Twisting a beloved character into a dark, horror-driven story can be a risky endeavor, often leading to uneven results. Andy Chen's The Spider, featuring Chandler Riggs from The Walking Dead as Peter Parker, attempts to explore the darker, more grotesque aspects of the Spider-Man mythos. While it has moments of potential, it ultimately feels rushed and lacks the depth needed to fully engage the audience.
The visual effects are solid, adding a gritty, unsettling atmosphere that works well for a horror spin. Body horror elements are effective, delivering moments of genuine disgust, but they're spaced unevenly, leading to a disjointed experience. Unfortunately, the acting feels subdued, leaving many characters underdeveloped. We're quickly shuffled from scene to scene, sacrificing strong pacing and character building for shock value.
Chen has an interesting concept here-a dark reimagining of Spider-Man-but The Spider feels more like a proof of concept than a fully fleshed-out story. It raises intriguing possibilities, but falls short in delivering a cohesive narrative, leaving viewers wanting something deeper and more refined.
