Across The Spider-Verse is exponentially better than the original. There. I said it. And I stand by that statement. And you would agree, dear reader, if you go out and purchase a ticket for the cinematic ride of the year. To call the movie a ride is more than fitting, and it is not an exaggeration. Sitting in the theater seat is akin to being strapped into your favorite roller coaster, with the same rush and thrill you get from being flung at high speeds. Much of the original cast is back for this outing, with Shameik Moore, Haiele Steinfeld and Jake Johnson reprising their roles as Miles Morales, Gwen Stacey, and Peter B.Parker respectively. They are joined by an almost literal cast of thousands as we come across even more Spider-people (and a few spider animals) from across the multiverse. Also joining them with one huge upgrade is Oscar Isaac, who went from being credited as “interesting Voice 1” in the first film to Miguel O’Hara this time around, an actual Spider-Man variant. The visuals are as trippy as the original, perhaps even more so. The inventive use of paneling and all the trappings that come with it like the distinctive moire pattern and visual sound effects all point to a celebration of not just the source material, but the source media as well. No other film adaptation quite pays homage to the fact that it was based off of a comic book like this. References and in-jokes abound, making a second viewing pretty much mandatory, and they will surely be much appreciated by fans everywhere, While you can argue that the whole franchise is aimed solely at comic fanboys (or those of us more advanced in age but are fanboys at heart), there is more than enough in the film to bring in the fangirls as well. Gwen Stacey gets her time in the spotlight as her story is fleshed out a bit more, giving her character a lot more depth and interest. This is a movie made for everyone to enjoy but also it obviously had the long-time fans in mind. You can tell that the writers, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Dave Callaham meant it as a love letter to Spider-Man afficonados of all shapes and sizes. And overall, it really is just a very well done Spider-Man story, one that everyone can relate to. It doesn’t happen very often that the sequel movie lives up to its predecessor, but Across The Spider-Verse, does so in every way that matters. The rough, eclectic style of animation that set the first one apart is back and even more varied than before, and the story is both grand and epic in scope but also hits close to home in so many ways. It is another wake-up call to the animation industry, signaling everyone to look and see the potential of animation. It can go a lot of different ways, and it is high time we all checked them out. The only thing that would have made this movie better would have been a Stan Lee cameo.(There may have been one that I just missed, hence the need for a second viewing) He has to still be around in some other dimension, right? Although wherever he is right now, I can postulate he would be very positively pleased and proud of the results. Do yourself a favor and catch Across The Spider-Verse already out in theaters.