The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story

Not bad, but what was the point? What is said is fine, but the animation is unnecessary. I enjoyed watching it, and the horror scenes were particularly good. I did not like the song at the end of the film. The animation style was excellent, as always. It seems like it was rushed. Miles Morales suffers from anxiety disorder. I am not sure if what he is experiencing is sleep paralysis. If so, I believe it was a fine. As someone who has experienced sleep paralysis, I found his narrative style appealing. But I still believe it is an unnecessary subject for a 7-minute short film. Maybe if it was a 15-20 minute short film, but it seemed unnecessary for a 7-minute short film. Even though it was not bad and was enjoyable to watch, I thought it was unnecessary. Sorry.

A great little heart felt short film about Anxiety & Depression which looks great while also handling its subject matter with the sensitivity and care it both needs and deserves.

It's not all perfect though. While it doesn't patronise the audience, it maybe does over-simplifies such an important and complicated subject matter. That being said, it is aimed at a younger audience, who may need it to be simplified. So this definitely stands as a way to start and normalise conversations on mental health, especially in men, both young and old. Either way, as a whole, it was a nice little addition to the brilliant Spider-Verse franchise.

7.5/10.

Spider-Man fans rejoice! Although last weekend was originally slated for the release of the now-delayed Beyond the Spider-Verse, Sony Animation did not leave us empty-handed. Premiering at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2023, The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story has been the topic of conversations for fans yearning to leap back into the stylized world they've come to adore. After waiting almost a year, Sony Animation finally released the short film on their YouTube channel for everyone to enjoy for free. In a collaboration with the Kevin Love Fund, the short aims to raise awareness and resonate with those facing emotional or mental struggles. Taking a short trip into the Spider-Verse, audiences can now enjoy the short film whenever they'd like.

Taking place between the first and second Spider-Verse films, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) finds himself on a momentary break from crime fighting. Crashing back to reality, he stumbles past his father, Jefferson Davis (Brian Tyree Henry), to lock himself in his bedroom. Suffering from an anxiety attack, Miles finds himself faced with his own mental demons. After standing against various struggles and foes, Spider-Man must now work to overcome his own internal battle.

Centering on Miles, the short attempts to provide a deeper exploration of his character, with Shameik Moore continuing to deliver a flawless portrayal of the young Spider-Man. However, despite its noble intentions, the short feels somewhat inconsequential. Depicting anxiety as an ordinary villain, the metaphor seems drowned out by the lackluster execution. Though rarely touched on within the genre, Marvel previously succeeded at a similar story with Iron Man 3. Additionally, the short concludes abruptly, closing the chapter on Miles mental health struggle almost as quickly as it began. Although beautifully animated, The Spider Within fails to prove necessary in the larger Spider-Verse by pulling its punches on its realistic subject.

While The Spider Within sheds light on a lesser-explored aspect of superheroes, it doesn't quite measure up to the exceptional films that preceded it. Hopefully, future endeavors will delve into other realistic struggles of Spider-Men and allow more time for issues to be explored. While it's a commendable effort to bridge the Spider-Verse, The Spider Within falls short of its full potential, despite originating from a promising concept.

No pun intended - until the next animated Spider Man movie comes out we did get this short to bridge the time. And while it does not really says it out loud, the short is about anxiety. Something you hopefully do not have about the release date of the next adventure Miles Morales is about to have ... no pun intended here also.

Obviously this is about a more serious topic and something we may not talk enough about. Expectations, just normal day life! Anyone can feel the pressure, can feel that they are not able to breathe. Not just super heroes! Once again we make him human - and Spider Man is really best to use for that form of connecting with the audience! Taking us back to our youth or talking to the youth directly of course.

But also incorporating the dad/parent, to show there is help (hopefully), we can fall back to. It can be many forms or persons - it is important to talk about things though. If you take anything from this, let this be it (and not that entertainment or horror is not important - sorry one last joke, had to)

If any of us in our daily lives with normal problems face fears, stress, anxiety, etc. I can only imagine what Miles, being so young and inexperienced, may be facing, but, although Miles does not always remember or keep it in mind, he counts on his dad who always, despite everything, has time for whatever his son needs.

In this universe the animation is fabulous and on this occasion the way in which they occupy it in the protagonist's environment to make you feel his emotions is brutal and scary. Besides that, I don't have much to add, being such a fan, having any extra of the spider-verse is always appreciated, but unfortunately the short film is so short that I don't even have time to enjoy it.