyway, hocus-pocus, things go wrong, portal into other dimensions, flashing lights, blah, blah, blah. The magic goes awry, and Potter Peter finds himself face-to-face with a whole new set of problems. It’s all so pro forma that even Cumberbatch’s Strange, called on to convey rage at how his young colleague’s dumb request has prompted him to tear a hole in the fabric of the universe, merely musters some mild annoyance.

The initial big revelations of the new film have already been shown in trailers, so I’ll discuss those first. When Strange’s magic opens a gateway to different realities, once-dead villains from previous Spidey movies suddenly return, including Spider-Man ’s Norman Osborn, a.k.a. the Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Spider-Man 2 ’s Otto Octavius (Alfred Molina), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ’s Electro (Jamie Foxx). Again, a potentially promising idea. And judging from the cheers these veteran bad guys’ mere emergence got at my screening, perhaps it was of secondary importance that they be given, you know, something interesting to do . But aside from Dafoe, who once again gets to have some modest fun with his character’s divided self, there’s not much going on here. Why bring back an actor like Molina, who brought so much heartbreak and sneering rage to Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2 , only to give him no sense of inner life or any good lines? The same goes for Foxx’s Electro, whose transformation from oddball engineer to blustery supervillain in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was one of that (admittedly dreadful) film’s few highlights. Here, he’s just a tired wisecrack machine. That the action scenes involving these characters are so insipid just adds insult to injury: Watching Doctor Octopus dutifully toss weightless, computer-generated concrete pipes at our hero, it’s hard not to think back on Sam Raimi’s eye-poppingly imaginative action sequences in Spider-Man 2 featuring these same two characters and maybe even shed a tear for what has been lost.

It’s not just the action and the magic that flop. Even the film’s more intimate moments fall flat. One early domestic comedy scene involving Peter, MJ, Aunt May (Marisa Tomei, mostly wasted here), and Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) has the camera whip-panning and roaming the spaces of their apartment in a pastiche of handheld indie filmmaking, but none of the humor feels organic or earned or even all that funny. It doesn’t build or make any emotional sense. Like almost everything else in the movie, it’s just another put-on. Making Peter more of a child does allow you to play up his sincerity and naïveté, which should ideally be a breath of fresh air in a universe filled with cynical, world-weary superheroes. But for all their alleged earnestness, these last three Spider-Man films have never had any kind of identity to call their own.

And now for the heavy spoilers, which I’m not supposed to talk about … but forgive me, it’s impossible to discuss this picture’s highs and lows without doing so. So, fair warning. Seriously.

Here, I’ll even give you an extra paragraph break to click away before finding out what happens next in the movie. (Even if it’s destined to become common knowledge within a few days.)

As the infinitely superior Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse already taught us, opening up doors to the metaverse means that you might also discover other iterations of Spider-Man. So sure enough, Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire return to the franchise that once helped make them stars, and the three Peters Parker now work together to try and handle this cavalcade of villains. And a film that was already engorged with fan service positively erupts with it.

That’s not such a bad thing, at least at first. It’s certainly nice to see Maguire again, and Garfield is a genuine delight. The latter’s previous turn as Spidey was a wildly uneven one. His slightly hapless, rom-com variation on Peter Parker made the first outing quite fun, but by the second entry, he had become twitchy, whiny, annoying. Here, almost as if he’s been given a second chance (a running theme in the film), he gets the goofiness just right. A scene where the denizens of this world ask Garfield’s Parker to prove he has Spider powers offers a charming bit of slapstick, and his uncertainty and insecurity pop up at opportune moments during the big climax. But this also reveals a bigger problem. Because as we watch Garfield act literal circles around everybody else, we are reminded of how lifeless and wanting the rest of the picture is. It’s like getting a new pair of glasses and realizing that your world has been a blur for the past few months. Except that whenever Garfield is off the screen, you’re forced to put your old glasses back on, which just makes everything look that much worse.

The Tom Holland Spider-Man films have been so eager to please that one does feel like a bit of a crank criticizing them. Nobody should enjoy kicking puppies. At the same time, along with the oft-rebooted Batman , Spider-Man is the one superhero franchise for which we do have proofs of concept for different approaches. And while the previous Holland films have been mediocre in modest ways, No Way Home feels downright aggressive in its mediocrity, bringing back better actors from better movies and calling back to an endlessly inventive and moving masterpiece like Spider-Verse . Is it an attempt to try and gain residual luster from associating with better work? Or is it something more cynical, an attempt to bring that better work under the big tent of its blandness? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that No Way Home was trying to make us forget that a better Spider-Man movie is possible.

More Movie Reviews

• A Sad-Eyed Josh O’Connor Goes Tomb-Raiding in the Lovely, Mysterious La Chimera
• Lisa Frankenstein Is Strictly a Mall-Goth Affair
• Wicked Little Letters Should’ve Been for the Sickos
• vulture homepage lede
• spider-man: no way home
• tom holland
• movie review
• benedict cumberbatch
• new york magazine

Most Viewed Stories

• Cinematrix No. 26: April 1, 2024
• What’s Next for 3 Body Problem ?
• The Best TV Shows of 2024 (So Far)
• Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live Finale Recap: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
• Saturday Night Live Recap: Ramy Youssef Makes It Personal
• Cassie’s Lawsuit Against Diddy, Explained

Editor’s Picks

Most Popular

What is your email.

This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.

Sign In To Continue Reading

Create your free account.

Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:

• Lower case letters (a-z)
• Upper case letters (A-Z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)

As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York , which you can opt out of anytime.

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Review: A Bedazzling Sequel, and the Rare Comic-Book Movie That Earns Its Convolutions

Miles Morales is back for a head-spinning adventure that ups the trippy imagery, and the stakes too.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

• Remembering Louis Gossett Jr. in ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’: His Timeless Acting Elevated the Movie Drill Sergeant Into a Mythic Figure 2 days ago
• ‘Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire’ Review: A Godzilla Spectacle Minus One Thing: A Reason to Exist 5 days ago
• ‘Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2’ Review: This One Has a ‘Story,’ but Beneath the Slasher Violence Its Only Horror Is What It Does to IP 6 days ago

Or maybe the second, since “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was like that too. Released in 2018, it was a comic-book movie so spry and urgent, with such hypnotic imagery, that it left most comic-book movies in the dust. A reason for that relates to one of the least-remarked-upon insanities of our comic-book-movie culture, which is that comic-book films, or 98 percent of them anyway, couldn’t be further removed — in tone, look, attitude, and effect — from comic books. They’re really two entirely different forms.

Comic books, as I recall them from my youth, are fleet, terse, and puckishly deadpan, and you never know what the next panel will bring. But big-studio comic-book films tend to be top-heavy, rib-nudging, and visually bombastic, with rigidly overdetermined arcs. Within that, a lot of them are fun enough, but there’s no mystery to them. That’s what Martin Scorsese meant when he declared, in 2019, that Marvel movies aren’t cinema .

One of the many pleasures of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” was that, as the first “Spider-Man” movie (and one of the only films of the Marvel/DC movie era) that was animated, it channeled the look and spirit and knowingly flat wonder of comic books. It drew on the elegant film-noir expressionism of the graphic novels of the ’90s, and it tapped their terse wit. (Grungy veteran Spider-Man: “Most people I meet in the workplace try to kill me.”)

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” set the bar high, and one reason I wondered if “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” could live up to it is that the original film’s co-directors (Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman) have returned only as executive producers, replaced by three other directors (Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson). Could the new trio reproduce that heady combustible mutating pop-art magic, that sly storytelling finesse, that understanding of the inside-out logic of comic books that seems to elude almost every live-action comic-book film?

They’ve done it. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” doesn’t just extend the tale of Miles Morales. The film advances that story into newly jacked-up realms of wow-ness that make it a genuine spiritual companion piece to the first film. That one spun our heads and then some; this one spins our heads even more (and would fans, including me, have it any other way?).

