Can this day get any damn weirder? I guess it can.

Continuing my trip up Empire's top 20 films of 2023

#5 :  Spider-man : Across The Spider-Verse

Into The Spider-Verse should have been an impossible bar to cross – but the minds behind Miles Morales’ animated adventures somehow pushed it to even greater heights with the sequel. Across The Spider-Verse is a bold, brilliant blockbuster that feels lightyears ahead of the competition — boasting mind-boggling animated action, whip-smart gags, and touching character beats.  There’s spine-tingling spectacle (Miles’ escape from Spider Society), achingly emotional moments (Rio’s speech about watching her son grow up), and art styles to literally take your breath away – most notably, the blossoming watercolour splashes of Gwen’s world. An audacious work of art, and a top-tier superhero story to boot.

This is one I watched early in the year because my eldest requested it - I really enjoyed the previous one (which didn't make Empire's Best of 2018 list, but that was probably because it was released in November) and so this was on the list to watch, but I'm not entirely sure when I'd have got round to it without being given a push.

And well - what can I say about this? I think "imaginative" is probably the best way to sum it up, but that really doesn't even being to describe the sheer volume of imagination that's gone into this. It is, at its heart, a pretty standard (but good) superhero story, but it's embellished by amazing animation, great characters and fine voice performances.  The whole thing is amazingly clever with a rich cast of characters and multiverses - there's no way one person could have come up with all the Spider-men involved (Peter Parkedcar was my favourite), let alone all the multiverses.

And this is all very much backed up by the animation - the way all the main characters have their own style is very clever, but the way they combine as the characters interact, in different environments which also have their own style is mind-bogglingly intricate (and often very beautiful). If you're a fan of animation then this is a must-watch - there will be something here that leaves you breathless, I can assure you.

If I had one complaint, it would be that the film doesn't so much end as merely stop at a convenient point for the sequel - but that does mean I'm going to have to rewatch it, so things aren't so bad after all, I guess. Quite what The Guardian were doing missing this off their list, I have absolutely no idea - it may not have been a vintage year for superhero films, but even they gave it a five star review on release and it's way more watchable and inventive than most of their offerings I've met from them so far.

So, in case you can't guess, I really liked this. Yes, the plot is confusing, even for those of us with more than a passing knowledge of Spider-man, but you really don't need to worry about that - just relax and enjoy the gorgeous visuals (and some fine voice acting, if that's something you appreciate). If you've not seen this or its prequel (Into The Spider-Verse) then you've a treat in store - at time of writing it's available to stream on Sky or to rent in all the usual places, so check it out!

#6 - Fine looking, but somewhat confusing