Nothing captures the duality of man quite like the words “Sony” and “Spider-Man”; on the one hand, you have the self-destructing live-action Spider-Man universe, and on the other, you have the animated Spider-Verse franchise, which has earned every trip to the Oscars it’s made so far.
And now, with The Spider Within, the short film set in the Spider-Verse universe that finally got its wide release on YouTube earlier this week, the franchise has only proved once again how superior it is in the realm of on-screen comic book adaptations these days, delivering a disturbing jolt to the senses as we navigate the dire state of Miles Morales’ subconscious.
But, as Miles finds out, even enormous, arachnid manifestations of your crushing anxiety, too, shall pass.
How does The Spider Within end?
After locking himself in his bedroom to try and deal with the pressures that life as a teenage boy brings (crushes, school, being Spider-Man, etc.), Miles quickly finds himself figuratively sucked into his own mind, pursued by a shadowy being who isolates him inside a moving, dread-tinted train. Miles attempts to fight the entity, but it’s quick to overpower him, ultimately transforming into a giant version of the spider that bit Miles in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It explodes in his face, coating him in a bunch of regular-sized spiders, sending Miles into a wall-crawling frenzy as he tries to free himself of what he eventually realizes is a hallucination.
Once it’s all passed, Miles leaves his room, where his father is sitting on the couch with snacks and horror movies. Miles asks if they can get some air, to which his father readily says yes, and the two of them go for a walk through Brooklyn as Miles begins to open up about his anxieties, one of which involves a girl that’s been on his mind for some time; no prizes for guessing who, of course.
Moral of the story? Find a way to talk about your problems, be it a friend, family member, therapist, or even a journal, lest they turn into a bunch of creepy spiders.
(featured image: Sony Pictures Animation)
