With the release of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, there’s been much discussion surrounding the film’s sound mix. Fans have complained that the dialogue is drowned out and difficult to hear during the film’s runtime, specifically in an opening scene involving Gwen Stacy, aka Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld). Even the film’s co-writer and producer Phil Lord responded to concerns and indicated that the dialogue is audible if the film is played in theaters at the suggested audio levels. On his social media, Lord tweeted that fans “ask someone to check that the theater volume is set at reference (7)! If it sounds a bit quiet, invite them to turn it up a touch to 7.5! If they give you flack… tell them we said it was okay.” The problem became so prominent and widespread that it reached the ears of Sony Pictures who have gone on to send updated versions of the film to theaters addressing the sound issues.
Across the Spider-Verse is not the first major blockbuster release where audiences have taken issue with the low volume and hard-to-hear dialogue. That specifically become a recurring complaint with the films of Christopher Nolan, such as his latest film, Tenet. The fact that the concern is raised again shows the importance of good sound editing and mixing and how drowned-out dialogue can diminish the moviegoing experience.
Was ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s Low Dialogue Audio an Artistic Choice?
Regarding writer-producer Phil Lord, his suggestions were obviously an attempt to help, but it’s really not the responsibility of the moviegoer to make sure the audio volume for a movie screening is playing at the proper levels. That is the responsibility of the theater staff and the studios who are partnering with the exhibitors to present their products. Also, considering the issue was so pervasive that Sony Pictures sent out updated versions of the film, it raises the question of whether the hard-to-discern dialogue is an artistic choice.
In his statements on social media, Lord noted that the production for Across the Spider-Verse favored the film’s soundtrack “to get your heart racing.” There is no question the film accomplishes this feat at multiple points. The music does get your heart and blood pumping throughout the experience, especially when the action ramps up. The Spider-Verse movies also place an incredible emphasis on visual storytelling. The animated film provides a dynamic pop-art and comic book visual style throughout the exceptional experience. However, good visual storytelling should not come at the cost of audible dialogue.
Frankly, the dialogue issue was already present in the first film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It’s clearly noticeable that the dialogue style in the Spider-Verse films can be very fast at times, with the characters almost overlapping their exchanges. In both films, there is an evident tendency for the dialogue to create the feeling that it’s secondary to the visuals onscreen. At times, the dialogue is drowned out by a heavy mix of background cacophony coupled with the film’s music scores. As a result, certain lines of dialogue and important nuances are easy to miss in both Into the Spider-Verse and Across the Spider-Verse. The dialogue in both Spider-Verse movies sometimes evokes a less cinematic style of dialogue and a more fast-paced, naturalistic, gritty, realistic dialogue style, where characters tend to mumble and not enunciate as much. Couple that with Lord’s statement admitting that the production favored the music; both reinforce the possibility that the film’s low-volume dialogue audio is an artistic choice.
During my initial viewing experience of Across the Spider-Verse, I did miss multiple lines of dialogue, and it did sound low at times. After leaving the theater, I simply concluded that filmmakers made an artistic choice with the dialogue in the films to deliver a more understated, “mumblecore” style of dialogue that comes off as more improvised and “realistic.” After all, filmmakers want audiences to be dialed into the story that’s unfolding on the screen and less focused on the dialogue. One potential benefit of dialogue audibility issues is that it makes the audience less passive and more active. A moviegoer must pay more attention not to miss any important visual or audio cues.
Where Have We Seen Sound Mix Issues Like ‘Across the Spider-Verse’s Before?
However, if this was genuinely not the intent of the directors and producers, hopefully, they will take a closer look at it when delivering the final product on the next installment of the franchise, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Frankly, there is no reason there cannot be a balance between exceptional sound editing, mixing, the soundtrack, and audible dialogue. Case in point, the first two installments of A Quiet Place. Sound plays a crucial role in the presentation of those films since the alien monsters hunt by sound. Also, one of the main characters is deaf. In A Quiet Place Part II, while the main characters do speak more often, they often speak in whispers. And yet, even when the main characters were forced to speak in tiny whispers, the dialogue is still audible throughout the experience. A Quiet Place plays around with its sound edit in creative ways due to the nature of the creatures, and the protagonists are forced not to make a sound. But the dialogue is clearly audible when characters speak, even in whispers.
In comparison, Nolan’s latest film Tenet has a sound mix where the dialogue is downright unintelligible throughout the movie. Tenet is not short on impressive visuals and action setpieces. However, it is also a very plot-heavy and dialogue-heavy movie. The overpowering soundtrack blares and muffles the dialogue throughout the experience, which makes watching Tenet more frustrating than entertaining. Christopher Nolan is a visionary filmmaker, and one can respect that he wants his films to look and sound a certain way. At the same time, the viewing experience becomes obtrusive with such a dialogue-heavy film where a lot of the dialogue is incredibly hard to hear.
What Will the Future ‘Spider-Verse’ Sound Like?
Preferably, there is a sweet spot where great music and sound effects do not overpower dialogue, especially in a film that’s heavy on plot and snappy exchanges, such as Across the Spider-Verse. But audiences should not have to feel like they need to watch a movie with subtitles in their native language at a theater. Despite the dialogue issues, Across the Spider-Verse is still an incredible moviegoing experience. The dialogue audibility is a recurring issue in the first two films, and especially now that it’s well-known in the sequel, the filmmakers have something to think about while completing the third movie, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, which is due out on March 29, 2024. Granted, our views of the film’s dialogue issues might be off, and personal mileage about the dialogue or sound mix might vary. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is still playing in theaters right now.