Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023) (1 Viewer)

[Citizen87645]

The only true mix problem I noticed when I went to see it last week was the opening narration from Gwen, sounding muffled but intelligible if you listened closely. Once it shifted to in-scene dialogue between her and her bandmates, then it seemed fine. I think I noticed that muffled quality one other time in the show, but it was pretty brief. The main issue I had with the sound overall is that characters were just talking too fast alongside a bunch of fast moving visuals, so it was a lot to absorb all at once. It reminded me a bit of Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, which also required repeat viewings to catch everything. Could also be I'm getting older and it's harder for me to keep up with these types of movies.

I had no idea it was going to be split into two parts, so I was a bit disappointed with the "to be concluded" but am looking forward to the next installment. I'm also bummed to hear about the continuing challenging working conditions for animators. I see so many young people want to go into that line of work, or are simply inspired by what they see, but then knowing that the job could rob them of their passion to draw and create is...sad.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Well, the inevitable has now happened.

Beyond the Spider-Verse has been officially delayed.

‘Spider-Verse,’ ‘Kraven the Hunter’ Delayed as First Major Theatrical Dominos Fall Amid Strikes

Sony made a slew of changes to its upcoming release calendar, including pushing back next month's 'Gran Turismo' as it tries to build buzz without the cast via nationwide sneaks. Separately, 'Bad Boys 4' and 'Venom 3' get release dates.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

I'm not surprised at the news of the delay, but I am kind of surprised that Sony didn't even bother staking out a new placeholder date for it. Maybe they don't want to reschedule it until they're sure they can make the next date.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I'm not surprised at the news of the delay, but I am kind of surprised that Sony didn't even bother staking out a new placeholder date for it. Maybe they don't want to reschedule it until they're sure they can make the next date.

Lord and Miller are outspoken WGA members, and won't cross the picket lines. Given how much these movies are discovered as they go, that would make it impossible for finish without them.

I always thought the March 2024 release for Beyond the Spider-Verse was unrealistic, given how long this one took and how much it changed even in the last year of its production.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I definitely agree with all of that. I was expecting the delay, just not an indefinite one. Even if the project didn't have to contend with strikes, I would want them to take all the time that they need so the next film will match the quality level of the first two. But the other tentpoles Sony delayed today (Ghostbusters, Kraven) were assigned new dates immediately. Kraven is going from October 2023 to August 2024. Ghostbusters is going from December 2023 to March 2024. So the fact that Sony didn't even stake out a new placeholder date for where Beyond the Spider-Verse could go next was unexpected. I think that suggests it will be a much longer delay and they must still have a lot to do. And that's okay.

 

[Malcolm R]

So much for promoting the theatrical experience. Just as it tries to come back after the pandemic with some big successful new films, they're doing their best to try again to kill theaters by vacating the fall/holiday schedule. Pretty soon they won't have to worry about release dates at all.

Obviously films that are not yet finished could not be released, but anything that's already "in the can" being moved is kind of disheartening for theaters.

 

[TravisR]

So much for promoting the theatrical experience. Just as it tries to come back after the pandemic with some big successful new films, they're doing their best to try again to kill theaters by vacating the fall/holiday schedule. Pretty soon they won't have to worry about release dates at all.

Obviously films that are not yet finished could not be released, but anything that's already "in the can" being moved is kind of disheartening for theaters.

Just another crystal clear example of who the villains in the strike are.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Obviously films that are not yet finished could not be released, but anything that's already "in the can" being moved is kind of disheartening for theaters.

Beyond the Spider-Verse, specifically, is not yet finished.

I understand that the studios don't want to release big movies without the stars being able to promote them. Just last month, we saw what happened with The Flash when its star was unable to do promotion (for a very different reason than the strike, but still.) What doesn't make sense to me is the studios' willingness to just kick release dates down the calendar instead of making these titles releasable right now. There is no reason that Kraven couldn't come out in October with a global press tour if the studios would actually sit down with the union and engage with them in a meaningful way in order to get to a deal. So the studios really have no one to blame but themselves for "having" to delay these films.