The movie opens with a prelude designed to throw us, because it fills in the story of Gwen Stacy ( Hailee Steinfeld ), the rock drummer and Spider-Woman in white, in images of broad-brush expressionism that make the first film look like a vérité documentary. We think: Is this where they’re going? No, they’re just playing. But Gwen’s story sets the stakes, as her father, a police captain, blames her (wrongly) for the death of Peter Parker. This will be a movie about the gravity of responsibility.

Miles, voiced with a growing cockiness by Shameik Moore , is now a 15-year-old crime-fighting master of his New York Spider-Man domain, but as we learn that’s more or less tiddlywinks. The film enmeshes us in a bit of soap-opera conflict between Miles and his parents, Jefferson ( Brian Tyree Henry ) and Rio (Luna Lauren Vélez), who still have no idea that he’s Spider-Man and therefore find a lot of his behavior erratic and disturbing. He comes off as a liar, a teenager with hidden problems (which is why his folks keep grounding him). But that’s the least of his problems.

A supervillain shows up: The Spot, a.k.a. Jonathan Ohnn (Jason Schwartzman), a former science geek who worked for Alchemax and was genetically maimed by the spectacular collider implosion caused by Miles in the first film. Ohnn is now an all-white figure with splotchy black-hole ink blots on his body that turn out to be portals to the multiverse. He’s got more power than he knows, and he’s out for revenge. Between the family drama and this livid shape-shifter nemesis, we think we’re being set up for a conventional comic-book showdown: the version of this movie it would be if it were another live-action Marvel spectacular.

The film has great fun with this, trotting out versions of Spider-Man who are cars, video games, cats, and dinosaurs. Jake Johnson’s Peter Parker returns, now with his act together and a Spider-tot in tow. But if this were all just a lark, the whole thing might collapse. Instead, the stakes are raised, with the Spider-Man brother/sisterhood taking on a more complex and even sinister dimension. The place is run by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), the “ninja vampire” Spider-Man and the only Spider-Man who apparently lacks a sense of humor; he’s a glowering scarred figure who maintains the hallowed order of the place. To preserve that order, there are stories in the Spider-Man canon that cannot be violated, such as the death of Uncle Ben. They’re like mythologies. And as Miles’ testy but loving father gets promoted to the position of PDNY captain, he becomes one of those characters. Miles is going to have to do something very dark to preserve the integrity of the Spider-Verse.

It’s a thorny situation, and a dramatically compelling one, all spinning off the line that someone says to Miles: “There’s no playbook for being someone like you.” That hits home in the dizzying chase sequence where Miles, pursued by hundreds of dementedly diverse Spider-Men, attempts to escape the Spider-Man HQ and get back home. In the first film, he was still learning to swing from his web like vines. In this one, drawing on his powers of invisibility and electrification, it’s as if he’s got to become an existential gymnast operating according to the laws of three-dimensional chess. The movie plugs us into an altogether higher echelon of video game.

Without giving away more, I’ll say this: “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” ends with that old-fashioned thing, a cliffhanger. (The decision was made several years ago to slice the sequel in two.) At the preview showing I attended, I heard a surge of playful testiness in the audience : We have to wait? To find out what happens? For how long? The original cliffhanger serials, the ones that inspired “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” kept you waiting one week. In this case, we have to wait closer to a year. But the impatience I heard was really about the investment the audience felt. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” has made a pact with us, one that’s increasingly rare in the pop movie universe. It’s promising that the series is going to keep us hooked, in every frame, on surprise.

Reviewed at Regal Union Square, May 30, 2023. MPA Rating: PG. Running time: 140 MIN.

• Production: A Sony Pictures Releasing release of a Sony Pictures Animation, Marvel Entertainment, Arad Productions, Lord Miller Productions, Pascal Pictures production. Producers: Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Avi Arad, Christina Steinberg. Executive producers: Brian Michael Bendis, Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman, Aditya Sood, Rebecca Karch Tomlinson.
• Crew: Directors: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson. Screenplay: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham. Editor: Mike Andrews. Music: Daniel Pemberton.
• With: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Jake Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Schwartzman, Daniel Kaluuya, Issa Rae, Shea Whigham, Amandla Stenberg, Karan Soni, Rachel Dratch, Andy Samberg.

More From Our Brands

Israeli airstrike killed world central kitchen workers in gaza, says founder, puerto rico’s most expensive listing is a $49 million penthouse, mlb union head tony clark sees pay jump $2m to $4.25m, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, beyoncé receives innovator award from stevie wonder at iheartradio music awards — watch, verify it's you, please log in.

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘spider-man: across the spider-verse’ review: a thrilling sequel marks the return of miles morales.

In the second chapter of the Spider-Verse series, featuring voice work from Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Oscar Isaac and Issa Rae, Miles must face challenges across the multiverse.

By Lovia Gyarkye

Lovia Gyarkye

Arts & Culture Critic

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

In Spider-Man : Across the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales is all grown up. Well, sort of.

Related Stories

Austin butler to star in darren aronofsky's 'caught stealing' for sony, martin scorsese to host and produce a docuseries for fox nation, spider-man: across the spider-verse.

But Miles, now 15, is also a teenager, which means protecting New Yorkers isn’t his only concern. When not chasing foes or signing brand deals, he’s attending classes at his tony magnet school, preparing to apply to college and trying to find enough time to spend with his parents, Jefferson (Brian Tyree Henry) and Rio (Luna Lauren Velez). Early in this much-anticipated follow-up, we see the two adults impatiently waiting in the guidance counselor’s office as their son slowly makes his way across town. At each intersection, Miles’ senses go off, pulling the teen into a new crime-fighting situation and making him increasingly late for this very important meeting. The set piece — with its kinetic animation and self-aware dialogue — represents some of the best parts of the Spider-Verse series.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse wowed and wooed audiences with its limber storytelling, inventive animations and refreshing humor. That film, which went on to win the Academy Award for Animation in 2018, was special because it shed the self-consciousness that plagued so many contemporary superhero adaptations. Miles Morales, a Puerto Rican and African American kid who loved to tag the city walls with his art, was a new kind of superhero. He was funny, very cool and well-versed in his franchise’s history. He anchored Into the Spider-Verse , which was buoyant and slick.  

The film begins with Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld) giving us the requisite backstory to her character. Just as in Into the Spider-Verse , these opening monologues satirize the self-important and repetitive nature of superhero introductions. “Let’s do things differently,” Gwen says to us in what could be considered this franchise’s tagline. She starts to tell a story we already know, rehashing the events of the first film with details that give us a sense of her perspective. In the year since we last saw Gwen and Miles, the young woman has struggled to adjust to her world. Not only is she reeling from the loss of her friend, but she misses Miles and still can’t connect with her father (Shea Whigham). In an effort to bury her emotions, Gwen joins a band — but that doesn’t really work out super well.

In this way Across the Spider-Verse gets even more serious about recreating the experience of reading a comic book. The animations are not just striking, but incredibly absorbing in each new dimension. When Gwen gets recruited to a special elite squad of Spider-men and women, informally led by Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) and Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), she jumps more freely within the multiverse, allowing us to see the full breadth of the Spider-Verse world.

There’s a free-wheeling energy to the way Across the Spider-Verse layers the styles of each dimension; rarely do they feel like they are clashing. Music supervision by Insecure ’s Kier Lehman and Daniel Pemberton’s composition helps bridge these seemingly discordant parts with a stable sound. Gwen eventually visits Miles, who’s struggling to balance family, school and saving the world. The pressure of meeting all these demands weigh on the young superhero, who, despite feeling more secure, still finds himself stumbling. It’s nice to see their relationship get more airtime as the two young heroes help each other navigate the inherent isolation of their gifts.

