Many have come to the conclusion that 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the best Spider-Man movie. From both an animation and superhero standpoint the film was groundbreaking in a lot of ways and left people in awe. So, following its basically universal acclaim and its Best Animated Feature Oscar, the expectations for its sequel Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse were high. So, with the movie now in theaters, Jake Johnson, the voice behind Peter B. Parker, weighed in on if he felt the pressure while making one of the highly anticipated movies on the 2023 movie schedule.
In the greater Spider-Verse the saying “with great power, comes great responsibility” is a staple. So, I’d assume the filmmakers and cast of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse felt the kind of pressure that comes with this saying while making the Spider-Verse sequel. However, when we asked Jake Johnson if he felt the pressure of topping the 2018 movie, he explained why he had the utmost confidence in this follow-up, and was “really excited” to return as Peter B. Parker. The actor told CinemaBlend:
No, because of Chris Miller and Phil Lord being at the top, and knowing how smart [they are] and how much they care. So, knowing those two are involved I know we’re going to be in good spots. And then our directors for the first one are also executive producers, so we just added more talent. So, with Kemp [Powers] coming in, it’s not like we lost everybody, we just got more. So, I felt really excited.
Before it was confirmed that Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse was a masterpiece through a swath of positive reviews about the Spider-Verse sequel, I, like Johnson, had a sense of confidence about the movie. Knowing that Phil Lord and Chris Miller were at the top, and that they had added three new directors, including Kemp Powers, who directed Pixar’s Soul, I had an inkling that we were in for something special.
The movie was co-directed by Powers, Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson, who all have wickedly impressive resumes. Dos Santos was a storyboard artist for shows like Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Spectacular Spider-Man. While Thompson came from a production design background after working on movies like the first Spider-Verse as well as Lord and Miller’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Overall, it was clear as day that this movie was in good hands. Having three masters of their craft at the helm, Lord and Miller returning to write with Dave Callaham and produce it with the OG movie’s directors it makes sense why Jake Johnson wasn’t all that worried about topping the original.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is available to buy or rent on Amazon. You can stream the other Spider-Man movies across various platforms, including Disney+ where many of the movies now live.
Even with these massive expectations, Spider-Man: Acorss the Spider-Verse managed to top the original with both critics and audiences alike praising the film for its groundbreaking animation, stand-out new characters like Pavitr Prabhakar, and heartfelt exciting story. Our own Eric Eisenberg gave Across the Spider-Verse five stars, saying “you’ve never seen anything like” it, and that the film is “thrilling, stunning, and emotional perfection.”
So, that confidence Jake Johnson had was warranted, and our beloved Miles Morales’ story continued in an amazing, emotional, and jaw-dropping way that improves on its exceptional predecessor.
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