Everybody wants to go back to work. Actors and writers should want to promote the work that they did because they obviously spent a long time doing the work and would like for audiences to see it. The studios could end the strikes next week if they wanted to. They're going to have to get to a deal eventually anyway. But for right now they'd rather delay movies and continue to stonewall the unions. They seem to lack the awareness (or maybe they know and they don't care) that doing so will continue to erode the theatrical business. Ugh.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Sony has announced a vinyl release for Daniel Pemberton's film score.

They have also released a new extended version on streaming, which adds three bonus tracks to the end of the album released earlier this summer. I don't know why they didn't integrate the bonus tracks into the playlist where they belong; the last track from the initial release, which is now fourth-to-last on the extended release, is clearly the final music from the end of the film. But still, three new tracks are better than not having them.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Score Gets Vinyl Release, Digital Extended Edition

Sony Music Masterworks has announced a vinyl edition of composer Daniel Pemberton's original score for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

www.superherohype.com

It is also worth noting that Sony has NOT announced any physical CD release for the score at all. At this point, I don't think we will be getting one, but I would gladly buy one If it existed.

 

[Jake Lipson]

Apparently there have been some changes made to the film from the theatrical release to the home release. This video is based on the digital version, which I don't have yet as I am waiting for the disc. However, I think it is reasonable to assume that the version on the upcoming disc will be the same as the current digital streaming version.

Most of these changes are admittedly pretty minor -- I saw the film twice in theaters and have a pretty good memory but probably would not have noticed any of these if there hadn't been online chatter pointing them out -- but also, if they're minor, why do them?

Anyway, here's a YouTube video some entertainment channel put up regarding the changes they noticed. I'm putting it under a spoiler tag because obviously it's a spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet. But if you have seen the movie, you're good to click through.

Spoiler

 

[Tino]

Apparently there have been some changes made to the film from the theatrical release to the home release. This video is based on the digital version, which I don't have yet as I am waiting for the disc. However, I think it is reasonable to assume that the version on the upcoming disc will be the same as the current digital streaming version.

Most of these changes are admittedly pretty minor -- I saw the film twice in theaters and have a pretty good memory but probably would not have noticed any of these if there hadn't been online chatter pointing them out -- but also, if they're minor, why do them?

Anyway, here's a YouTube video some entertainment channel put up regarding the changes they noticed. I'm putting it under a spoiler tag because obviously it's a spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen the movie yet. But if you have seen the movie, you're good to click through.

Spoiler

I’ve watched the digital version and did not notice any of these changes. Go figure.

 

[TonyD]

I would never have noticed any of that.
And once I watch it at home probably won’t notice them even knowing about it.
The one change that I didn’t need is When Miles says “Im going home” not being there in the home version.

I like that line because it makes all of us think that’s were he was going before he gets to where he went.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Their explanation for the differences:

SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE Producers FINALLY Reveal What The Deal Is With Those Post-Release Changes

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's producers have finally revealed what's going on with that alternate cut of the sequel, revealing why exactly the movie has changed since it first opened in theaters.

toonado.com

 

[Tino]

From the article


Talking to Games Radar about the release of their new movie Strays, producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller finally revealed why this new cut contains so many alterations.

"There was an international version that was made almost two months before the movie came out because it had to be translated into different languages and these French censors have to decide what the rating of the movie is in Europe," Miller says.

"The team at [Sony Pictures] Imageworks still had some shots that they felt they could do better for the finished version. So, they cleaned up and tweaked those things."

"Certain crew members – people in the sound department or on the animation team – were like, 'Oh, could we do this instead?'" he adds.

"Let’s do the best possible version we can. Because it’s a multiverse movie, it’s like there’s a multiverse of the movie - that was really the reasoning behind it."

"It was trying to make the best possible version that everyone was going to be the proudest of." Lord added, "I think most of the changes are improvements."