In Across the Spider-Verse , Miles’ identity takes center stage, but not totally in the ways you might expect. The film retains its signature tone — moving between humor and sentimentalism with a light touch — but there’s a greater effort now to connect Miles’ origin story to broader lessons about superhero canons. That doesn’t always land as gracefully, and parts of Across the Spider-Verse feel weighed down by this need to belabor a well-established point. Still those moments can be forgiven as the story unfurls, revealing that Miles, with his new challenges, remains a hero worth rooting for.

Full credits

Thr newsletters.

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Colin farrell on rise of irish actors in hollywood: “we punch so far above our weight”, zoe saldaña says she expects marvel’s ‘guardians of the galaxy’ will return: “it’d be a huge loss”, netflix enters its dan lin era, benedict cumberbatch, olivia colman to star in ‘war of the roses’ remake for searchlight, ‘the lost boys’ co-screenwriter says warner bros. wanted “brutal” rewrites to peter pan-inspired script, shakira says she and her sons found ‘barbie’ “emasculating”.

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' review: Most Spidey movie ever doesn't disappoint

The old Spider-Man adage “With great power comes great responsibility” has been taken to heart by “Spider-Verse” producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who are now officially two-for-two in creating brilliant superhero flicks.

The 2018 first film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” broke out as an Oscar-winning pop-culture marvel, and the sequel “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ” (★★★½ out of four; rated PG; in theaters now) seems poised for similar success with a massive cast, bigger stakes, a more stunning visual palette and a compelling cliffhanger . And like central teenager Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), it’s grown up a bit: The heart and humor are still there, but a serious side also permeates the impressive follow-up.

The half-Black, half-Puerto Rican Spider-Man of Brooklyn, Miles struggles with having a secret identity while also dealing with schoolwork and family life. He’s actually been grounded by his parents when he’s paid a welcome visit by his Spider-bestie from another world, Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld). 

'Spider-Verse' spoilers! How a twisty cliffhanger sets up the next 'Spider-Man' movie

Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, this “Spider-Verse” shifts the focus toward Gwen, revealing her emotional backstory amid an epic amount of world building. Swinging through Miles’ New York City, she tells him about her new gig working with an elite task force called the Spider Society that keeps the multiverse safe. And courtesy of a random attack by a Renaissance version of the villainous Vulture, Miles gets a crash course in their whole mission.

Led by stoic and imperious Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), aka the futuristic Spider-Man 2099, the Spider Society seeks out “anomalies” found outside of their own Earths and puts them back where they belong. Miguel is surly from the start with Miles, and that beef turns into real conflict when Miles refuses to confront a tragic aspect of every Spider-Man. The kid winds up being chased by Miguel and his fellow heroes, although another greater threat is on the loose: A mysterious baddie called The Spot (Jason Schwartzman) has the ability to navigate the multiverse and he's gaining power the more he goes unchecked.

'It wasn't cool': 'Across the Spider-Verse' star Issa Rae regrets hiding her Barbies

If the dazzling first “Spider-Verse” tale was the closest anyone had come to putting its viewer in an actual comic book, the follow-up pretty much says, “Hold my web fluid”: Each of the debuting Spider-people pops with a fresh design – for example, Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) looks peeled from the cover of a 1970s London music zine – and different Earths bring a dizzying number of art styles, often in the same scene. “Across the Spider-Verse” even weaves in some live-action elements as it ties intriguingly to other popular Marvel films and franchises.

But this is the most Spidey-esque "Spider-Man" film ever, if just for the amount of pure Spider-ness: Newcomers like Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) and pregnant Jessica Drew (Issa Rae) swing in as part of a huge supporting cast that also includes dino-rific Spider-Rex and vehicular Spider-Buggy. Trying to see everything happening on screen is honestly overwhelming, though “Across the Spider-Verse” always rights itself focusing on core relationships.

Ranked: Every Marvel superhero movie, from worst to best

The buddy dynamic between Miles and Peter Parker (Jake Johnson) was one of the highlights of the 2018 movie, though it’s sidelined here as Peter returns in a backup role (and with a new Spider-baby in tow). This time around, heartfelt moments between Miles and Gwen as well as Miles and his mom show the youngster maturing at the same time he learns truths about the multiverse and faces an existential crisis, as “Across the Spider-Verse” builds toward a whopper of a climax.

The sequel both honors and reimagines the Spider-Man mythos for a new generation of movie fans with an artistic bent, a love for its characters and a willingness to break the rules to create something special.

Everything Marvel has in the works: From 'Loki' Season 2 to two future 'Avengers' movies

Advertisement

Supported by

Critic’s pick

‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Review: Worlds Wide Web

This charming sequel to the 2018 animated movie expands the multiverse concept, without shamelessly capitalizing on fan service.

• Share full article

By Maya Phillips

Question: How many Spider-Men does it take to make a successful multiverse sequel?

I’m not certain, but it might be the countless number of Spideys that appear in the delightful “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”

Listen to This Article

Open this article in the New York Times Audio app on iOS.

A follow-up to the appropriately lauded “ Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse ,” this animated movie takes place a year after the Brooklyn teen and newly minted Spider-Man, Miles Morales (voiced again by Shameik Moore), was bitten by a radioactive spider. In “Into the Spider-Verse,” from 2018, Miles learned how to be his city’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man with the help of five other Spider-heroes — all different Spidey incarnations transported from their original universes after a super collider explosion tore through the multiverse. Now Miles is 15, and though he has a handle on his powers, he’s struggling to balance academics with his extracurricular hero work, on top of the usual adolescent woes.

As Miles’s parents get increasingly suspicious about their son’s double life, he has to fend off the pesky villain Spot (Jason Schwartzman, as the perfect goober), who powers up into a “transdimensional super-being” who poses a real threat to the multiverse.

In her separate universe Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), a.k.a. Spider-Woman, Miles’s pal and quasi-romantic interest from the first film, joins a task force of multiverse-jumping heroes called the Spider Society. They chase anomalies stuck in the wrong world in missions led by the brooding Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac). But once Gwen and Miles reunite, and Miles discovers the Spider Society, he finds out he might actually be the real threat to the Spider-Verse.

“Spider-Verse” achieves the challenging task of building a sequel that not only replicates the charms of the first film but also expands the multiverse concept, the main characters and the stakes, without overinflating the premise or shamelessly capitalizing on fan service. In other words, “Across the Spider-Verse” pulls off a “ Spider-Man: No Way Home ,” the Tom Holland vehicle that also played with alternate versions of Spider-Man, better than “No Way Home” did. That includes its inclusion of clips and cameos from former animated and live-action Spider-Man media, which nicely cohere with the rest of the film.

The Spider Society, with its delightfully bizarre potpourri of spider-entities (i.e., a Spider-Cowboy, Spider-Cat, Spider-Baby and Spider-Dinosaur), offers many opportunities for the movie to show off a compelling blend of visual gags, palettes and animation styles. The eye-catching action sequences among the Spider-folk serve the delectable chaos of a meme ( yes, that pointing meme ) exploded in a big-screen format.

Each Spidey we encounter, even briefly, is fully realized, and a welcome addition to the story, even for those who might not pick up on the deep-cut references to the ’80s and ’90s comics. Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), a.k.a. Spider-Man India, is designed with nods to contemporary Indian fashion. Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), a contrarian cool-guy rocker with combat boots, piercings and a devil-may-care attitude, is drawn in the wild 2-D-collage style of album covers, concert fliers and zines from the ’80s London punk scene. And the way they move — Pavitr’s fluid web-slinging, Spider-Punk’s stomps and thrashing and Gwen’s graceful acrobatics and en pointe landings — express as much about the characters as the buoyant dialogue and highly stylized character designs.

That’s not even counting the work of the impressive voice cast. Issa Rae brings an affable tough-love vibe to her pregnant, kinky-haired, motorcycle-riding Spider-Woman Jessica Drew. And Isaac, who brings as an exacting a performance as he did in the Disney+ series “Moon Knight,” is well-cast as the slightly unhinged and self-serious Spider-Man, à la the Dark Knight.

