#Idk man maybe I'm just growing old and bitter I am nearly 30 so

[gumjamin]

I WATCHED SPIDERMAN ACROSS THE SPIDERVERSE AND HAVE THOUGHTS SO IG SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT

I feel like I was the victim of overhype??? Or maybe I am too out of the loop/my tastes have changed, cuz boy it didn't hit quite as much as Into the Spiderverse did.

DON'T GET ME WRONG. THE RISKS THEY TOOK ON ANIMATION AND THE BOLD STYLES THEY USED WERE AMAZING.

I am so so happy they did so many things to play w consistency, style, color, shapes. And I am even more happy that that all is paying off financially cuz fucking hell it is refreshing to see this type of animation on the big screen. Hope everyone pays attention and starts letting creative people take bigger, bolder steps in animation.

But.

Nuance here please.

I don't think everything worked quite as well. Not... As a whole?

As much as the visual styles were amazing to look at, they could also be very distracting. At times I just couldn't tell exactly what was happening (in so sad, but it mainly happened w Hobbie for me.) that hurt a lot of the action and clarity of things, it took me longer to realize what, a character was supposed to be doing. Which... When you have SO many spiderpeople, it feels crucial.

At times, it also felt like some of the decisions didn't quite work on the level that they wanted them to work. For instance the soft, muted pastels during the last scenes between Gwen and her dad. I couldn't get lost on them, I couldn't just focus on what was happening. Instead I... Wound up focusing on how muddy and weird the colors looked. I know, I know, petty artist thing. But it... Distracted me a lot. And what feels worst, a few minutes after I left the theater, I saw a post by one of the key colorists of that scene!!! And!!!! My man!!!! Those color keys looked fucking beautiful!!!!!! It... It felt like something got lost in the process there. I dunno. I don't want to be mean, but some of it just didnt fully land with me.

The writing...man. I don't want to be mean, but it felt much more marvel-y than

Beyond the visuals though.... I feel like the audio and writing were not as sharp as the visuals. At least not compared to Into the Spiderverse (tho I'd need to go back and watch that again to confirm)

The music... Didn't feel as impactful as it did in the first movie. Back in that one, each song had a specific emotional beat, something it was tied to within the movie beyond "oh this sounds vaguely menacing." i remember, for instance, how the prowler's musical signature was firmly embedded into the song associated with him. How it resonated through every scene he was in. Same with Sunflower, same with Whats Up Danger.

For ATSV... I think they tried some of that with Miguel, but it didn't quite live up to the Prowler. I can't remember any of the songs....maybe a little from the trailer??? But that's it. Again, this might be me, but it definitely felt like it was missing.

The writing. It felt very... Meme-y and self referential, but in a way that I couldn't quite keep up with. Mind you, I am a Mexican guy in my late 20s, so English is not my native language and I have been staying away frm most social media for mental health reasons. Maybe I just can't keep up and that's fine. But at points it reminded me of the worst of the witty live-action marvel movies. Just constant witty banter with just a split second to rest or absorb information. All self references, all inside jokes. It's great dumb fun! Yes! I remember ITSV doing it too!!!

But with just a handful of spidermen...

I feel it got a bit out of control, is what I'm saying.

And yknow what, it was still very much a fun, approachable movie that I was able to watch with a friend who hadn't seen the first one!

....

But that ending man.

That ending really... Doesn't sit right with me. I am one of those idiots that's just so burned out of the constant stream of series, movies, and media, that I just straight up gave up. I don't keep up with newer releases. I am so, so done w stories that are half finished, that don't reach a conclusion, that just get barfed out, that I'd rather just wait n see. If a story is finished, I might get around to it, heck, might even enjoy it.

So seeing that ending... It felt a bit like a slap to the face. I thought I was going in to watch a full story, with a beginning, middle, and end.

Instead, I kept watching, that little thought at the back of my head bugging me...

"man, this has been going for a while... I wonder how they'll wrap it up-"

And... Well, there was my answer when the credits rolled.

Again, this might all just be me, it's very possible that my tastes have changed since ITSV. Which!!! It happens!!! People change!!!!

I might also be totes wrong. Maybe once the next movie is out and I can watch the trilogy in one sitting then I'll have that feeling of hype and energy I had after watching the first one. Maybe it'll be so fucking awesome that I'll just fucking explode in my seat and be awed for all eternity.

But.... Right now... I feel like i watched a half-finished movie... 😔