The Corner Penthouse

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment recently released the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) Blu-ray. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) returns for the next chapter of the Spider-Verse saga. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Brooklyn's full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders, and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The movie is presented in a 2.39:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 2:20:05. The movie has been rated PG for sequences of animated action violence, some language and thematic elements. Audio languages include English, English Descriptive, French, and Spanish. Subtitle languages include English, English SDH, French, and Spanish.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the content listed below can be found on the Blu-ray disc. The DVD disc only contains the "Creating the Ultimate Spider-Man Movie", "Raising a Hero", and "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Cast" featurettes.

• Audio Commentary - with co-directors Justin K. Thompson, Joaquim Dos Santos and Kemp Powers; and co-writers/producers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord.
• Creating the Ultimate Spider-Man Movie (14:49) - The filmmakers worked hard to create a sequel without losing the magic of the first entry in the series.
• Obscure Spiders and Easter Eggs (5:39) - A quick look at the many easter eggs and alternate Spider-Men that litter the film.
• "I'mma Do My Own Thing" Interdimensional Destiny (8:26) - Fashioning the rules of the multiverse.
• Across the Worlds: Designing New Dimensions (7:52) - Creating unique worlds through varied animation styles and more.
• Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Cast (13:09) - The voice cast discusses their characters, recording sessions, and more.
• Designing Spiders and Spots (12:31) - A look at the ethnicities, body types, animation styles, and personalities of the many characters in the film.
• Raising a Hero (8:56) - The family dynamics of the characters in the film.
• Scratches, Score and the Music of the Multiverse (5:17) - A glimpse into the scoring and music selection.
• Across the Comics-Verse (8:03) - Adapting the Spider-Man comics for the screen.
• Escape From Spider-Society (8:14) - Behind the scenes of the chase sequence that tops the second act of the film.
• Miguel Calling (5:33) - A deleted scene in its early animatic form.
• "Annihilate" Lyric Video (2:32) - A music video with on-screen lyrics for the song by Metro Boomin, Swae Lee, Lil Wayne, and Offset.
• "Calling" Lyric Video (2:04) - A music video with on-screen lyrics for the song by Metro Boomin, Nav, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, and Swae Lee.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

A digital copy code voucher is included inside the standard two-disc blue Blu-ray case. The first print run includes a slipcover.

[ NOTES ]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) is available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD. A 2-Movie Collection with the first film, Into the Spider-Verse, is available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD. At this moment in time, I can NOT recommend Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse for one simple fact: THIS IS AN INCOMPLETE MOVIE! It literally ends on "To Be Continued". You would be better off waiting for the (currently delayed) third film (Beyond the Spider-Verse) to be released (hopefully) next year, and watch all three together for a complete story. Just like Avengers: Infinity War (Part 1 for Endgame), I had no clue that I settled down to watch a long movie (over two hours!) featuring an incomplete story. Had Sony labeled it as a "Part 1" - like films in the Harry Potter, Twilight, Mission: Impossible, and Dune series - I would have held off on watching the film.

Putting aside the incomplete story, it's a good film, but not the "masterpiece" everyone is proclaiming it to be. I quite enjoyed the first film, Into the Spider-Verse, and went into this installment very open-minded, but it's a bit difficult to watch due to the frenetic pop-art style and super-quick cuts suitable for the ADHD generation. The first 20 minutes nearly gave me a seizure, and I don't even have epilepsy. I also needed to keep my remote in my hand at all times because text was constantly popping up on the screen and would disappear before I could get a chance to read it, and I read pretty quickly.

Miles Morales is very difficult to care for as a main character because he seems to have very few redeeming qualities. The Spider-Man credo "with great power comes great responsibility" has evidently fallen upon his deaf ears. Miles thinks that he is the exception to the rule of canon, which has been laid out by thousands of Spider-People before him. He wants to fight against all odds to save his parents, the same parents that he's ignored and disrespected throughout the film. He doesn't respect his Spider-Peers, all of whom have more experience at being Spider-People than him, I guess because he has to fit that angsty teenager cliche.

Maybe things will improve in Beyond the Spider-Verse. At least I hope they do. You're certainly welcome to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse now, as long as you remember that it's not a complete film before you invest over two hours of your life watching it.

This item has been provided by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment for review on this site.