Steinfeld’s Gwen, a fan fave, thankfully gets more spotlight in this film, which delves deeper into her tragic back story and her feelings of displacement in her world, particularly in her own home. She gets a driving pop-punk theme — part of a killer soundtrack raging with rock, hip-hop and reggaeton — and a stunning color-streaked aesthetic, with soft pinks and lavenders and heavy brushstrokes, creating an almost immersive comic book experience.

The directing team, Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, builds a beautifully realistic, multicultural New York through details: a wheelchair basketball game in full swing on a nearby court, or a shelf of beef patties displayed in a Jamaican bodega.

Both “Spider-Verse” films, in what will be a trilogy, create dimension in these kinds of details, and I don’t just mean the animation. (Though, to be fair, the infinite reach of the city skyline, as viewed upside down from Gwen and Miles’s purview , is a satisfying visual callback to the first film and its own illustrative feat.) The dimension is in the thrust of the story itself.

This isn’t just another multiverse slogfest but a bildungsroman. Because what else is adolescence but a confrontation with the various possibilities in life, the infinite selves you can be? It’s about figuring out one’s identity — superhero or otherwise — and finding a place to belong. The fact that Miles and Gwen also shoot webs and swing around skyscrapers is incidental to their emotional arcs in the film.

“Spider-Verse” also asks intriguing questions about the limitations of the canon, and whether tragedy is a prerequisite for a Spider-Man origin story — the death of an Uncle Ben or Aunt May or Uncle Aaron. And whether trauma completely defines these heroes — and, if so, if they can find kinship in that.

The most disappointing part of “Spider-Verse” is the merciless cliffhanger of an ending, ushering the film into a tradition of two-parters with too much story and too little time to tell it. But “Across the Spider-Verse” is never dull, nor precious with its characters and comedy. Which I suppose just proves that when it comes to a Spidey census, two’s a team, three’s a party and hundreds is a multiverse crawling with opportunities.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Rated PG. Running time: 2 hours 20 minutes. In theaters.

Audio produced by Tally Abecassis .

Maya Phillips is a critic at large. She is the author of “NERD: Adventures in Fandom From This Universe to the Multiverse” and the poetry collection “Erou.” More about Maya Phillips

Explore More in TV and Movies

Not sure what to watch next we can help..

“X-Men ’97,” a revival on Disney+ that picks up where the ’90s animated series left off, has faced questions after the firing of its showrunner  ahead of the premiere.

“3 Body Problem,” a science fiction epic from the creators of “Game of Thrones,” has arrived on Netflix. We spoke with them about their latest project .

For the past two decades, female presidential candidates on TV have been made in Hillary Clinton’s image. With “The Girls on the Bus,” that’s beginning to change .

“Freaknik,” a new Hulu documentary, delves into the rowdy ’80s and ’90s-era spring festival  that drew hundreds of thousands of Black college students to Atlanta.

If you are overwhelmed by the endless options, don’t despair — we put together the best offerings   on Netflix , Max , Disney+ , Amazon Prime  and Hulu  to make choosing your next binge a little easier.

Sign up for our Watching newsletter  to get recommendations on the best films and TV shows to stream and watch, delivered to your inbox.

Common Sense Media

Movie & TV reviews for parents

• For Parents
• For Educators
• Our Work and Impact

Or browse by category:

• Get the app
• Movie Reviews
• Best Movie Lists
• Best Movies on Netflix, Disney+, and More

Common Sense Selections for Movies

50 Modern Movies All Kids Should Watch Before They're 12

• Best TV Lists
• Best TV Shows on Netflix, Disney+, and More
• Common Sense Selections for TV
• Video Reviews of TV Shows

Best Kids' Shows on Disney+

Best Kids' TV Shows on Netflix

• Book Reviews
• Best Book Lists
• Common Sense Selections for Books

8 Tips for Getting Kids Hooked on Books

50 Books All Kids Should Read Before They're 12

• Game Reviews
• Best Game Lists

Common Sense Selections for Games

• Video Reviews of Games

Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun

• Podcast Reviews
• Best Podcast Lists

Common Sense Selections for Podcasts

Parents' Guide to Podcasts

• App Reviews
• Best App Lists

Social Networking for Teens

Gun-Free Action Game Apps

Reviews for AI Apps and Tools

• YouTube Channel Reviews
• YouTube Kids Channels by Topic

Parents' Ultimate Guide to YouTube Kids

YouTube Kids Channels for Gamers

• Preschoolers (2-4)
• Little Kids (5-7)
• Big Kids (8-9)
• Pre-Teens (10-12)
• Teens (13+)
• Screen Time
• Social Media
• Online Safety
• Identity and Community

Explaining the News to Our Kids

• Family Tech Planners
• Digital Skills
• All Articles
• Latino Culture
• Black Voices
• Asian Stories
• Native Narratives
• LGBTQ+ Pride
• Best of Diverse Representation List

Celebrating Black History Month

Movies and TV Shows with Arab Leads

Celebrate Hip-Hop's 50th Anniversary

Spider-man: across the spider-verse, common sense media reviewers.

Spidey sequel is an action-packed delight; peril, violence.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Strong messages about courage, empathy, friendship

Miles is brave and committed to doing the right th

Main character Miles Morales, who's Puerto Rican a

Intense large-scale action violence/destruction/ex

Captain and Mrs. Morales embrace more than once. M

Several uses of "shoot," as well as "what the..."

On camera: Marvel comics, Sony headphones/electron

Adults drink red wine and an unspecified beverage

Parents need to know that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the highly anticipated sequel to 2018's excellent Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse . More than a year after the events of the first film, both Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) -- who are co-main…

Positive Messages

Strong messages about courage, empathy, friendship, mentoring, perseverance, the importance of power and responsibility, and working with others for the greater good. Also a lesson about not allowing "imposter syndrome" to make you feel like you don't belong. Trust yourself and your instincts instead of just following the rules. Parents teach the importance of unconditional love. Another prominent message is about gatekeeping and who gets to decide what "has" to happen in a story or fandom.

Positive Role Models

Miles is brave and committed to doing the right thing, even when it puts him at risk or causes his family and friends to wonder why he's frequently late, absent, or even hiding something from them. Miles' parents are supportive, encouraging, and make it clear that they have high expectations, but they also love him unconditionally. Gwen is brave and protective. She doesn't want to lose any more friends. Various other Spider-people each have talents and strengths, but they also have to balance the rules with their beliefs. Peter continues to mentor Miles, learning about patience and parenthood in the process.

Diverse Representations

Main character Miles Morales, who's Puerto Rican and Black (and is voiced by Jamaican American actor Shameik Moore) is the first Afro-Latino superhero to headline a Marvel movie. Other Black characters include Miles' father and uncle, Jess Drew (Issa Rae), Hobie Brown (Daniel Kaluuya), and Margo Kess (Amandla Stenberg). The head Spider-Man in charge, Miguel O'Hara (Oscar Isaac), is cued as Latino (he speaks Spanish with Miles), and Miles' mom, Rio (Luna Lauren Velez), is Puerto Rican. In smaller roles, Spider-Man India is voiced by Karan Soni, who's Indian American; Peni Parker is voiced by Kimiko Glenn, who's biracial White and Japanese; and Sun-Spider is voiced by comic Danielle Perez, who's disabled and queer. Unlike in the first movie, Gwen Stacy is basically a second main character here, and Rio and Jess Drew have pivotal roles, improving the gender balance. A poster in a background frame briefly depicts the transgender flag and reads "Protect Trans Lives." There's also a brief glimpse of pickup wheelchair basketball.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Intense large-scale action violence/destruction/explosions and close-up confrontation. Property is destroyed, people are put in danger, and characters are held prisoner. Several fights, which range from humorous to destructive. Frequent suspense/peril and potential for danger or capture. For the most part, superhero powers/black-hole-like weapons are used for fights/combat. A montage of flashbacks shows how various Spideys lost characters they loved and also what happens when a canonical event is missed or interrupted. A character is held, bound and captive, more than once.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Captain and Mrs. Morales embrace more than once. Miles and Gwen have obvious romantic tension but don't do much more than stare at each other and hug. Others, including Miles' parents, assume that they're in a relationship. A character references the fact that Gwen falls for "Peter" in nearly every universe. A character says that he feels the chemistry between Gwen and Miles. The villain is shown basically naked, but he's a white humanoid being with various black spots/holes on his body and doesn't have any genitalia. He makes repeated comments about his (literal) "holes," which some may take suggestively.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Several uses of "shoot," as well as "what the..." (unfinished), "crap," "butt," "hell," "dang," "freakin'"; insults like "mistake," "anomaly," "stupid," "dumb," "dear God, no," and a use of "ass."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

