Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Reaction: Two Hosts Call It "Neck and Neck" With Into the Spider-Verse

Across the Spider-Verse landed as a genuine surprise for the two hosts reacting to it for the first time, with one calling it so strong that "I might have liked this one better" than Into the Spider-Verse, even while insisting the two films are "like Yin, they're like neck and neck."

For anyone who loved the first film and is wondering whether the sequel holds up, that back and forth matters, since the hosts spend much of the reaction weighing the two movies directly against each other rather than just praising the sequel in isolation.

The Spot's Turn From Joke Villain to Real Threat Wins Them Over

One of the biggest specific praises goes to the Spot, introduced early as what looks like a throwaway, comedic villain of the week. The hosts note they found him "hilarious and adorably lovable" at first, then were struck by the reveal that Miles created him and he in turn shaped Miles, calling it "an interesting dichotomy between the two of them" and adding that they "always find that fascinating" when two characters are that intertwined. They also flag how dark the film gets once his backstory unfolds: "I'm shocked how dark it got actually."

The Multiverse Plotting Sometimes Left Them Behind

Despite the praise, there is a candid admission of struggling to keep up: "sometimes I have a hard time keeping up and I get a lot of the DCs and Marvels confused a lot because I don't know how to separate them yet." The Miguel O'Hara, Earth 42 Miles, and Prowler reveals are singled out as the trickiest threads to track, though the hosts still land on Miguel coming across like "more of a dictator," comparing him to Darth Vader despite admitting they haven't actually seen Star Wars.

Spider-Punk and the Cameos Are Called Out by Name

Spider-Punk gets specific love for feeling like the voice of the audience inside the film, rebelling against what the hosts describe as Miguel's dictatorship, and for quietly handing Gwen the time-travel device she needs later. The cameos also get a shoutout, with the hosts saying they "were not expecting" to see Donald Glover's brief appearance or the Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst upside-down kiss callback.

The Cliffhanger Ending Frustrates Even as They Admit It Works

The film's cliffhanger draws the strongest emotional reaction of the whole watch. There was a protest that "you can't end the movie like that," and a counterpoint that unresolved endings are exactly "how you keep them" coming back for the next installment. By the close they land on: "I hate cliffhangers but I love them at the same time." The overall verdict is glowing regardless, summed up as "great film, cinematography topnotch, music fantastic, voice acting, great character, storyline so moving."

Did Across the Spider-Verse top Into the Spider-Verse for you, and are you as nervous about baby Parker's fate heading into Beyond the Spider-Verse as these two are?