Many moviegoers tend to view animated films as “lesser” than their live-action counterparts. “Animation is for children” they often say.

In all honesty, this mindset is flawed. Animation is a medium of film, and it deserves every ounce of respect that live-action films do.

Animated films, unconstrained by the limitations of live-action, offer audiences a beautiful world beyond one’s imagination.

They can also tell stories that still relate to audiences in the real world, and there’s no better proof of this than the newest animated release in cinemas.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is the long-awaited sequel of 2018’s blockbuster “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”.

When “Into the Spider-Verse” was released, it received accolades for its gorgeous animation as well as its compelling story. In fact, that film won the 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

With directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K Thompson at the helm, this sequel is going to live up to the legacy of its predecessor.

So, what shenanigans are the friendly neighbourhood superhero getting into this time around? Well, a lot; interdimensional ones at that!

The film once again follows Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), the Spider-Man of his universe, who has come to terms with his new powers and responsibilities. (Shush, Uncle Ben.)

However, a familiar and friendly face shows up in the form of Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfield), who drops by Morales’ universe for a reason.

In the last film, multiple Spider-Men from different universes came into Morales’ universe. Well, it’s the reverse here.

Not only is there a Multiverse out there, there’s also a community of Spider-People aka Spider-Force, protecting it from collapsing altogether.

Apparently, the events of the first film have had fatal consequences for the entire Multiverse and Spider-Man 2099, or Miguel O’Hara (Oscar Isaac) has had it with Morales.

With O’Hara sending the Spider-Force after Morales, one could say that Morales is in quite a …sticky situation. (Groan.)

Now, onto the good parts of the film. The animation of the first film was amazing. And with a generous budget, “Across the Spider-Verse” has topped even this many times over.

There are some scenes, slow-moving ones especially, when you tune out from the world just to admire the artistry poured into each frame.

These moments are like paintings come to life, and it is a testament to the hard work that the animators put in to make this visual masterpiece of a film.

Given how the film takes place across multiple universes, it must have been quite a challenge for the animators to ensure each universe was distinct and instantly recognisable from the other. Yet, the animators pulled this off brilliantly.

And given that literally anything is possible in the Multiverse, the insane number of possible settings is essentially infinite.

While the animators were no doubt having fun creating new, wonderful settings, the writers were likely working hard at including every iteration of Spider-Man out there into this film.

A cowboy Spider-Man? You got it. A T-rex Spider-Man? Yep, that’s a thing. A punk Spider-Man? He actually plays an important role!

If you are a fan of the Web Slinger, you will likely be squealing with joy every time you spot an obscure Spider-Man version somewhere.

And that includes the live-action ones! Keep an eye out for the Spider-Men played by Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland.

But there’s more than just gorgeous animation and exciting cameos to this film; like its predecessor, its story and characters are just as masterfully crafted.

The first film asked Morales what it meant to be Spider-Man. This film, in turn, asks what sacrifices he is willing to make as Spider-Man.

“Slow-moving” would be one way to describe the early parts of “Across the Spider-Verse”, with Morales trying to balance his superhero responsibilities with his family life.

And despite how strained their bonds can be, it is clear that the Morales household is a closely-knitted one.

When Morales is thus presented with the option of saving the Multiverse at the cost of his loved ones, it is quite understandable why he makes the choices he does.

In any case, do go into the film with the knowledge that this is going to be “The Empire Strikes Back” of the Spider-Verse franchise, so no groaning at the cliff-hanger at the end!

Here’s to the next film, slated for 2024, being as good and as gorgeous as this one! Without question, “Across the Spider-Verse” is one to watch.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is currently playing in theatres nationwide.