On camera: Marvel comics, Sony headphones/electronics, a Spider-Man video game, and Nike sneakers (specifically Air Jordans), Spalding balls. Off-camera: lots of Spider-Man and Marvel-based comics, apparel, toys, games, collectibles, house goods, much more.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults drink red wine and an unspecified beverage out of red cups at a party.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the highly anticipated sequel to 2018's excellent Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse . More than a year after the events of the first film, both Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore ) and Gwen Stacy ( Hailee Steinfeld ) -- who are co-main characters this time around -- are dealing with threats in their parts of the Spider-Verse. When a "villain of the week" decides to strengthen his power, Gwen and an elite team of Spideys try to step in, and Miles unintentionally causes a multi-verse catastrophe. Expect fairly intense peril and violence -- fights, large-scale destruction, explosions, weapons, and more. But there's also a lot of humor, plus references to various other Spider-Man iterations. Language includes "crap," "shoot," and "ass," and Miles and Gwen's slow-burn romance is more about longing and lingering looks than action. The diverse cast includes prominent Afro-Latino, Black, and White characters, and the movie's messages focus on empathy, courage, perseverance, teamwork, and (of course!) the nature of power and responsibility. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (32)
• Kids say (87)

Based on 32 parent reviews

FANTASTIC movie, but could be overstimulating for younger kids

What's the story.

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE starts off with narration from Gwen Stacy (voiced by Hailee Steinfeld ). After her Peter Parker dies, she joins Miguel O'Hara's ( Oscar Isaac ) elite squad of Spider-People who help protect the multiverse from dangerous threats and anomalies. One of Gwen's assignments leads her to the Earth where Miles ( Shameik Moore ) is now a year older, dealing with how to balance his responsibilities as a student and a son with his duties as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He keeps having to lie to his parents about why he's late to or absent from important events. For example -- he nearly misses a family meeting with his school counselor because a villain dubbed the Spot ( Jason Schwartzman ) wants to defeat Peter. Gwen's visit (her first since the events of the first film) confuses Miles, who uses his invisibility powers to follow her to another Earth, where Spider-Man India ( Karan Soni ) needs protection from the multiverse-hopping Spot. After Miles unintentionally triggers a catastrophic event, he's summoned to the Spider-Person HQ, where he reunites with Peter B. Parker ( Jake Johnson ) and meets a new crew of cool Spideys but discovers he's not as welcome as he'd hoped.

Is It Any Good?

This imaginative, intense sequel impresses with its layered, touching storyline that highlights the difficulties of being a lonely Spider-Person without anyone who knows the truth. Like the first film , this installment will be a joy to watch and rewatch, with repeat viewings practically required so viewers can (try to) capture all of the movie's various Easter eggs, in-jokes, and references to bits and pieces of Spider-Man lore. While the ambitious nemesis, Spot, isn't as initially frightening as other supervillains (he's funnily bumbling at first), his single-minded focus on destroying Miles and everything he loves is downright eerie. Then there's Miguel, a Spider-Man leader who's a compelling stand-in for everyone who demands canonical conformity in their fandoms. He seems like a good guy, but his rigid adherence to "the canon" transforms his protectiveness into an insidious gate-keeping that threatens Peter just as much as the Spot does.

Steinfeld stands out as Gwen, who has an even bigger role here than in the first movie. She and Miles share a deep connection, but, due to the circumstances, it's not yet defined as romantic, considering how the Gwens in most multiverses fall for their Peter Parkers with disastrous consequences. The effects here are stellar, combining live-action characters, video footage, and more with different forms of animation. Some of fans' favorite Spider-People from the first movie aren't in this film, but the new ones are fascinating, particularly Jess Drew ( Issa Rae ), who's somewhat of a mentor to Gwen, and Hobie Brown, aka Spider-Punk, a Black, Cockney-accented anarchist voiced brilliantly by Daniel Kaluuya . He's got a Basquiat-meets-Jimi Hendrix vibe and is so cool that Miles is part in awe, part jealous. The movie's ending is sure to spark debate, but directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson have given writer-producer Phil Lord's vision enough Spidey Sense to lock in audiences for another must-see movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the violence in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse . Do you think comic book-style violence impacts viewers differently than live-action violence? Why, or why not?

Which of the new Spideys is your favorite, and why? What do you think of the references to the live-action Spider-Man franchises as well?

Discuss the concept of "canon" when it comes to comics and pop-culture fandoms. Do you consider yourself a canon purist like Miguel, or are you open to new storylines like Miles?

What do you think of Gwen Stacy's larger role in this installment? Where do you think Gwen and Miles are headed? Do you prefer them as friends, or do you hope for a romantic relationship?

How is Miles' cultural background explored in the sequel? Why do representation and diversity matter?

Movie Details

• In theaters : June 2, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : August 8, 2023
• Cast : Shameik Moore , Hailee Steinfeld , Jason Schwartzman , Jake Johnson
• Directors : Joaquim Dos Santos , Kemp Powers , Justin K. Thompson
• Inclusion Information : Black directors, Black actors, Female actors, Asian actors, Multiracial actors, Latino writers, Asian writers
• Studio : Sony Pictures Releasing
• Genre : Family and Kids
• Topics : Superheroes , Adventures
• Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Perseverance , Teamwork
• Run time : 140 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG
• MPAA explanation : sequences of animated action violence, some language and thematic elements
• Award : Common Sense Selection
• Last updated : November 4, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

Our editors recommend.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales: Spider-Man, Book 1

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales

Miles Morales: Shock Waves: Original Spider-Man Graphic Novel, Book 1

Best superhero movies for kids, marvel cinematic universe (mcu) movies and tv shows in order, related topics.

• Perseverance
• Superheroes

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Miles Morales catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Mi... Read all Miles Morales catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero. Miles Morales catapults across the multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.

• Joaquim Dos Santos
• Kemp Powers
• Justin K. Thompson
• Christopher Miller
• Dave Callaham
• Shameik Moore
• Hailee Steinfeld
• Brian Tyree Henry
• 1.5K User reviews
• 326 Critic reviews
• 86 Metascore
• 99 wins & 158 nominations total

• Miles Morales

• Jeff Morales

• Rio Morales

• Peter B. Parker

• Miguel O'Hara

• Jessica Drew

• Hobie Brown

• Pavitr Prabhakar

• George Stacy

• Uncle Aaron

• Margo Kess: Spider-Byte

• Miles G. Morales

• Peter Parker

• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' Cast Get Vocal

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia Phil Lord and Christopher Miller revealed that they told Sony the sequel would be the same size as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) , but it ended up having the largest crew of any animated movie ever with around 1,000 people working on it. They added that it has 240 characters and takes place in six universes.
• Goofs After hastily concealing his Spider-Man suit beneath his regular clothes, Miles arrives (late) at his dad's promotion party. Initially, there is no sign of his Spider-Man outfit until a Spanish-speaking lady asks Miles if his "cool shirt" is a wet-suit; only then does the outfit magically appear beneath his clothes, even extending to cover his neck. A few scenes later, the Spider-Man suit disappears once again.

