A Weekly Short Film Review
The people from Sony Animation low-key released this new Spider-Verse short film. Directed by Jarelle Dampier, The Spider Within puts on view Miles Morales’ anxiety as a teenager with superpowers trying to save the city and make everyone around him happy. I was very emotionally invested with the 7-minute short.
This is my take as submitted in letterboxd:
All this life being a nerd reading and watching Spider-Man and nothing hasn’t made me feel so related to the character behind the mask. Of course, this version is Miles Morales, a black Puerto Rican kid having a panic attack just like me.
People who often complain about diversity in pop culture don’t understand the positive effect this has on BIPOC. In my personal experience, it’s the cathartic feeling of finally seeing characters that look like me, same ethnicity and roots.
So yeah, this is a great surprise. One of the best representations of the anxiety behind the “great power comes great responsibility” mindset.
Basically, this short has been significant and inspirational for me. Also, the groundbreaking animation! As I expressed in the Into the Spider-Verse review, “This is comic book art that can be hung on the wall.” And though it’s not as impressive as the full-length features, it’s still pretty cool.
Here’s the short film for your enjoyment.
