On June 2 2023, the second installment of the animated Spider-Man series was released in movie theaters worldwide: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After the debut of the first movie in 2018, fans have been desperately waiting to see what adventures Miles Morales and the rest of the different Spider-Men are up to. The extravagant production of the film including the animation, music, and storyline has Becton students raving about the series.

In summary, the animated Spider-Man series revolves around the teen, Miles Morales, and his own Spider-Man origin story. Due to the fact that the story point is set in a different universe than the Spider-Man movies, including Peter Parker, we get a deeper understanding of the world of the multiverse and the varying Spider-Men in alternate universes. What makes this series of Spider-Man movies special is the diverse and inclusive Spider-Men we get to meet throughout the movies– all of which have different backgrounds but all share the commonly seen story-line of the original Spider-Man. When Becton student, Claudia Damata, was asked why she thinks the diverse addition of characters is important, she states, “I feel like the comic was the main inspiration of the movie but I feel like it was to help younger generations relate more and have a new hero to look up to. Miles Morales is a very relatable so I feel like many kids leveled with him and felt the same way as him.” Damata believes that representation in films is critical for this generation to be able to find characters they resemble, relate to, and resonate with.

Following the first movie and all the popularity behind it, movie production was able to take the value of the film to the next level. With the budget for Spider-Man: Across the Universe increasing by over $10 million dollars compared to the first movie, many changes and improvements were made in order to increase the viewers’ watching experience. When Becton student, Adrianna McClain, was asked what she thought made this installment of the Spiderman series different from the live-action films, she exclaimed, “This series is obviously different from live-action in that it’s animated but there are several more aspects that make it unique to its live-action counterparts. The medium of the movie itself allows the film to be far more colorful and its characters are vibrant and varied. As well as that, the way the spider verse series uses music and its characters is excellent. The two movies’ original scores and songs are ingrained in a way that just seems impossible to recreate in live-action films.” McClain goes on to explain how she believes the quality of the second movie has drastically increased since the first movie including the extra attention to detail and the popular soundtracks the movie, as well as the first one, included.

In conclusion, the fine improvements made by the production crew of the film become clearly noticed by fans of the series. With the inclusion of the different Spider-Man characters in the film– viewers are faced with a variety of characters they can look up to. On behalf of most Becton Students, we are thrilled and anticipating what may be next for Miles Morales and the rest of the Spider-Men!