Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - 2/5

This movie is directed by a completely different team than the first film and it shows. There’s a noticeable ‘woke’ filter over everything, but even putting that aside the film has some huge flaws. It’s a 1.5 hour movie stretched out into 2.5 hours by sloppy, repetitive dialogue and a bloated script. The villain is pretty good in theory but overstays his welcome by the end, let alone anticipation for the sequel. The art styles in the first film were varied but each one was tight and well-crafted; here, most of the art styles are sloppy to the point of being unappealing and hard to read. The editing here also loses all finesse from the first film, layering audio and visual information on top of itself in a confusing, distracting mess. Some of the fights had a few good moments, though.

Closest comparison: It’s like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse gone the way of Legend of Korra.

Setting: Super hero
Plot: Sci-fi
Tone: Comedy

Alita: Battle Angel - 3/5

There are lots of great part in this film, but it fumbles the ending. The action is a spectacle, giving the audience the roller coaster ride they were promised in the trailers. Christoph Waltz is great in everything and his performance here is no exception; his chemistry with Rosa Salazar carries the emotional core of the film. It has plenty of sci-fi weirdness, and if that aspect isn’t working for you it’s likely going to feel like it just keeps dragging on and on. For everyone else, though, it’s a fun action sci-fi that mostly makes sense.

Closest Comparison: It’s equal parts Blade Runner and The Fifth Element, with a dash of Rollerball and Real Steel thrown into the mix.

Setting: Sci-fi
Plot: Post-Apocalyptic Teen Fiction
Tone: Action

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - 5/5

This movie is dripping with awesome style, but if it doesn’t appeal to you that will affect your enjoyment of the overall film. There’s still a lot to like beyond that with amazing cinematography, vivid characters, and both meaningful and hilarious dialogue. Seeing alternate universe interpretations of all the well-known Spider-Man canon is a blast. The interactions between Miles and his dad are insightful, and there’s unexpected depth to the interactions between the ‘Spider-People’. Funny, fun, and visually amazing, it doesn’t get much better than this.

Closest comparison: It’s like Spider-Man: Homecoming meets The Lego Movie.