Miles Morales : I love chai tea.

Spider-Man India : What did you just say? Chai tea? Chai means "tea", bro! You are saying "tea tea"! Would I ask you for a "coffee coffee" with room for "cream cream"?

• Crazy credits The opening Columbia Pictures, Marvel, Sony Pictures Animation, Pascal Pictures and Lord Miller Productions logos shift between various alternate versions.
• Alternate versions There are at least three versions of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which contain changes such as altered dialogue, editing, scene, and pacing, as well as changes to the audio and sound mixing. The second version of the movie was released one week after the movie's original release after reports of audio issues in several locations. Another version of the movie, which is based on the second version of the movie, includes additional changes to the dialogue, scene, editing, and audio mixing, and was released digitally on August 8, 2023.
• Connections Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Remembering Stephen Hillenburg (2018)
• Soundtracks Self Love Written by Metro Boomin (as Leland Tyler Wayne), Brittany Talia Hazzard (as Brittany Hazard), Dre Moon (as Andre Proctor), Mejdi Rhars and Johan Lenox Produced by Metro Boomin , Dre Moon and Prince 85 Performed by Metro Boomin and Coi Leray Metro Boomin appears courtesy of Republic Records Coi Leray appears courtesy of Uptown Records/Republic Records

User reviews 1.5K

• May 31, 2023
• How long is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse? Powered by Alexa
• June 2, 2023 (United States)
• United States
• Official site
• Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Part One
• Columbia Pictures
• Marvel Entertainment
• Avi Arad Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $150,000,000 (estimated)
• $381,593,754
• $120,663,589
• Jun 4, 2023
• $690,897,910

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 20 minutes
• Dolby Atmos
• Dolby Surround 7.1
• IMAX 6-Track
• Dolby Digital

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

Follow Polygon online:

• Follow Polygon on Facebook
• Follow Polygon on Youtube
• Follow Polygon on Instagram

Site search

• What to Watch
• What to Play
• PlayStation
• All Entertainment
• Dragon’s Dogma 2
• FF7 Rebirth
• Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Buyer’s Guides
• Galaxy Brains
• All Podcasts

Filed under:

• Entertainment

Marvel’s actively working on the next Tom Holland Spider-Man movie

Our Spidey sense is tingling over ‘big ideas’

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: Marvel’s actively working on the next Tom Holland Spider-Man movie

Marvel is in active development on a sequel to Spider-Man: No Way Home , says Marvel president Kevin Feige. The threequel was a massive boon for Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures, which released the film in December 2021 to the tune of $1.9 billion worldwide. And while star Tom Holland may have questioned the future at the time, Feige says Marvel has every intention of bringing the character back to the MCU.

“All I will say is that we have the story,” Feige told EW during press rounds for the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania . “We have big ideas for that, and our writers are just putting pen to paper now.”

“We were all treating [ No Way Home ] as the end of a franchise, let’s say,” Holland said in the lead up to the trilogy-capper’s release , noting that if Marvel and Sony did wind up luring him back to play Peter Parker, the team “would give it some time and try to build something different and tonally change the films.” At the time, Holland even suggested that the studios try something completely different — maybe even a Miles Morales live-action film to accompany Sony’s successful Spider-verse animated franchise . Maybe that’s because Holland had a tough time imagining himself putting the suit back on.

“If I’m playing Spider-Man after I’m 30, I’ve done something wrong,” he joked .

But Sony and Marvel seem to have little interest in letting their young star off that easy. Even during the red carpet for No Way Home , producer and former Sony chairperson Amy Pascal was adamant that Holland’s Peter Parker would return.

“This is not the last movie that we are going to make with Marvel — [this is not] the last Spider-Man movie,” Pascal said at the premiere . “We’re thinking of this as three films, and now we’re going to go onto the next three. This is not the last of our MCU movies.”

More than a year later, Feige and Pascal seem to be on the same wavelength, even after the Marvel-Sony deal nearly dissolved in the lead up to No Way Home . Feige confirmed this week that on top of everything else going on in Phase 5 and Phase 6 of the “Multiverse Saga,” there is more Spider-Man to come. Whether it’s Spider-Man 4 or a new twist on the character is yet to be seen, but per usual, Feige is keeping plot details under wraps and dangling endless possibilities.

“I’m coming up on 23 years at Marvel,” he says in the EW interview. “Many of us have been together for a decade or more. And we only do it because we are so excited and in love with the potential for what we can do ahead. The storylines that weave together through Phase 5 and 6 into [ Avengers: Secret Wars ] and the opportunities that the multiverse brings storytelling-wise, it’s a whole new aspect to the MCU.”

Next Up In Marvel

The next level of puzzles.

Take a break from your day by playing a puzzle or two! We’ve got SpellTower, Typeshift, crosswords, and more.

Sign up for the newsletter Patch Notes

A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon

Just one more thing!

Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

Can Zubat be shiny in Pokémon Go?

The best April Fools’ Day joke this year is the Connections puzzle

Helldivers 2 players get revenge on Automatons, take back Malevelon Creek

Dragonsplague causes, symptoms, and cures in Dragon’s Dogma 2

Warhammer 40K fans create high fashion fan art with the Warp Gala

Pledge your support for the Bugsnax card game before May 1

New Spider-Man short film is the perfect watch for fans missing Beyond the Spider-Verse

Fans of the Spider-Man: Spider-Verse movies have been left eagerly awaiting the arrival of Beyond the Spider-Verse but while that movie hangs in limbo, a new short film serves as perfect viewing.

The third movie in the Spider-Verse trilogy, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, was originally scheduled to release on March 29, 2024, but with its release date currently up in the air, fans have instead been treated to a new short featuring Miles Morales titled The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story.

What is The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story about?

The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story is a genre-bending thriller that sees Miles Morales struggling to balance his responsibilities as a teenager, friend, and student while acting as Brooklyn’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

After a particularly challenging day at school and fighting crime on New York’s streets, Miles experiences a panic attack that forces him to confront the manifestations of his anxiety and learn that reaching out for help can be just as brave an act as protecting his city from evil.

In releasing the seven-minute short film, Sony Pictures Animation has teamed up with the Kevin Love Fund to help promote mental health awareness and raise money for the charity.

The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story has been made available for free on YouTube and you can find the film on the Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Pictures Animation, and Spider-Man channels, as well as just down below.

・ TV TALK: I just started watching Hulu’s Shogun but I regret not waiting longer

Fans react to the short film

Since The Spider Within short went live, it has attracted comments from plenty of fans who have praised its message and compared Miles’s experiences in the film with their own.

One fan on YouTube commented: “Saying he’s okay and then proceeding to slam the door was the most relatable thing ever.”

A second added: “Respect for Sony making this a Fundraiser.”

“Crazy how this might be the closest to a real Spider-Man horror film and it’s actually animated!” noted a third.

“I really like the detail of how they made Miles’s demon look and behave like a sleep paralysis demon,” commented a fourth. “It’s a deep black all over with an almost indistinguishable figure, and it presses down on his chest, symbolizing the feeling of someone pushing down on you that people get when they have sleep paralysis. Really cool and creative stuff.”

A fifth fan commented: “It’s absolutely wonderful that Sony is doing this to continue the conversation for mental health. Love this community and the support from Sony Animation.”

“Only complaint [is that I] wish it was longer,” said a final commenter. “I do love [that] you see the relationship with Miles and his father. His father may be hard-nosed and tough but he truly loves Miles and is there for him when he really needs it. It’s great to see someone as powerful as Miles struggling with something that everyone deals with on a consistent basis.”

Status of Beyond the Spider-Verse

While the arrival of The Spider Within has been a welcome treat for Spider-Man fans, there are still question marks surrounding the status of the upcoming Beyond the Spider-Verse.

As mentioned, the movie was originally scheduled to arrive on March 29, 2024, just short of ten months after the release of Across the Spider-Verse.

