This post contains major spoilers for "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse."

You know what Marvel should do? Only make Avengers movies. At this point, just about everyone seems to agree that we have too much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But when "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame" hit theaters, it felt like something worth experiencing. The same went for "Spiderman: No Way Home." You went to see it not because you were expecting some deep exploration of the human condition, or revelatory insights into our current cultural moment, but because it felt like an event rather than a movie.

Not to get all Marty Scorsese on you, but the man nailed it with his infamous opinion piece that separated "cinema" from the "theme parks" these superhero blockbusters have become. Which was never a slight against superhero movies. When a Marvel theme park such as "Endgame" or "No Way Home" opens, it's worth going just for how much fun you'll have.

"That's great, but I clicked on a headline about 'Spiderman: Across The Spider-Verse,'" I hear you cry. Well, the point I'm getting to is that Sony's latest Marvel project occupies an odd middle ground between "cinema" and "theme park" — and it's all the better for it. And, as I'll argue below, that directly pertains to the movie's ending, which seems to have upset a lot of people who strolled into theaters blissfully unaware that "Across The Spider-Verse" is part one of a two-part story. If this was you, I can't blame you for being perplexed by the abrupt way in which the film wraps up. But I can blame you for not liking it. Which, if you take a quick scroll downward, is exactly what I've done.

What Actually Happens At The End Of Across The Spider-Verse?

Before I explain why everyone who doesn't like the cliffhanger is wrong, let's recap. "Across the Spider-Verse" forgoes an end-credit scene in favor of relying on its central narrative to set up part two, causing Kevin Feige to self-implode in the process. As part of that narrative Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) learns the spider that bit him in 2018's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" was actually an arachnid from an alternate universe — Earth 42. It turns out scientist Dr. Jonathan Ohnn (Jason Schwartzman) zapped the spider into Earth 1610 — Miles' universe — while working at Wilson Fisk's (Liev Schreiber) collider facility from the first movie. That's the same facility Miles exploded, inadvertently transforming Dr. Ohnn into the central villain of this sequel, The Spot.

According to Oscar Isaac's Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099, none of this was ever supposed to happen, making Miles' version of Spider-Man a dangerous anomaly amid the multiverse. Having escaped an increasingly deranged Miguel and his team of Spider-People, Miles returns to what he believes is his own universe, only to discover he's actually been transported to the same reality as the spider that originally bit him: Earth 42. In this universe, Miles' father is dead, while his uncle, Aaron Davis (Mahershala Ali), survived. Worse still, Miles is confronted by an alternate version of himself, Miles G. Morales, who's taken on the identity of The Prowler — the sinister alter ego of his late uncle back on Earth 1610.

Meanwhile The Spot, having transformed into a terrifying Cronenbergian vision, travels to Earth 1610 to kill Miles' father. It all sounds a bit confusing, doesn't it? But not as confusing as having sat through the whole thing unaware that the credits were about to roll right after Miles meets evil Miles.

Confusion ≠ Disappointment

As soon as the first credit hit the screen in my showing of "Across the Spider-Verse," there was an audible "huh?" among the crowd. Most people in the theater clearly weren't expecting to see the first installment of a two-parter. Which is fine. But being perplexed about the ending isn't the same as the ending itself being bad. If anything, it's a sign that Sony didn't do a good enough job of advertising this movie as part one of a longer story. I don't recall anywhere near as many bewildered reactions to Thanos snapping half the human race out of existence right before "Avengers: Infinity War" wrapped up. We knew, going in, what we were getting ourselves into, and while the ending was shocking, it wasn't necessarily confusing.

Still, you might feel a little let down that "Across the Spider-Verse" ends on a cliffhanger, even after frantically googling what the hell is going on and learning there's a part two on the way. And I maintain there's absolutely no need to be disappointed. Firstly, because there's plenty of satisfying story resolution prior to Miles' unfortunate run-in with his villainous doppelganger. And secondly, because a cliffhanger just means we're getting more glorious boundary-putting animation in the near future, and there's absolutely nothing to be disappointed with there.

Tying Up The Narrative Webs

Ok, first up: the story. Miles begins the movie in a similar position to Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker in arguably the best superhero movie ever, "Spider-Man 2" — struggling to balance his responsibilities as a student and son with his superhero duties. The 15-year-old has to hide his alter ego from his parents, who, in their reluctance to let him attend university anywhere other than his native Brooklyn, demonstrate their own insecurities around letting their son, in Miles' words, "spread his wings."

