Minds blown. That’s what happened with the release of the animated feature Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018 – across all the multi-verses.

It was a remarkable statement film, not only featuring some awesome animation, but an absorbing story to match.

It was a critical and box office success, meaning that not only was a sequel inevitable, but essential.

Back in her own universe Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld) is having a bit of a rough time; not only is she not happy leaving Miles (Shameik Moore) in his universe, but things are getting worse between herself and her dad, as his anger towards Spider-Woman is causing more tension.

Meanwhile, back on Earth-1610 is Miles, who has his own struggles with his family going on too. Then some guy dressed all in white with some black spots on him tries to rob a convenience store, which grabs the attention of Miles – albeit briefly. The character, going by the imaginative name of Spot (Jason Schwartzman) is kind of miffed that this Spider-Man isn’t taking himself or his powers that seriously.

But someone who Miles declares as just being the villain of the week goes on to make a bigger impact than that, but not just with Miles but throughout the multi-verses.

It was a no brainer when the first film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2019, but there was a serious discussion for it being nominated in the Best Film category, it was that good.

This exhilarating sequel then picks up from where the original left off, in terms of story and creativity. The animation is once again in a league of its own, putting the likes of Disney/Pixar to shame in terms of originality. You will not see anything else like it, guaranteed. It is a work of art, a thing of stunning beauty.

The truth is that it’s once a again a sensory overload, so that the overall experience can be a little overwhelming for some, with an assault of colours, techniques and everything else the extremely talented animators could throw at it.

And then you have the story, which could leave you just as dizzy. It’s a film that takes the concept of multi-verses and not just runs with it, but breaks the speed barrier with it. It gets away with things that you can really only do with this medium, and that’s the beauty of it. It may be a little difficult to keep up with at times, such is the frightening pace of it all, especially if you aren’t all that familiar with the Marvel lore, but it doesn’t stop it from being any less of a cinematic spectacle.

It has an interesting story that also resonates with recent discussions, such as the likes of filling a certain Bond’s shoes; should there be a female Bond? No. Should there be a black Bond? Yes. The film breaks such rigid conventions, with hundreds of variations on a Spidey theme, proving that damn right, you can get away with anything – even a Spider-Cat.

It also proves that you can have a ‘Spider’ film without solely relying on Peter Parker; this is undoubtedly the story of Miles Morales and his Spider-Man, and there is no question he is Spider-Man.

And if all this wasn’t enough, the film isn’t only rich with humour, but it out metas any film in this or any other universe. So much so that one viewing isn’t nearly enough to catch everything that’s flying out at you.

With a certain superhero fatigue setting in within the live action scene, this animated Spider-Man creation is taking the essence of the comic book hero to even greater heights with unparalleled artistry and creativity.

For those who grow up on the comics, enthralled by the adventures of Peter Parker within its pages, as well as the corny seventies TV cartoon, this is our Spider-Man, he does whatever a spider can, and so much more.

Another Spidey masterpiece.