Is Across the Spider-Verse Already Poised for Oscar Success?
Attention Spider-Man fans! Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for the latest Spider-Man movie, Across the Spider-Verse. After five years of anticipation, the film has finally hit theaters. The original, Into the Spider-Verse, won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2019 and set a new standard for the superhero genre. Across the Spider-Verse has not disappointed and has received critical acclaim, with a staggering 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film takes place shortly after the events of the first movie and follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld) as they travel through the multiverse. Along the way, they encounter countless Spider-People and face a new villain that challenges Miles to rethink what it means to be a hero.
The new movie not only brings back beloved characters from the original, like Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and Penny Parker (Kimiko Glenn), but also introduces new Spider-People, including Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), and Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac), who was teased during the post-credit scene of Into the Spider-Verse.
Across the Spider-Verse improves on the original in almost every aspect, according to many critics. It pushes Miles’ character development in new directions, expands the Spider-Verse’s world-building, and pays homage to its predecessor while maintaining its own independence. In fact, some critics are calling it “The Dark Knight of Animated Films” and are pushing for it to be nominated for Best Picture at the 2024 Academy Awards.
The only thing that may stand in the way of its nomination is the divided reception to its ending. Across the Spider-Verse is only Part 1 of Miles’ story exploring the Spider-Verse, with Part 2, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, releasing in March 2024. The decision to split the story into two films has caused some viewers to be vexed, as Hollywood has been splitting sequels and finales into multiple parts, like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. However, Across the Spider-Verse can still be viewed as a complete movie, with a complete 3-act structure for Gwen Stacey.
The animated competition for the 2024 Academy Awards is thin, with The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Disney Pixar’s Elemental being the only two significant contenders. This means that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has a high chance of winning Best Animated Feature. However, if it jumps categories and gets nominated for Best Picture, it will only be the second superhero movie to do so, following Black Panther in 2019. The potential competition for Best Picture is fierce, with renowned directors like Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Denis Villeneuve, and Greta Gerwig each releasing films in 2023.
In conclusion, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is a must-see movie for fans of the superhero genre. Its critical acclaim and potential Oscar nomination make it a groundbreaking film that pushes the limits of animation and storytelling. So, grab your popcorn, sit back, and enjoy the ride through the Spider-Verse!
Spoiler Alert: Spoilers Ahead for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
After a 5-year wait, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is finally in theaters. Into the Spider-Verse broke ground in 2018 when it blew audiences away with its refreshing take on the superhero genre, rightfully earning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature the following year. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is currently receiving overwhelming critical praise, ranked as IMDb’s 12th greatest movie of all time, but is it enough to reach the same Academy claim as its predecessor?
Set shortly after the events of 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Across the Spider-Verse follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) as he joins Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld) on a journey across the multi-verse. Throughout their journey, they come face-to-face with hundreds of Spider-People and face a new foe that forces Miles to redefine what it means to be a hero.
As well as bringing back fan-favorite characters from the original, like Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and Penny Parker (Kimiko Glenn), Across the Spider-Verse also introduces dozens of new Spider-People, including Jessica Drew (Issa Rae), Pavitr Prabhakar (Karan Soni), and Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) who was teased during Into the Spider-Verse‘s post-credit scene.
Across the Spider-Verse Improves on the Original
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse currently sits on an incredibly impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the majority of reviews — including MovieWeb’s own — stating that Across the Spider-Verse surpasses the original in almost every aspect. Across the Spider-Verse does everything a sequel should. It pushes Miles’ character development into new territory, beautifully expands the world-building of the Spider-Verse, and pays respects to its predecessor while still feeling independent. By this argument alone, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is worthy of Oscar contention.
The buzz surrounding Across the Spider-Verse‘s inevitable Oscar campaign actually goes far beyond the original’s. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. However, many fans and critics are pushing for Across the Spider-Verse to be nominated for Best Picture at the 2024 Academy Awards, with some critics claiming it to be “The Dark Knight of Animated Films.”
Should this happen, Across the Spider-Verse would be the 4th animated film in history to be nominated in the prestigious category and the first animated nominee not produced by Disney — with the previous nominees being Beauty and the Beast (1991), Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010).
The only thing standing in the way of Across the Spider-Verse‘s Oscar contention is the divided reception to its ending. Across the Spider-Verse is Part 1 of Miles’s story exploring the Spider-Verse, with Part 2, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Versereleasing on March 29, 2024.
Across the Spider-Verse ends on the perfect cliffhanger and does everything a first part should do. However, the decision to split the story into two films has vexed some viewers due to the recent Hollywood trend of similarly splitting sequels and finales into multiple parts — much like Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.
However, Across the Spider-Verse can still be viewed as a complete movie. While Miles’s story has been split across two films, Across the Spider-Verse still features a complete 3-act structure for Gwen Stacey as she struggles to conceal her secret identity from her father.
The Animated Competition Is Thin
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse faced tough competition in its category at the 2019 Academy Awards, going up against the hotly anticipated Incredibles 2Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs, Miraiand Ralph Breaks the Internet.
While 2023/24 is slated to feature some great animated films — with The Super Mario Bros. Movie already releasing this year and Disney Pixar’s Elemental releasing very soon, this year’s animated competition is nowhere near as strong as 2019’s. As a result, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has a very high chance of dominating the Best Animated Feature category in 2024.
Suppose Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse does jump the boundary of the Animated Feature Film category and receive a nomination for Best Picture. In that case, it will become only the second superhero movie to do so, behind Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther in 2019. Across the Spider-Verse would also have the chance to break even more records than it already has, with a win making it the first superhero movie to ever win the award for Best Picture.
However, the potential competition for Best Picture will be incredibly strong this year, with beloved academy directors Christopher Nolan, Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Denis Villeneuve, and Greta Gerwig each releasing films in 2023. Across the Spider-Verse would also face tough competition from this year’s festival highlight films like Todd Haynes’ May December and Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fallwhich both received rave reviews after their respective Cannes premieres.
It is incredibly likely that Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse will feature somewhere among the 2024 Academy Awards nominations, with an almost guaranteed place in the Best Animated Feature category. However, the real test for Across the Spider-Verse comes in the Best Picture category, where the other potential nominees might be the strongest list of candidates in years.
