I won’t lie, I still feel a bit left out when it comes to 2018’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”. The animated superhero film from Sony Pictures Animation released to near universal acclaim with many immediately christening it as a modern day masterpiece. Me, I didn’t quite get it. In fairness I liked much of what the creators were going for. That is until its dizzying and indulgent second half kicked in.

“Into the Spider-verse” was a box office hit, earning over $380 million. Of course as with anything superhero related, that success has led to a second movie with more sequels and spin-offs already in the works (at least as long as the money keeps rolling in). That second movie is “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and it has received similar adoration with the ‘M’ word already floating around in ether.

For many it seems the Spider-Verse films have become the cool ‘anti-superhero movie’ movies. At least that’s what I get from much of the fan chatter. It’s kinda funny considering how much they pull from other superhero flicks. But to its credit the Spider-Verse has its own distinct style and flavor. And it has shown to have a broad appeal. Those who are all-in on it (as many people seem to be) have pretty much loved whatever the creators have thrown at the screen. But the first film wasn’t without its issues, and the same could be said for its sequel.

“Across the Spider-Verse” clearly subscribes to the idea that more is better. It takes pretty much everything from the first film and goes further. It’s more ambitious and has a much bigger scope. Even the running time beefs up by an extra 20+ minutes. Unfortunately the filmmakers waste too much of that time self-admiring their work. Yet even at 140 minutes it doesn’t feel long. Instead the frustration is in the ending – a maddening cliffhanger to a story that could’ve possibly had a conclusion if they had cut back on the excess.

What excess you ask? Much of it comes in the film’s hyper-stylized animation. Let me be clear, much of the movie looks incredible and there’s a painterly quality to many of the images on screen. But some of the choices feel like attention grabs rather than bold creative strokes. And some are just straight-up distracting. Take the backgrounds which sometimes change depending on which “earth” we’re on. Sometimes they’re washed out like bad watercolor paintings. Other times they’re like looking at a fuzzy 3D screen without 3D glasses. Then you have the action scenes. Some are nothing short of spectacular. Others are chopped up and edited within an inch of their lives.

All of that said, Sony Animation deserves most of the praise they’ve been getting. As a whole “Across the Spider-Verse” is a visual stunner and there are so many cool eye-popping flourishes. And there are several clever touches that play like odes to classic comics. The film may be absorbed in its own style, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t extremely talented artists at work. They lay out a visual feast that is a major accomplishment within the realm of animation that people will be talking about for some time. The directing trio of Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson understand that and really lean into it.

The story (written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham) is a far cry from the simple, intimate tales of a neighborhood teen from New York City balancing his urge to be a kid with the greater responsibility of protecting his home city. Instead we live in the day of expanded universes, interconnected universes, variant universes, etc. etc. etc. Nearly everything in the superhero movie world has shifted towards something bigger and (because the business side is a real thing) more profitable. “Across the Spider-Verse” is no different.

Because of that we get a story inevitably seasoned with multiverse mumbo-jumbo and talk of inter-dimensional danger. But of all the multiversing going on in the genre today, here the writers have crafted something remarkably compelling. They do so through their intense focus on the personal stakes. The film is overstuffed with too many characters, some with storylines that do little more than fill space or check boxes. But it always finds it’s emotional center each time it gets back to 15-year-old Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), and one of the biggest surprises – Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) aka Spider-Man 2099.

As with the previous film, the best stuff in the sequel revolves around Miles and his parents (Bryan Tyree Henry and Lauren Vélez). There is so much genuine feeling in their scenes together. And watching Miles try to navigate his relationship with his parents in light of the superhero secret he’s keeping from them allows the filmmakers to explore some family dynamics that resonate today. Their relationships are very well developed and are a driving force behind much of the action that comes later.

It’s the same with Gwen but on a smaller scale. On her earth she was the one bitten by the radioactive spider therefore becoming Spider-Woman. But hiding her secret has made things difficult with her father (Shea Whigham). Much like Miles’ story, Gwen’s delves into issues of fatherhood, trust, and communication. Then you have Miguel. He comes from a darker earth which has left him cold and hardened. He’s the leader of an elite team of dimension-hopping spider people tasked with the difficult job of protecting the Spider-Verse. But his methods prove to be a little suspect.

There are a slew of other side characters introduced along the way. Some are interesting and leave you curious to know more about them (such as Issa Rae as Jessica Drew). Others, not so much (Daniel Kaluuya’s Spider-Punk got old fast). Jake Johnson returns to voice our earth’s Peter Parker. And Jason Schwartzman as the film’s unlikely villain The Spot is pretty great (the animators have a blast with him and arguably the very best action scene features him and Miles duking it out around Brooklyn).

In addition to the issues mentioned earlier, the film occasionally gets too carried away with fan service, logic sometimes gets tossed for other interests, and there’s some pretty on-the-nose messaging. Yet “Across the Spider-Verse” is a mesmerizing cinematic tapestry of imagery, character and story – one that is a bit jumbled and even messy in spots. Yet one with such artistic verve and heart that you can’t but help but be drawn into its weird yet endearing web. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4 STARS