Midlands Review of Spider-Man 2 Another World
midlandsmovies • September 12, 2020
Spider-Man 2 Another World
Directed by Joey Lever
2020
DigitilHeart Films
We check out Leicester director Joey’s Lever full feature fan-film Spider-Man 2: Another World which after many years has finally had a full release online through his Digitilheart Productions.
To start with, we don’t generally do re-reviews as this film was first looked at in 2018
(when Lever released the first half) so in order of fairness we’re mostly going to stick to the second half.
A quick catch up: the same first half applies here – although more effort and tweaks have gone into the SFX it appears – as we follow Peter Parker’s ups and downs and the relationship he has with his “friend” Eddie Brock. Brock, like in the mainstream movies, is infected by a space-born symbiote who turns him into the hero’s foe Venom.
Lever himself plays Peter Parker and since the first release we have had new Venom and Spider-Man films (questionable quality IMHO - our review here) and the excellent Spider-verse animation.
It’s the latter which was hinted upon when we first watched Spider-Man 2: Another World – a mysterious woman called Madam Webb has supernatural abilities to move Parker into different realities. And after the tease of the previous instalment, we now finally get to see him experience these universes in the second half.
As before, the film is shot in Leicester which is great for me and like Burton’s 1989 Batman, is actually set in its own self-contained world as it mixes up American and British tropes (US cop uniforms but clearly mentions Leicester).
The tongue-in-cheek feel returns which again helps off-set the lower budget and gives it a homely feel and the excellent use of drones and VFX are again top standard considering the low budget. There’s plenty of attempts to get Spidey amongst the high-rise buildings of Leicester and is mostly successful given the limitations
Acting? Well, let’s just say it’s not about the acting but everyone gives it a good go from over-the-top cameos to more sensitive scenes. More emotional moments occur in the second half as Spidey witnesses morbid alternative realities (and time periods) and there is more introspection - but as mentioned before, it mostly and wisely goes down the comedy/quip route.
With brief appearances from Sandman, Wolverine and Rhino the film pulls it influences from the comics and at times is cartoonish and very Sam Raimi-esque. Car chases, fist fights, swinging through a city – all present and the scope is amazing. What feels like three dozen locations are used and speedy (Spidey?) editing keeps the pace mostly fast.
However, at 2 hours 26 minutes, it’s certainly an epic. Fans can watch in entirety and take breaks but perhaps a serialisation akin to a Marvel TV series (Daredevil, Jessica Jones et al) may be the best marketing method. And pardon the pun, a web-series may work best for it.
The ending is drawn out and elongated despite the excellent effects of a huge Venom, and the first half definitely moves quicker and slows as it goes along. But with themes of death, friendship, honour and fate, the slower speed is used to let the audience digest these hefty ideas – especially true when he crosses with Miles Morales.
At its conclusion Spider-Man 2: Another World is mostly a large success. Clearly made by passionate fans, it leans on what it does best and in many ways embraces its budget limitations with a light tone. For me, it’s far too long in its feature form but super fans of the comics may get some more nods that passed me by.
An attempt to add blockbuster fun to a Midlands setting, its ambition may not always be fully achieved, but you cannot deny it’s an impressive effort to pull together such a large-scale dream. But either way, on a local level, the film can still provide entertainment, make you feel amazed by its special effects and leave you admiring how such a huge task was completed whether you’re a Spider-Fan or not.
Michael Sales
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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