Beyond the Spider-Verse was pulled from theater schedules indefinitely in July 2023. This was in part due to the Hollywood strikes that prevented the movie’s voice cast from recording their lines for the film.

However, there had also been rumors suggesting that not enough progress had been made on the movie at the time anyway, given the monumental effort and alleged crunch required to get Across the Spider-Verse over the line, meaning that it may have faced delays regardless of the strikes.

In November 2023, Deadline reported that voiceover recording was set to resume, hopefully meaning that the announcement of a release date for Beyond the Spider-Verse isn’t too far away.

・ ON THE BIG SCREEN: Recap the Ghostbusters story so far as Frozen Empire slides into theaters

Screen Rant

Marvel's new miles morales release is perfect while you wait for beyond the spider-verse.

Marvel has recently released a new Miles Morales film that works perfectly to satiate the long wait for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

• Marvel and Sony have released a short film starring Miles Morales to fill the void of waiting for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.
• The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story focuses on Miles' mental health struggles and sets up the storyline for the next film.
• The film provides deep insight into Miles balancing his personal life and superhero duties, foreshadowing the upcoming Spider-Verse movie by also furthering Miles' relationship with his father.

The wait for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is becoming ever more difficult, but one Miles Morales release is perfect to satiate the desire for the third movie. Since the ending of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , the anticipation for the final film in the exceptional trilogy has only grown. Originally, March 29, 2024, was set as the release date for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse before complications due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes delayed the production.

Despite other Marvel movies releasing in 2024 , the disappointment of having Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse delayed was immeasurable, especially after the cliffhanger ending of the prior film. Even with the likes of Kraven the Hunter, Venom 3 , and updates around the MCU's Spider-Man 4 filling the void for Spider-Man goodness in 2024, Beyond the Spider-Verse is arguably the most anticipated superhero movie in the coming years. In light of the delay, Marvel and Sony Pictures Animation have thankfully released a Miles Morales-centric short film that acts as the perfect set-up for Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse.

Upcoming Spider-Man Movies & TV Shows: All 12 Projects Explained

Spider-verse's the spider within short explained.

The short film in question is titled The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story . The film is set between the events of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse , and centers on Miles' poor mental health. Miles is shown wrestling between the responsibilities of his personal life and his heroic alter-ego, resulting in a panic attack that manifests itself as a vicious monster hellbent on hunting down Spider-Man. The Spider Within was written by Khaila Amazan and directed by Jarelle Dampier and was first premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2023.

The Spider Within shines an important light on a crucial topic that works within the world of Spider-Man, but is also a prevalent issue within the younger generation...

Premiering on Sony Pictures Animation's YouTube channel in March 2024, the film offers a profound look at both the responsibilities of Spider-Man but also the mental health issues that can affect teenage boys like Miles Morales. Featuring the expectedly stunning animation of the Spider-Verse films, The Spider Within shines an important light on a crucial topic that works within the world of Spider-Man , but is also a prevalent issue within the younger generation of the world today, as it is with Miles Morales himself.

Why The Spider Within Is The Perfect Prelude To Spider-Man: Beyond The Spider-Verse

Despite being set between the first two movies, The Spider Within perfectly sets up the story of the third film, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse . The reason for this primarily stems from the exploration of Miles balancing his personal life with his Spider-Man duties. As has long been the case with every iteration of the Web-Slinger, this balance has been the crux of most Spider-Man stories. This includes Miles Morales, as evident in both Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

This difficulty with balancing personal and heroic lives will likely continue for Miles in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. As such, The Spider Within 's thematic story serves as a great prelude to this. Furthermore, The Spider Within focuses on the connection between Miles and his father, ending with Jeff and Miles talking about what is on the latter's mind. With Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse set to hinge around the threat to Jeff Morales' life, The Spider Within further building their connection can only be a good thing to foreshadow the third and final Spider-Verse movie.

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse

Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse is the direct continuation of 2023's Across the Spider-Verse, and is the third film in the Miles Morales animated Spider-Man franchise. Miles continues his interdimensional journey to change the fates of those he loves while finding his own path to become a Spider-Man.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Where can Marvel take Tom Holland’s fourth Spider-Man film?

The MCU’s wall-crawler is swinging into a fourth headline film, but trading multiverse madness for street-level antics could see your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man turn emo – again

W here do you go when you have taken everyone’s favourite friendly neighbourhood wall-crawler from the streets of Queens to space, the multiverse and beyond? That’s the question facing Marvel as the studio ponders quite what to do next with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, who looks as if he might finally be getting that fourth headline big screen outing , just as we all need him more than ever before.

Rumour suggests the ever-reliable Justin Lin is being lined up to take charge of the next episode in Peter Parker’s adventures. The subscription-only The Insneider suggests the new movie will shoot in September or October, with Holland returning as a newly isolated Spidey living in a world where nobody knows his identity, after the climactic events of Spider-Man: No Way Home. Naturally, Zendaya’s MJ will also be returning, and it’s likely we’ll also see Jacob Batalon’s Ned.

The new beginning for Spider-Man means we could easily imagine him engaged in the kind of street-level antics that some of the greatest Marvel comics have essayed over the decades, perhaps taking on the likes of Vincent D’Onofrio’s Kingpin, or a new version of the Green Goblin (though who wouldn’t prefer to see Willem Dafoe somehow returning to the role). On the other hand, there could be more multiversal excursions in the company of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s alternate reality Spider-Men, though you wonder if that’s a trick that can’t be pulled off too regularly before feeling tired.

If MJ really is returning, there will need to be a catalyst for the restoration of her memories of Peter. Given that Doctor Strange seems to know who Spider-Man is in Multiverse of Madness , despite magicking up a reality in which everyone has forgotten the wall-crawler’s true identity, it seems likely that there are ways around this sinister spell. Even if that’s not the case, we would do well to remember that most Spider-Man stories work perfectly well with an incognito Parker – it is only recently in the movies (after Jake Gyllenhaal’s Mysterio told the whole world who he was) that this well-worn trope has been turned on its head.

It would be just like Marvel at its insouciant, irreverent best to resolve the “MJ doesn’t know who Spider-Man is” issue in the new episode’s first five minutes, therefore avoiding at least an hour of will she, won’t she, work out who he is shenanigans, as per a dozen superhero flicks of the past – notably the Richard Donner cut of Superman II .

Alternatively, the studio could lean into the idea that Peter Parker no longer exists, as far as the wider world is aware, but Spider-Man himself remains a going concern. That feels like a strange and lonely existence for the webslinger, who has always seemed happiest in the company of others. There have even been rumours that compare the new Parker to Robert Pattinson’s languid and isolated Bruce Wayne in The Batman , and while it was an utterly bizarre and brilliant superhero flick that Matt Reeves delivered, the idea of a moody Spidey episode feels a little too close to Maguire’s terrible emo swaggering in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 to be an entirely comforting prospect.

In many ways, it feels as if Holland’s Spider-Man has simply done too much, too young – he is still supposed to be in his teens during the events of No Way Home, despite the actor himself being 27 – to suddenly become a figure who’s only purpose is to keep the streets of New York clean of criminals. This is a guy who broke the multiverse and helped bring down Thanos. What exactly was the point of showing him Stark-teched up to the max in Far from Home, if Spider-Man 2.0 is going to become such a diminished, down-to-earth champion of the weak?

Don’t get me wrong. I adore everyone’s friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man as much as the next slavering Marvel fan, and would happily watch him bickering with J Jonah Jameson and rescuing MJ from burning buildings for another trilogy of movies. But one of the reasons Holland’s wall-crawler stands out from his predecessors is that he exists in a much, much bigger world than any we ever saw in the Sony movies. Is making him, once again, a giant Spidey-fish in a tiny NYC arachno-pond really the way forward?

• Week in geek
• Science fiction and fantasy films
• Superhero movies
• Tom Holland

Comments (…)

Most viewed.

