There is no need to introduce fans with what is shaping up to be one of the greatest cinema trilogies ever made aka Sony’s Spider-verse. However, many of you might not be aware of the latest short film in the same universe called The Spider-Within: A Spider-Verse Story. The short film takes place between Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023), and has been directed by Jarelle Dampier. It features Shameik Moore as Miles Morales / Spider-Man and Brian Tyree Henry as Jefferson Davis. It first premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 12, 2023 and since then fans have been eagerly waiting for it to release on accessible platforms. Well, since Halloween is here, the film is all set to come out and following is our review for the same.
The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Short Story Review
Rating – ★★★★1/2
The official synopsis for the short film reads, “Miles Morales experiences a panic attack that forces him to confront the manifestations of his anxiety and learn that reaching out for help can be just as brave an act as protecting his city from evil.” Well, that it exactly what this film does and there’s actually nothing much spoiler-y or twisted about it. It is a sweet and spooky short tale based in the universe we have all come to love so much.
The film opens with a rather spooky tone and music as we see Miles walking home with a million thoughts going on in his head. As he reaches home, he finds it dimly lit with a horror film playing on the TV as his dad aka Jefferson Davis tries to scare him behind. He tells Miles that he’s got them 3 scary movies and there’s pizza and ice cream but Miles refuses saying he’s tired. Jeff asks him if he’s okay and then a few jokes follow but Miles ultimately resigns to his bed and takes a nap. The voice acting and animation for both Miles and Jeff are as qualitative and up to the mark as the feature films. Therefore, it feels very homely and relatable.
Moving on, much like the rest of the short, his room too has spooky vibes and this tone intensifies when we follow his nightmare. Miles sees a shadowy figure in his nightmare who looks a bit like himself. It is yet to be confirmed if it was intentional but the scene clearly hinted at Across the Spider-Verse ending where Miles confronted as evil version of himself in the other universe. So, considering how this short takes place between the two films, it is possible that was symbolic of his near future. Anyways, Miles is suddenly transported to a train where the shadowy figures becomes bulkier and then shape-shifts into a huge spider.
The nightmare intensifies as we see Miles running away from the spider only to encounter more and more spiders. We see spiders crawling all over him and running out of his mouth before the nightmare finally ends. Once again, this potentially symbolizes Miguel and rest of the Spider Society chasing him in Across the Spider-Verse. One thing is for sure, this sequence would make Denis Villeneuve really proud. More Spiders! At the end, Miles wakes up and slams his door open giving Jeff a scare. He goes on to ask his dad on a walk and shares some of the things bothering him.
The short ends with him opening up to Jeff and both of them walking away together as the screen goes black. With incredible animation quality and perfect music which completely matches the vibe, this short definitely feels like a part of the universe we love. So, even if it lasts a total of 5 minutes, it is surely good to see Miles and Jeff again as it further strengthens the bond between the two. Within these 5 minutes, we learn how Jeff always tries to do the best for Miles and it’s no wonder Miles realizes this and is ready to fight the entire multiverse for his dad. This universe is something else and let us hope that Beyond the Spider-Verse is not the last we see of it!
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