--- title: "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse" critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023): what the critics said Critics' score 86 from 11 reviews: 10 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews for Across the Spider-Verse are close to unanimous, and the praise clusters almost entirely on the animation: the mixing of hand-drawn, painted and comic-book styles across its different universes, the use of colour and texture to carry mood, and set pieces most critics find inventive and quick. Several also credit the film with keeping Miles Morales’s coming-of-age story at the centre of the noise, and a few think it darker and more ambitious than its predecessor without losing its warmth. Reservations are few and consistent. The Telegraph is the lone mixed voice, finding the film overstuffed and too long, and The AV Club, though positive, thinks it lacks some of the first film’s emotional heart and ends abruptly. The cliffhanger ending comes up repeatedly, even in the warmest notices, as does a surplus of in-jokes and a villain some find familiar. The spread is narrow and the tone is largely delighted. ## Radio Times — James Mottram Rating 5/5. 31 May 2023. This is a mind-boggling, untouchable achievement and a giant among animated sequels. It excels through its exhilarating blend of animation styles and deep character revelations. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/scifi/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 5/5. 2 June 2023. This is absurdly brilliant popcorn entertainment delivered with pop art genius that reinvents what superhero movies can do. It pushes more visual boundaries than its predecessor with an anything-goes ethos. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse) ## Empire — Ben Travis Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2023. The film is masterful and another instant classic, cranking every dial to 11 without collapsing. It singles out the eye-sizzling excellence of its animation and electrifying energy, with inventive use of colour, composition and texture to convey mood. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse/) ## Los Angeles Times — Katie Walsh Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2023. The critic calls it a spectacular achievement with no sophomore slump, evolving the first film's elements into a darker, edgier place through a stunning blend of artistic traditions like Abstract Expressionism and punk. It singles out the disruptive attitude, production design, music, and themes of self-determination versus canon adherence. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-05-31/review-spider-man-across-spider-verse-marvel-animated) ## Total Film Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2023. A supremely confident, ravishingly rendered follow-up that dazzles with wit, imagination and thrills. It singles out the refined and exponentially advanced living comic book aesthetic, with thrillingly dynamic and acrobatic action. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review/) ## The AV Club — Brett Buckalew Rating B. 31 May 2023. It's a visual feast with ambitious storytelling and new characters, but lacks some of the emotional heart of the first film and ends abruptly as a cliffhanger. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/a-review-of-spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-1850490088) ## The Times Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 31 May 2023. The film delights in exploring the limits of comic-book storytelling through its multiverse of Spider-people and postmodern style. Some elements like the villain and sequel setup feel derivative or crass. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/books/article/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review-plenty-of-postmodern-pizzazz-jspwp6msp) ## The Telegraph Rating 3/5. 31 May 2023. The state-of-the-art animation is intoxicating but the film overdazzles with too many elements and overstays its welcome. It introduces new Spider-people effectively but feels excessive. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review/) ## Screen Daily 31 May 2023. This stirring follow-up tops the original with stunning animation, dazzling set pieces and irreverent humour. It offers a darker, more ambitious tone while remaining one of the most vibrant and emotional superhero films in recent times. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review/5182720.article) ## Sight and Sound 1 June 2023. The film delivers a dazzling visual experience that celebrates the craft of animation. It finds sparks of innovation through its polystylism and abstraction in a crowded field of multiverse stories. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/spider-man-across-spider-verse-delivers-dazzling-visual-experience-that-celebrates-craft-animation) ## Slant Magazine — Derek Smith 31 May 2023. Matches stylistic experimentation with multi-tiered narrative, grounded in human drama of romance and family struggles, achieving exhilarating spectacle and ambition. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review/) ## The Guardian 3 June 2023. The sequel is sublime and matches the first film's inventiveness with dazzling animation and new characters. It builds on themes of adolescence and belonging with heart and visual density. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jun/03/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review-a-dizzying-dazzling-sequel) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Lovia Gyarkye 31 May 2023. The critic finds the sequel less limber than the original but still exciting, praising its visual feast and focus on Miles' identity while noting some backstory weighs it down. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review-1235503261/) ## The New York Times — Maya Phillips Rating Critic’s Pick. 1 June 2023. The critic praises this charming sequel for expanding the multiverse concept and stakes while replicating the original's charms without overinflating or relying on shameless fan service. It highlights the impressive voice cast and the way the film handles alternate Spider-Man versions better than some live-action entries. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/movies/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review.html) ## Vulture 2 June 2023. The film is a joyous spectacle with stunning animation that tells its story visually, thrilling as art and animation, making one want to visit all universes, despite the to-be-continued ending. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-joyous-spectacle-of-spider-man-across-the-spider-verse.html) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating A. 31 May 2023. The critic praises the film's striking animation, deeper character connections, and how it elevates the series, calling it one of the best superhero films ever and cementing Miles Morales as the best on-screen Spider-Man. It singles out the ambitious multiverse storytelling, inventive visuals, and emotional core. [Read the review](https://collider.com/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review/) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 4.5/5. 1 June 2023. The critic praises the film as a visually stunning work of art with groundbreaking animation styles that captures the anxieties and ecstasies of adolescence and Spidey's power fantasy in a mature way. Minor issues noted with excessive easter eggs and a frustrating cliffhanger ending. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review-higher-than-live-action/) ## The Ringer — Daniel Chin Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 June 2023. The critic calls it a multiversal masterpiece that is even more ambitious, adventurous, and visually spellbinding than its predecessor while remaining full of heart. It singles out the creative energy from the directors and writers, the evolving animation styles across universes, and the focus on Miles' coming-of-age story amid canon events. [Read the review](https://www.theringer.com/2023/06/02/movies/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review) ## Deadline — Valerie Complex 31 May 2023. The critic describes the film as visually stunning and philosophical, with a roller-coaster ride through alternate realities and a commitment to authenticity in its comic book style and animation. They note some plot convolution but praise its ambition, emotional core, and innovation as a step up from the predecessor. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2023/05/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review-colorful-web-of-destiny-for-miles-morales-1235383411/) ## The Wrap 31 May 2023. The review calls the film a triumph of maximalist filmmaking that uses in-your-face techniques for a gigantically intimate story, transforming the Spider-Man formula into something with impressive heft around fate and chaos. It highlights the boundless possibilities of animation and varied artistic styles as a wonder to behold. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-review-a-triumph-of-maximalist-filmmaking/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse.md