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.