Across the Spider-Verse anchors its spectacle with vulnerable character development. There's payoff, patient drama, tension, meta comedy, clever dialogue, earned exposition, emotional action, complex motivations, distinct characters, arcs, and twists. It has themes of sacrifice, identity, responsibility, destiny, and honesty. The acting adds range, sincerity, relatability, layers, and chemistry. Its direction is surreal yet intimate. However, its main flaw is the cliffhanger ending, which doesn't tie together enough personal resolution within a bigger conflict to satisfy a complete story. Still, Across the Spider-Verse's active strengths greatly outweigh that shortcoming.
Across the Spider-Verse fully harnesses its medium. The experimental production design and effects forge diverse textures, meaningful aesthetics, and abstract techniques. Its psychedelic imagery uses motion, lighting, color, composition, panels, angles, and motifs. The music blends themes, pop songs, trans-diegetics, tempo, and a bookending. Its sound adds narration, volume, layers, symbolism, smash cuts, genres, and stings. The cast has more stars, cameos, depth, and diversity. Its editing is a bit much but offers timing, montages, intercuts, split screens, match cuts, pacing, cross cuts, jump cuts, inserts, and efficiency. Overall, Across the Spider-Verse triumphantly pushes boundaries.
Writing: 8/10
Direction: 9/10
Cinematography: 10/10
Acting: 8/10
Editing: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10
Production Design: 10/10
Casting: 9/10
Effects: 10/10
Overall Score: 9.2/10
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