Fans of the Spider-Man: Spider-Verse movies have been left eagerly awaiting the arrival of Beyond the Spider-Verse but while that movie hangs in limbo, a new short film serves as perfect viewing.
The third movie in the Spider-Verse trilogy, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, was originally scheduled to release on March 29, 2024, but with its release date currently up in the air, fans have instead been treated to a new short featuring Miles Morales titled The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story.
What is The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story about?
The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story is a genre-bending thriller that sees Miles Morales struggling to balance his responsibilities as a teenager, friend, and student while acting as Brooklyn’s friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.
After a particularly challenging day at school and fighting crime on New York’s streets, Miles 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.
In releasing the seven-minute short film, Sony Pictures Animation has teamed up with the Kevin Love Fund to help promote mental health awareness and raise money for the charity.
The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story has been made available for free on YouTube and you can find the film on the Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Pictures Animation, and Spider-Man channels, as well as just down below.
Fans react to the short film
Since The Spider Within short went live, it has attracted comments from plenty of fans who have praised its message and compared Miles’s experiences in the film with their own.
One fan on YouTube commented: “Saying he’s okay and then proceeding to slam the door was the most relatable thing ever.”
A second added: “Respect for Sony making this a Fundraiser.”
“Crazy how this might be the closest to a real Spider-Man horror film and it’s actually animated!” noted a third.
“I really like the detail of how they made Miles’s demon look and behave like a sleep paralysis demon,” commented a fourth. “It’s a deep black all over with an almost indistinguishable figure, and it presses down on his chest, symbolizing the feeling of someone pushing down on you that people get when they have sleep paralysis. Really cool and creative stuff.”
A fifth fan commented: “It’s absolutely wonderful that Sony is doing this to continue the conversation for mental health. Love this community and the support from Sony Animation.”
“Only complaint [is that I] wish it was longer,” said a final commenter. “I do love [that] you see the relationship with Miles and his father. His father may be hard-nosed and tough but he truly loves Miles and is there for him when he really needs it. It’s great to see someone as powerful as Miles struggling with something that everyone deals with on a consistent basis.”
Status of Beyond the Spider-Verse
While the arrival of The Spider Within has been a welcome treat for Spider-Man fans, there are still question marks surrounding the status of the upcoming Beyond the Spider-Verse.
As mentioned, the movie was originally scheduled to arrive on March 29, 2024, just short of ten months after the release of Across the Spider-Verse.
Beyond the Spider-Verse was pulled from theater schedules indefinitely in July 2023. This was in part due to the Hollywood strikes that prevented the movie’s voice cast from recording their lines for the film.
However, there had also been rumors suggesting that not enough progress had been made on the movie at the time anyway, given the monumental effort and alleged crunch required to get Across the Spider-Verse over the line, meaning that it may have faced delays regardless of the strikes.
In November 2023, Deadline reported that voiceover recording was set to resume, hopefully meaning that the announcement of a release date for Beyond the Spider-Verse isn’t too far away.
- ON THE BIG SCREEN: Recap the Ghostbusters story so far as Frozen Empire slides into theaters
