‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ deserves Oscar consideration across-the-board

Jacob Sarkisian
·7 min read
23
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“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” has swung into theatres with aplomb, matching (if not beating) the excitement and love that the first movie, “Into the Spider-Verse,” garnered in 2018.

“Across the Spider-Verse” follows on from that first movie with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) now a successful Spider-Man in his own universe. But another encounter with Hailee Steinfeld‘s Gwen Stacy/Spider-Woman leads to Miles being launched into the Spider-Verse wherein he encounters a society of Spider-People, led by Oscar Isaac‘s Miguel O’Hara, and a new foe — Spot (Jason Schwartzman). The film ends on an outrageous cliffhanger, teasing the conclusion of the series with next year’s “Beyond the Spider-Verse.”

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For now, however, fans will have to be satisfied with this excellent addition to the Spider-Man canon, which currently stands at an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the site’s critical consensus reading: “Just as visually dazzling and action-packed as its predecessor, ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ thrills from start to cliffhanger conclusion.”

That first movie turned its critical acclaim and commercial prowess into awards success, winning the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2019, edging out “Incredibles 2,” “Isle of Dogs,” “Mirai,” and “Ralph Breaks the Internet.” We expect this sequel will be looking to match its predecessor’s feat but theorize that it could go on to do even better. Here are the Oscar categories we think “Across the Spider-Verse” could be up for come Oscars season.

Best Animated Feature
This one kind of goes without saying. This sequel ramps its animation up a notch, with so many different styles of animation used to represent the multiple universes seen in the movie, including a Renaissance-inspired universe and another made out of LEGO. It’s difficult to see how any other animated film this year will match the work on display here — very few movies have wielded the art form and format of animation as “Spider-Verse” films. Its competitors will likely be Pixar’s “Elemental,” Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” Disney’s “Wish,” and Netflix’s Aardman film “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.”

Best Sound
“Across the Spider-Verse” combines a wonderful score (more on that later) with the various, distinctive sounds of each universe. The brick-clicking clips of a LEGO universe, the respective musicality of the Indian (Mumbatten) and the Italian (Renaissance-style) universes, and the menacing machinations of the Spider-Society on Earth 2099. It’s an audio-visual feast and the sound work on display adds to the immersive impact of the film. Previous animated films nominated in this category include “Soul” in 2021, while “Toy Story 3” was nominated for Best Sound Editing in 2011, “Up” was nominated for Best Sound Editing in 2010, “WALL-E” was nominated for both Editing and Mixing in 2009, and “Ratatouille” earned the same double-nomination in 2008. “Spider-Verse” could follow suit, although those two sound categories have now been combined.

Best Film Editing
To sow together so many different universes into one seamless story while keeping track of immersive, non-stop action sequences and blending them together with the quieter, emotional beats of the movie is one hell of an achievement. Mike Andrews is the man responsible for said achievement. He’s never been nominated for an Oscar before but he did serve as the editor for “Megamind, “Shrek 2,” and “Shrek the Third.” “Shrek 2” was nominated for Best Animated Film and Best Original Song (for “Accidentally in Love”), so Andrews has helped to deliver Oscar-nominated animations before.

Best Original Score
Daniel Pemberton returns from “Into the Spider-Verse” to score this movie. Again, it’s great work — matching the film’s dynamism with dynamite of his own. Particular highlights include the theme for Spider-Man 2099, a haunting, sinister piece of music that sounds like a blaring alarm signaling the arrival of impending danger, perfectly matching the brutality of the character himself. The scores for Spider-Punk and Spider-Man India are also fantastic, delivering contrasting musical styles to introduce characters with maximum effect. Pemberton was previously Oscar-nominated in 2021 for his work on the Original Song “Hear My Voice” (with Celeste) for “The Trial of the Chicago Seven.”

Best Original Song
Speaking of original songs, this movie is rife with them, just like the first one was. But while “Into the Spider-Verse” somehow didn’t land a bid for Original Song, this one may well manage to. There are several options to choose from but “Am I Dreaming,” which plays over the end credits, is the pick of the bunch. The song is created by Metro Boomin, A$ap Rocky, and Roisee. None of them have been nominated for an Oscar before.

Best Adapted Screenplay
Adapted from Marvel Comics, as well as from “Into the Spider-Verse,” as per the academy’s ruling in this category, this script was written by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Dave Callaham. The trio up the ante in this sequel with an adrenaline-fuelled spectacle but they never forget the emotional core of the story. Miles is always the heart of it, while there are touching moments between Miles and his parents as well as Gwen and her father that help to balance out the zanier elements of the movie. Lord and Miller won Best Animated Film in 2019 for “Into the Spider-Verse” along with Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, and Rodney Rothman, while they were nominated for the same category in 2022 for “The Mitchells vs the Machines.” Callaham has never been nominated for an Oscar, although he did co-write “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

Best Director
Earlier this year,  Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won Best Director for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” one of the most original and creative movies of the last decade, let alone the last year. That movie also dealt with the multiverse, like “Across the Spider-Verse” does. If the Daniels can win an Oscar for their work (deservedly so), so, too, should Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson. Very few films this year will be as creative, inventive, or as confident in their own execution as “Across the Spider-Verse,” and that’s down to the directors. It’s truly a visionary film. Dos Santos and Thompson have never been nominated for an Oscar before but Powers earned a bid for Adapted Screenplay in 2021 for “One Night in Miami…”

Best Picture
If all of the above is true, and this writer believes it is, then this film deserves a cumulative Best Picture nomination. The film features some of the best storytelling of the year, has an outrageous sense of fun, is a cultural landmark, and is a seminal work in the field of animation. “Into Spider-Verse” changed the way animation studios work, with “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” ditching their previous animation style to go with a more vibrant style so clearly inspired by “Into the Spider-Verse.” That’s just one example. Both “Spider-Verse” movies are having a major impact on the industry and are showing just how incredible animated storytelling can be. “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy earned Oscar glory for changing the industry — “Spider-Verse” belongs in the same category, although it may have to wait for its third installment to reap those rewards. Still, “Across the Spider-Verse” will undoubtedly go down as one of the best movies of the year in its own right. Let’s hope the academy voters realize that. The last animated film to be nominated for Best Picture was “Toy Story 3” in 2011. It’s time for “Across the Spider-Verse” to correct that.

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