Later, Miles' mother Rio (Luna Lauren Vélez) comes to terms with her son venturing out into the world, encouraging him to follow Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) after she hurriedly leaves a rooftop party for Miles' father, Jefferson Davis-Morales (Brian Tyree Henry). Before her son leaves, Rio makes him promise to never let anyone "tell him he doesn't belong," referring to his ambitions to study at the prestigious Princeton University and immerse himself in a world wholly apart from his Brooklyn upbringing.

Miles eventually clashes with Miguel, the aforementioned Spiderman 2099, who's somewhere between villain and misguided leader and is convinced this young hero is an illegitimate Spider-Man. And right before Miles breaks free from Miguel's grip, he delivers the line, "Everyone keeps telling me how my story is supposed to go. Nah, Imma do my own thing." Boom, payoff. Miles puts his mother's advice into action, living up to his promise and asserting his right to exist as Spider-Man. And if it wasn't obvious before, it becomes immediately evident that the "don't let them tell you don't belong" thing has a more meta implication by referring to Miles Morales being accepted as Spider-Man in our own culture. That'll do for me as far as character and story development goes. But there's more …

What More Do You Want?

Gwen Stacy kicks off the whole film by quitting her band, before almost getting arrested by her father after she reveals her secret identity. But by the end, she's renounced the power-mad Miguel and his Spider-Cronies, formed a new "band" of ragtag Spider-People along with Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), and reconciled with her dad in a touching scene that makes stunning use of the mood ring, watercolor-style aesthetic of her universe.

And if that's not enough resolution for ya, even Miles' parents provide some decent character development, with Jefferson Morales eventually repeating the very line spoken to him by his son earlier in the film by suggesting that Rio let Miles "spread his wings." By the time we get to the cliffhanger ending, I'd say things have wrapped up quite nicely, with both Gwen and Miles finding a sense of purpose and legitimacy, which will no doubt fuel their exploits in the next entry, "Beyond The Spider-Verse."

For Miles, his example throughout "Across the Spider-Verse" emphasizes the importance of forging your own path, even when it contradicts every established norm and expectation. And look, the way the film ends could potentially undermine that message of self-actualization, with Miles' quest to negate Miguel's conception of a predetermined multiverse landing him in harm's way. But it doesn't come across that way. It comes across as though Miles has solidified himself as a legitimate hero and is about to face a whole new threat that, frankly, I can't wait to see play out.

It's All About The Visuals

By the end of "Across the Spider-Verse," there's actually very little left to tie up, unless you were hoping for the standard city-leveling final fight between hero and villain that's become a boring trope ever since "Man of Steel."

But hey, maybe you're still annoyed we didn't see Miles, Gwen, and the newly formed Spider-Gang take down The Spot once and for all. And maybe you just couldn't believe the film never gave us a definitive answer about whether Miles' canon-shattering exploits will lead to untold multiversal disaster or not. And to you I say: it doesn't matter. Even everything I've just argued doesn't really matter. Why? Because this film looks amazing.

Even if the story wasn't quite up to par, even if you felt short-changed by the lack of total and complete resolution to every story thread set up in this film, it wouldn't matter, because the movie is so transporting in its vivid refulgence that the aesthetics are enough to carry the whole thing solo. The aesthetics are the story.

"Across the Multiverse" is a genuine thrill to watch unfold on the big screen. Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson somehow managed to push the animation beyond what "Into the Spider-Verse" accomplished, making even mundane settings gorgeous to behold. By the time the credits arrived, I wasn't really thinking about how the film had paid off its thematic elements or tied up various story threads. I was just happy I got to witness the spectacle of the thing.

Why It Works

In a time where studios are looking for every possible way of wringing as much life (and money) out of their IP as possible, I understand why splitting this movie into two entries could come across as tiresome. With entire "Stranger Things," "Yellowstone," and "You" seasons arriving split into "volumes" and "parts" it's all getting a bit ridiculous. But "Across the Spider-Verse" genuinely feels like a story worth telling across two movies, and co-writers Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and David Callaham have, as far as I'm concerned, done a masterful job of wrapping up the first part in a satisfying way, here.

Speaking of tying up story threads, the very most I expected from this film was to be taken on one of those theme park rides masquerading as a movie. I went in fully prepared to be impressed by the stylized visuals and not much else. But not only did the film exceed those expectations, it had some genuine depth and heart to it while simultaneously commenting on aspects of our own culture, and all within the framework of a truly epic tale that, with its diverse aesthetic inspirations, formed its own multiverse of artistic styles that combined everything from the Italian Renaissance to cutting-edge CGI.

Which is ultimately why "Across the Spider-Verse" sits in that middle ground between cinema and theme park. It works as just a stunning visual experience, but it also has a compelling story that goes beyond being just an excuse to have cool characters fight and blow things up. I can't imagine witnessing all that, then getting annoyed that there's more to come …

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" is currently in theaters.

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