We’ve seen the Spider-Man narrative told and re-told a number of times since 2002. Three different actors have played the role in live-action franchises during the last 21 years. But in 2018, we got a completely different vision for Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

The animated feature dropped and introduced the world to Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and a whole lot of other Spider people. The film was a revelation, unlike anything I’d seen before. It won the Academy Award for best animated feature and created legions of fans. Now, five years later, we get a follow up.

In this sequel, we return to the Spider-Verse. We begin with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), seeing her world and her story. We get an introduction that lets us know this won’t be a happy story. Soon, she’s flung into a new adventure.

We return to Miles, and his version of Brooklyn. He’s more than a year into his new life and struggling to strike a balance. When he encounters a new villain (Jason Schwartzman) his life and his world is thrown into flux. After a return visit from Gwen, Miles is pulled into a deeper world and forced to make a choice. Can he change history?

Originally, this film was billed as Across the Spider-Verse Part 1. That Part 1 dropped, but much like Avengers: Infinity War this isn’t a complete tale. It’s an expansion of the world. It’s a deeper exploration of the characters—particularly Miles, Gwen and Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) and their families. We also get plenty of new characters and some big stakes. But we don’t get a resolution.

That will come later, in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is due to drop in 2024. But the story we get here is personal, emotional and engaging. The animated style and the use of music remains strong here. The film also mixes in a lot of bold new worlds, including Legos and some live-action pieces. It draws parallels to the larger world of Spider-Man, showing connection to other film franchises. That’s a neat expansion of the multi-verse concept here. We even get references to events in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

But at the heart, this is about Miles and Gwen. Moore is great in the role, and you feel the conflict as he tries to find a way to relate to his parents—voiced by Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Velez—while navigating his secret life. The same is true for Gwen, who carries the burden of being hunted by her police captain father (Shea Wigham). The family dynamics carry some of the most emotional weight of this sequel, as does the rich relationship between Gwen, Peter B. Parker and Miles.

The film isn’t perfect. I didn’t think it found quite the same balance between emotional, story, action, and humor as the original. But it’s still engaging and compelling. It’s one of my favorite films of the year so far and a great animated adventure. I can’t wait to see how it all concludes.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is now playing in theaters nationwide.

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.