Log in or sign up for Rotten Tomatoes

Trouble logging in?

By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and to receive email from the Fandango Media Brands .

By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies , and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes.

Email not verified

Let's keep in touch.

Sign up for the Rotten Tomatoes newsletter to get weekly updates on:

• Upcoming Movies and TV shows
• Trivia & Rotten Tomatoes Podcast
• Media News + More

By clicking "Sign Me Up," you are agreeing to receive occasional emails and communications from Fandango Media (Fandango, Vudu, and Rotten Tomatoes) and consenting to Fandango's Privacy Policy and Terms and Policies . Please allow 10 business days for your account to reflect your preferences.

OK, got it!

Movies / TV

No results found.

• What's the Tomatometer®?
• Login/signup

Movies in theaters

• Opening this week
• Top box office
• Coming soon to theaters
• Certified fresh movies

Movies at home

• Netflix streaming
• Prime Video
• Most popular streaming movies
• What to Watch New

Certified fresh picks

• Love Lies Bleeding Link to Love Lies Bleeding
• Problemista Link to Problemista
• Late Night with the Devil Link to Late Night with the Devil

New TV Tonight

• Mary & George: Season 1
• Star Trek: Discovery: Season 5
• Sugar: Season 1
• American Horror Story: Season 12
• Parish: Season 1
• Ripley: Season 1
• Loot: Season 2
• Lopez vs Lopez: Season 2
• The Magic Prank Show With Justin Willman: Season 1

Most Popular TV on RT

• 3 Body Problem: Season 1
• A Gentleman in Moscow: Season 1
• We Were the Lucky Ones: Season 1
• Shōgun: Season 1
• The Gentlemen: Season 1
• Palm Royale: Season 1
• X-Men '97: Season 1
• Manhunt: Season 1
• Testament: The Story of Moses: Season 1
• Best TV Shows
• Most Popular TV
• TV & Streaming News

Certified fresh pick

• Steve! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces Link to Steve! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces
• All-Time Lists
• Binge Guide
• Comics on TV
• Five Favorite Films
• Video Interviews
• Weekend Box Office
• Weekly Ketchup
• What to Watch

Best Movies of 2024: Best New Movies to Watch Now

Best Horror Movies of 2024 Ranked – New Scary Movies to Watch

What to Watch: In Theaters and On Streaming

Awards Tour

Weekend Box Office Results: Godzilla x Kong Scores Monster Debut

The Rotten Tomatoes Channel: Watch on Samsung, Roku, And More

• Trending on RT
• Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire
• 3 Body Problem
• Play Movie Trivia

Spider-Man Reviews

From Willem Dafoe’s menacing Green Goblin to the absolutely iconic Spider-Man/Mary Jane upside-down kiss, this film really did set the standard for what Marvel films should be.

Full Review | Jun 20, 2023

Everything feels more real and urgent, it actually feels more human than some live-action films we get to see.

Full Review | Original Score: A | Jun 6, 2023

Amiably impersonal, painless yet fundamentally forgettable.

Full Review | Original Score: C | Sep 17, 2022

The first Spider-Man isnt the best of Raimis three Spidey films, but it's a very important film, one that set the template for how Marvel superhero movies would look for the next 20 years. (20th anniversary)

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | May 3, 2022

The 2002 Spider-Man film is crucial for how it changed both blockbusters and the superhero genre for generations to come.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | May 3, 2022

Raimi made this special.

Full Review | Dec 17, 2021

The visuals even out the problems with characters and storyline concepts for a first-class comic book adaptation that impresses more often than not.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Nov 9, 2020

A perfectly-cast Tobey Maguire leads from the front with a surprisingly textured performance for a blockbuster, and the back-up he receives from co-stars Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe and the electric direction of Sam Raimi is equally effective.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 12, 2020

A true masterpiece, er, make that, web-masterpiece.

Full Review | Nov 15, 2019

It's all lightly done, and Raimi never forgets his family-friendly, crowd-pleasing remit by making everything visually breezy and morally comprehensible.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 13, 2019

Watching Spider-Man today, it's easy to see why it worked as well as it did, while also fully acknowledging those parts of the machinery that have gathered some rust in the interim.

Full Review | Mar 22, 2019

Tobey Maguire brings to the film a tenderness and also a watchfulness... His ability to endow lines as basic as "Goblin, what have you done?" with introspective echoes carries the film to a deeper place.

Full Review | Nov 6, 2018

If there are 15 spiders in a lab that can give you superpowers, why does just one kid get them?

Full Review | Aug 29, 2018

This is about as good as a comic-to-film adaptation gets.

Full Review | Original Score: 7/10 | Jul 7, 2015

Sam Raimi's fine slapstick skills shine to their best advantage.

Full Review | Jul 7, 2015

Even with its flaws it's a satisfying adventure that manages to appeal to the head and the heart even when it's taking your breath away.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Jul 7, 2015

Spider-Man is the most modest would-be summer blockbuster in a long while, an adaptation of the 40-year-old Marvel comic book that's surprisingly heartfelt, but also a bit pokey and underwhelming.

This is the fun blockbuster of the summer: great characters, great heart, great performances -- everything that Star Wars isn't.

To me the only marvel about this Marvel Comics cinema hero is that Americans should be going to see him in such large numbers.

In the face of almighty expectations, director Sam Raimi delivers an efficient, entertaining film which promises to crush box office records.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Fan Creates Variant Concepts For The Game's Movie Suits

A talented Marvel's Spider-Man 2 fan creates variant concepts for many of the game's movie suits, giving a fresh coat of paint to iconic looks.

• Fan-created variant concepts for movie suits in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 add variety to the game's lineup.
• The suits in the game pay homage to Spider-Man's history, inspiring fans to create their own tributes.
• Despite the game's existing suits, there is untapped potential for future designs, leaving room for Insomniac Games in the future.

A talented fan of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has created variant concepts for most of the movie suits from the game. The movie suits are often some of the most popular suits in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 , and these concepts would add a huge amount of variety to the current lineup.

The suits in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 are extremely varied, derived from various sources in past Spider-Man stories. It’s awesome to see the game pay homage to the franchise’s history in this way. As a result, plenty of fans from the series have created their own tributes, with variant suits of their own. One recent Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 suit concept references a series that’s been dead for nearly 12 years , showcasing the kind of creativity this community has become known for. Ultimately, Spider-Man isn’t going anywhere, so there will always be a ton of fun fan designs based on the suits.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2's Version of Venom is Making His Comic Book Debut This Year

Redditor Swagboi7 shared their impressive Spider-Man 2 concepts online, showcasing new looks for many of the suits made famous by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland, as well as some of the Spider-Verse suits. While the Tobey Maguire suit has already had an update in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 , these designs change the originals considerably, and would be a great way to update the suits that many consider to be among the fan favorites.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Movie Suit Variant Concepts

Many players in the thread were trying to find where the original poster got some of their inspiration from, naming other suits from web-head stories gone by. It's interesting to see that despite all the suits in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 , there's still so much untapped potential for Insomniac to use in future titles. Everyone will always have their own preference for a suit they want to see in the game going forward, but for now, these variant concepts are the closest thing players have right now.

With the release of Marvel's Spider-Man 2 , it'll likely be a little while now before players get to see him again in this series, although it seems as though Insomniac is already making plans going forward. Recently, Spider-Man 3 's villain leaked , confirming who will be the antagonist in the next iteration of Insomniac's games. This comes on the back of the enormous Insomniac leaks from late last year, which gave audiences a look at the studio's entire slate for the next few years. While it's extremely sad that the developer didn't get to reveal these things on its own terms, it certainly helps excitement, knowing how much content is on the way in the future.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

The sequel to 2018's Spider-Man and its Miles Morales spin-off, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a PS5 console exclusive. Insomniac's open-world game features Peter Parker and Miles Morales as dual protagonists, with the two heroes going up against the likes of Kraven, Venom, and Lizard.