 

[Malcolm R]

In other words, the movie wasn't really finished when it was released.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I’ve watched the digital version and did not notice any of these changes.

I don't think that's unusual. I saw the movie in theaters twice on opening weekend while it was in the premium auditorium at my theater. and not since I remember it and loved it but it's not like I saw it enough times to memorize it or anything. The people who notice changes like that have obviously spent a lot more time with the movie than I have. That's fine. But I went to a bunch of other movies instead of repeating this one to the point where I could notice minor changes.

 

[Jake Lipson]

The one change that I didn’t need is When Miles says “Im going home” not being there in the home version.

I like that line because it makes all of us think that’s were he was going before he gets to where he went.

Spoiler

I agree with this. However, the machine is introduced as a machine that will send people home. Miles makes perfectly clear when he finds out that his dad is supposed to die that his intention is to go home and save his dad. So we know that is what his goal is whether he tells Miguel he's going home or not. I don't really understand the benefit of cutting it, but Miles clearly has no idea that he isn't going to his universe. So I think the surprise of him getting to the wrong universe would still be intact for any first-time viewers anyway.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I just noticed some irony regarding the cover art for these releases.




The Spot is attempting, throughout the entire movie, to be taken seriously as a legitimate threatening villain. Miles and Gwen both dismiss him. And yet, in focusing on the Spider Society instead, none of the artwork for the movie features the Spot. Ironically, even the cover of the movie is discounting his importance. All of these cover variants across different retailers and none of them are doing a Spot variant cover? Really? You'd think at least one of them could include Miles' self-proclaimed "nemesis." Instead, we're just getting five different variations on the same basic theme for the artwork being about the Spider Society.

 

[Jake Lipson]

I was thinking more about the casting choices for this film.

Spoiler

The Earth-42 version Uncle Aaron is voiced by Mahershala Ali, who also provided the voice of Earth-1610's Uncle Aaron who died in the first film. Also, Luna Lauren Velez voices both the Earth-1610 and Earth-42 versions of Rio Morales. Obviously, the movie wants "our" Miles from Earth-1610 to think he is talking to his mother until he realizes that he landed in the wrong universe.

However, the Earth-42 Prowler version of Miles is voiced by Jharrel Jerome. This character is listed on IMDb as "Miles G. Morales." I assume they got this from the credits, although I can't actually check the credits until the Blu-ray comes out. As tempted as I am to get the digital version, I'm going to hold out for September 5 so that I don't have to pay twice for the same movie. Shameik Moore is only voicing "our" Earth-1610 version of Miles Morales, not both of them.

I wonder why the filmmakers chose to cast a different actor to play the Earth-42 Miles? And yet they retained the actors for the other roles around him? This clearly had to be a deliberate choice. Also, shouldn't the Earth-42 version of Rio notice that her son's voice sounds noticeably different than the son she knows? I haven't seen the movie since opening weekend, but as I recall Miles has a pretty long speech to her before Aaron walks in the door.

 

[Jake Lipson]

How Spider-Punk became the coolest character in 'Across the Spider-Verse'

The 'Spider-Verse' filmmakers explain the groundbreaking animation technology behind everyone's favorite punk web-slinger — and how Daniel Kaluuya's ad-libs brought Spider-Punk to life.

ew.com

 

[Jake Lipson]

I’ve watched the digital version and did not notice any of these changes.

[Gwen intro voice]

You're not the only one.

[/Gwen intro voice]

I saw the movie in theaters twice during its opening weekend back in June. I just watched the Blu-ray that came today. Of course, I remembered the movie but don't have a shot-for-shot or photographic memory. I don't know how these people who go frame-by-frame spotting these kinds of changes do it. It has been 93 days since my last viewing of this in a theater and I've been more focused on seeing other movies than looking at shot breakdowns on this one. If I hadn't read about the fact that there are changes, I would think this was the exact movie I saw in theaters. In general I'm not a fan of film revisionism, but in this case, changes are so minor it doesn't seem to make a difference.