(film review) - The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story (Short Film)

 

Now this is clever marketing. It was not so long ago that the studio put out an announcement saying that there would be some delays on part 2 of "Across the Spider-Verse" and having seen the latest episode of Invincible, season 2 with the comic book artist/creator stating animation takes a very long time, putting this short film together does two things. Not only does it give the fans a little something from the team at the studio who have been delivering such an amazing story in both Spider-Verse movies, 'Into the Spider-Verse' and 'Across the Spider-Verse Part 1', but this short film also brings to light mental health and how one might feel when they feel they have too much on their plate to deal with and how to go about.

It is known within society that there is this thing about being a man and everything that comes along with being a man. Not to show weakness, not to show emotion, men do not cry. Along with a barrage of other things. Men will tend to bottle things up keeping their "problems" to themselves. Yes, there would be an outlet for some men when they have things on their mind, gaming, creative writing or drawing, gym, jogging or any kind of sport, but at the same time, the problems can still be there. This short film shows Miles trying to battle "The Spider Within" by himself when he could have just hung out with his father. With all the external pressures Miles is going through, juggling life as Spider-Man and as Miles Morales the school student, the pressure gets to him hence why he feels tired and goes to his room. Battling your problems or "demons" on a day-to-day is exhausting and if you are not facing them by talking about them with someone (and this should be someone you trust) this can help ease the pressure and weight of the problems you are carrying on your shoulders/back and help releave some of that stress. Miles leaves his room and talks to his father as they go out to get some fresh air and talk. They say walking is good to help clear your mind, but talking to someone is also very good, so it is implied that Miles will feel a lot better and less stressed having got things off of his chest.

At this point, talking about the graphics/animation, voice acting, music and such, is redundant at this point when you think about how great the movies have been. I guess there is a point to be made that the quality could have dipped for a short film, but the work ethic of the team behind the movies has not dropped and has only got better from the first movie to the sequel. You see a little action, but this short film is more to showcase the pressure Miles is under, how he feels and how he feels overwhelmed. This is a great taster/"filler" for the time being whilst we wait for 'part 2' to be released, but until then this is nice, plus it sends a positive message for all the men out there.

(episode review) - Invincible: Season 2 - Episode 7

With something as good as this show, it is criminal that we only have 8 episodes; there was a break part of the way through and now that it is back and we are only a few episodes in, I feel this show is being ripped away from me. It's like, I just got you back and now you are going away again [insert tear-filled eyes here]. The show is THAT good and this episode is proof of that.

If you have not been following this season, we started off with Mark Grayson depressed and not knowing where he stands in the world now that his father is gone. The city, along with the world is devastated that the famously good superhero Omni-Man, was a bad guy and Mark's father has died. Mark's mother Debbie, is dealing with the events of the finale of the first season badly and has been comforting herself with alcohol; and Cecil is demanding more from Mark because he does not trust him. Not only that, with a lot of time away from school and studying, Mark is struggling to maintain his grades and a relationship with Amber because they lack quality time as he is always off saving the world.

With the rest of the team, Atom-Eve is struggling with her choice of not being a superhero and doesn't see herself being a part of a team anymore. The Immortal does not trust Mark. Rudy is trying to help Beastgirl and her powers which is frustrating her. A Martian shape-shifter is trying to infiltrate the team. Also, a man who wants to save the world and make it a better place gets into an accident when Mark tries to stop the situation which leaves him deformed, full of knowledge from all the other versions of himself across the multiverse and he has sworn vengeance towards Mark. A lot is going on.

This episode was excellently written, directed and choreographed with pretty much, everything you want from an episode or at least, that is how I felt after watching. There was love, drama, heartbreak, fights, redemption, trauma and more fights and I must say, I did get a little emotional, why? Well, sometimes in life, you can do your absolute best and it just does not seem like it is good enough. By the end of the episode, I was thinking, Mark cannot seem to catch a break and on many levels, reminded me of Peter Parker which is possibly the reason why I have seen crossover pictures with them in it as they are both VERY alike. A young man trying to juggle his powers and keep the city/world safe, keep and maintain a relationship and also go to school and study. It just gets on top and Mark feels useless at times but continues to do his best to try and fight for what he feels is morally right, which is what makes him more human than Viltrumite, but the Empire is coming.

The music on the show is always great and the comedic moments for me, land very well. I am not sure if it was the previous episode or the episode before, but the Guardians of the Globe were fighting this massive being and in a moment of pause it said to the Guardians "...you should tremble before my unlimited power"...there was a long pause and then The Immortal simply replied..."No!" The delivery was excellent and so funny that I laughed so hard. Another moment was when Mark was talking to someone at the comic convention and he was explaining artwork and what creators do to try and speed up their work by cutting corners which acted as an answer to many fans of the show we are currently watching and enjoying (Invincible) but are always moaning that a show (or any animated show, for that matter) is taking too long to come out. It was a meta fourth-wall "break" that I found hilarious.

Minor spoiler for this season also; having learned everything with his father Nolan, the fact that he has a brother, Mark has to do whatever he can to protect his mother, brother and girlfriend from a threat he simply is not prepared for. Also, Alan the Alien might be the only person who might be able to help.

There is so much going on and I will admit, there are times that the show does not balance ALL the story arcs out very well and if they are inter-connected at all, but with the end-credits stinger, I imagine Mark will need to fight Angstrum Levi and Alan will go back to Earth with a surprise guest in town to help defend Earth from the Viltrumites.

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(trailer review) - Alien: Romulus

The two greatest Alien films from the 80's is Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986). One was Horror/ Sci-Fi where the other was Horror/Action. Ridley Scott and James Cameron respectively and nobody seems to have been able to capture the success, tone, atmosphere and dread these two films achieved I. The 80's. When Ridley came back for Prometheus (he should have called it, Alien: Prometheus) and Alien: Covenant, even he could not nAtch his earlier work. I mean those two moves were good, but not great, unlike Alien. James put a spin on the franchise by making it a little more militaristic, but the dread was still there. The characters were there, the quotes were there, the story was there. So seeing this trailer, not only does it harken back to this franchise, but Fede Alvarez might be onto a winner here because he might have hotythe formula right.

Although what I saw felt a tad bit polished, the dread was there. People on a starship with the "facehugger" aliens running rampant trying to latch on and impregnate you and kill you with the chest buster. Those things, the way they move, creepy! I am getting both Alien and Aliens from this trailer and although I heard this is set between both movies, there is a bar to meet and it would seem Fede may have met it. I do not want to hype this up in my own head but, did you not feel a sense of panic and dread for these defenceless people? The Alien franchise has not all been brilliant, but the lore is there. Let's just hope this ends up being a modern day classic from an old school classic because these alien movies can go on forever, but more hits and better stories are needed.