'The Spider Within: A Spider-Verse Story (2023)' is a short film focusing on Miles' anxiety and the importance of talking about such things with those close to you. It's essentially one long panic attack as our hero comes home, locks himself in his bedroom and comes face to face with a stylish manifestation of his fears. With some fairly scary imagery and an effectively unsettling tone, the short visually depicts the vibe of a panic attack rather effectively. As expected, its aesthetic is gorgeous. Its narrative, however, is harder to judge primarily because it's so simple. There really isn't much of a story, and it kind of plays out like a bit of a PSA. The cynical read would be that Sony has only produced this in a bid to be 'trendy' and catch up with the anxiety representation that has been (rightly) celebrated elsewhere. However, it doesn't matter why Sony produced this, only that they did; their intentions have no impact on the piece's importance. Perhaps someone will see this and realise that it's okay to ask for help, that you don't need to shut people out and carry your burdens on your own. After all, if even Spider-Man gets scared (and can admit it), why should we be ashamed to accept that sometimes we get scared too? It's difficult to rate the experience because it isn't conventionally entertaining and it's all very muted, a short yet sharp piece with a clear intention but not much outside of it. It's well-made and has a good message, though. It's worth a watch if you like either of the movies it follows.
