Latest ‘Spider-Man’ Instalment’s Like Nothing You’ve Seen Before, Says Cast, Director

From left, Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld and director Kemp Powers talk during an online interview with local reporters Wednesday about “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” [SONY PICTURES KOREA]

The latest ‘Spider-Man’ movie is completely different from other superhero movies — not just because it’s animation, but because the message of humanity, hope and family is at the heart of the never-before-seen action scenes, according to the cast and the director of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.”

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is the highly anticipated sequel to “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (2018), a computer-animated superhero film that grossed $384.3 million worldwide.


The latest film, released in domestic theaters on May 31, follows the story of the previous episode, where the main characters from the Spider-Man universe, such as Peter Parker, Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy, live in a multiverse environment with superhero powers. “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” has so far grossed $396.8 million worldwide and has received critical acclaim, reaching a 96% on the Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator.

Main poster for ″Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse″ [SONY PICTURES KOREA]

“I think this movie represents humanity and shows love and bravery,” he said Shameik Moore, who voiced the character of Miles in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” during an online interview Wednesday with local reporters. He was joined by Hailee Steinfeld and director Kemp Powers.

“It brings awareness and illuminates the issue of moral compass that we all need, and also deals with determining or distinguishing what feels right and what feels wrong. We also deal with family dynamics and think about the world we live in today.”

“‘Spider-Man: Across the Universe’ is unlike any other movie we’ve seen,” said Hailee Steinfeld, who voiced Gwen Stacy in the film. “I’d say you’ll need to watch it at least 100 times to fully understand it and feel immersed in the world of the film.”

A scene from ″Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse″ [SONY PICTURES KOREA]

Multiverse movies are all the rage, and many viewers love their stories because of the idea of ​​the path not taken, according to Powers, who is one of the three directors of “Spider-Man: Across the Universe,” along with Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin. K. Thompson.

Multiverse movies like the various Marvel films and the likes of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” (2022) have swept the box office and award shows in recent years, with the latter even winning Best Picture at the 95th Academy Awards and grossing $141 million worldwide. .

“People like to explore the idea of ​​the path not taken, and the multiverse setting allows for that to be explored,” Powers said during the online interview. “What your life would have been like if you had taken a different path or made a different choice is something people always think about.”

A scene from ″Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse″ [SONY PICTURES KOREA].

In order for viewers to truly immerse themselves in a multiverse film, creators need to make it easy to relate to and care about the characters, Powers said.

“I think when the first ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ movie came out, what that movie did so amazingly was that it made the language of the movie very understandable,” Powers said. “This is necessary especially for a multiverse movie. You have to be able to relate to the characters and sympathize with them.”

Powers also praised the Korean talent who worked on “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” such as Park Tae-hyun, who “oversaw the process of creating all the backgrounds needed for the characters in the film.”

A scene from ″Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse″ [SONY PICTURES KOREA]

“Our Korean filmmakers did very well and were essential to the making of the film,” Powers said. “Storyboard artist Ben Choi captured the flow of the film by visualizing the script as a sequence of images. Senior animator Lee Seung-hee voiced the characters more vividly, and lighting and VFX compositing artist Gina Yoon created the atmosphere for the film’s story.

“There are so many great artists like actor Song Kang-ho and director Bong Joon-ho in Korea,” Powers said. “I would love to work with them in the future.”


“As if there is a DNA of diversity, Korean films have the whole world in them,” Steinfeld said. “If I had to pick one actor I’d like to work with, it would be Hoyeon from ‘Squid Game’ (2021). She’s such an awesome actor and I’d love to work with her.”

“I really hope that Korean fans will also enjoy ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,'” Steinfeld said. “I think the story of family dynamics, humanity and hope will really speak to Korean viewers.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]