“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” raises the bar in every single way.

I will never forget how utterly spellbound I was attending an early screening of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” back in 2018. We had seen Spider-Man films. We had seen comic book adaptations. But we had never seen anything like this.

The film’s breathtaking artistry mixed with a refreshing and emotional narrative won the hearts of many, sweeping up a variety of accolades including Best Animated Picture at the 2019 Academy Awards. It even earned a spot on my Top 10 of 2018 list.

So here I am. Five years later. Coincidentally back in the exact same theatre as last time, anxiously awaiting the next chapter in the Spider-Verse.

The sequel takes place a year and a few months after the events of the first film, where we find our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), on a new adventure across the multiverse. This time, he discovers a whole new group of Spider-People, called the “Spider Society.” Although they all share “great power and great responsibility,” they don’t exactly all agree on the best way to handle their newest threat.

I am happy to report that the newest chapter of the spiderverse does not disappoint. In fact, I’m still trying to process what I just experienced.

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is a masterfully crafted and gorgeously animated work of art bursting with maturity and soul.

The animators at Sony somehow managed to outdo themselves again, seamlessly blending even more artistic styles into the film. From Da Vinci-esque sketch work to bleeding watercolor, it is overwhelming how ambitious this film is artistically. It is a true feat in animation.

Its dazzling visual storytelling is not all. The narrative as a whole is nothing short of brilliant, redefining what a comic book superhero is. It isn’t just thrilling and action-packed, but it is sincere and heartfelt.

I’ll stop there because I don’t want to go into spoilers, Easter eggs, and **THAT** ending. But this is mandatory viewing for all comic book fans and further proof that Miles Morales is the best Spider-Man. I don’t make the rules.