The 2023 computer-animated "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," the belated sequel to the phenomenally successful 2018 "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," is a breathtaking animated superhero movie experience that in many ways surpasses its predecessor and does so perhaps most famously in not just the quality of the CGI animated visuals, but the various animation STYLES employed to realize it. Sometimes, it appears as if you're looking at a kaleidoscope-colored, computer-generated comic book; other times, it looks like you're staring at a water painting. (See what I mean?) The animated visuals are perhaps the biggest draw for the picture. However, despite the love-labor and reverence for the source material - Marvel Comics' flagship character, Spider-Man, and more specifically the half-black/half-Puerto Rican Miles Morales version of Spider-Man (voiced here by Shameik Moore), who also happens to be my preferred version of the character - I didn't find the story as interesting or as engaging this time around as I did in the first movie. That was my only real fault with the picture. Other than that, I loved the characters, the various nods to the original comics, the high-flying humor and its vertiginous, colorfully animated action sequences.
9/10.
9/10.