Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Just as a point in every direction is no point at all, one must also ask: if everyone is Spider-Man, then isn’t that the same as nobody really is Spider-Man? Is there nothing truly distinctive to the character that asks for something specific in the persona? The above may seem contradictory, but the thread, if you will, that binds much of this work together is contradiction. When this story reaches its key inflection point, with proclamations about not changing the canon, a viewer of any intelligence must be thinking, “You’ve got to be kidding.” The entire point of this exercise, here and in its predecessor, is about changing the canon—a fact made more and more obvious with each expression of its overarching agenda. (You may fill in that blank yourself.) And then, internal to that, there’s a gigantic contradiction in the stated premise that Miles is the source of the problem, so to speak. (I don’t want to spoil anything, but you can ask yourself: if Miles is an anomaly as stated, then how can he ... that’s about all I can give you.) Thus, there are issues here that should leave even the Generation AA-types this movie was made for scratching their heads, if not specifically calling bullshit. However, a huge part of this series’ appeal is the films being visually overwhelming, and that’s the sort of thing that can shut down higher brain functions. (That, I’m implying, may be intentional.) Huge swathes of the animation remain frenetic, to the point that an observer must wonder if there haven’t been a few seizures as a result of watching this flick. There’s also the danger of confusion, as the plot is so ambitious in the stories it is trying to tell that it can be easy to lose track of where you are at any given moment. A further consequence of that narrative largesse: the movie is so focused on the home life of its multiple protagonists that the villain, typically a major part of any superhero story, disappears for long stretches. Meh, he’s not that compelling anyway. Given these issues, how can this movie succeed? Mostly, it’s because the main characters are so damn likable that the viewer cares what happens to them in the end, and will be most disappointed if things go ill for these people. Alas, there’s a cliffhanger, so we’ll just have to wait and see how it all turns out. Again, I’ll go along for the denouement; I just wish I didn’t have to wade through so many layers of muddle and agenda to get there.

Barbie

Amusing, except when it isn’t. This movie stands as a glaring example of the power of visuals. If viewers were to watch this film by not watching it—by closing one’s eyes and just listening to the dialogue—I suspect you’d get a radically different perspective on it from audiences. As it is, the movie’s political “screed as script,” which displays a very hard-edged “us vs. them” mentality, goes over much better by being wrapped in candy-coated visuals and a substantial amount of pretty. That’s ironic, since one of the very things that the filmmakers wish to reject—superficiality—is the very thing that makes their presentation and its philosophical underpinnings palatable. I suspect this movie is very much of its current moment; take this work out of the present day—mid-2023 and into ‘24—when identity and grouping and rigid structures of right-think are welcomed and lauded (at least among the believers), and you probably won’t get nearly as much positive reaction to it as it received upon release (and continues to garner on secondary distribution). Indeed, I suspect in the future many will find this movie’s contemporary success somewhat baffling. It may be truly aligned with the zeitgeist, but that likely will come to be seen as less a positive about this film, and more a negative about said zeitgeist. Frankly, this flick nearly put me to sleep, and that’s hard to imagine when most of watching it involves staring at the stereotypically apt Margot Robbie. I acknowledge that there is a certain amount of bemusement to be had here, in some of the show’s aspects, but not nearly enough to validate the reception this picture received. Disappointing and disheartening, and hardly welcome in any serious person’s dream world.