Believing in yourself
Broadly speaking, the spiderverse movies are about self-belief. To be more precise, ‘Into the Spiderverse’ asks whether you need to feel adequate, to pursue your dreams (of becoming Spiderman).
At the start of the movie Miles believes, that you must be exceptional, prepared, and worthy first. That heroism belongs to people who are already capable, confident, and certain.
By the end, he takes a leap of faith, despite not feeling ready, and being afraid and uncertain. In fact, the entire philosophical conflict gets reframed. No one starts ready. Becoming Spider-Man means choosing responsibility despite uncertainty.
Every prior Spiderman movie has had the line “Great power… great responsibility”. But this movie truly fuses this quote with the theme, by showing the pressures that come along with that responsibility.
Throughout the movie, Miles compares himself to the other fully formed Spider-people. He’s expected to live up to the previous Spiderman, to save the multiverse and his friends, and also to live up to his father’s expectations.
I think this is a large reason why this movie resonates so well with so many young people. Because, now more than ever, young people are experiencing immense pressure from societal expectations.
Finally, I want to talk about the philosophical climax of the movie. Peter B Parker tells Miles that he isn’t ready. Miles asks when he knows that he’s ready. Peter responds: “You don’t, it’s a leap of faith”.
Miles sits there tied up until his father arrives at his doorstep. His father had, up to this point, set very strict expectations on Miles. Through the door he tells Miles, that he only pushes him like that because he sees a spark in him. And whatever he chooses to do with it, he’ll be great.
This scene is what I like to call the epiphany scene. It’s where the protagonist learns that they’ve been viewing the philosophical conflict completely incorrect.
Miles spends much of the movie trying to compare himself to other Spider-People. But he does not succeed by becoming another Spider-Man. He succeeds by becoming his own version of Spider-Man.
So here, the meaning of the movie gets one more layer. It’s not just saying that you should believe in yourself. It’s not just saying that you need not feel adequate or ready to pursue your goals. The movie is saying, is that in order to believe in yourself (to become spiderman), you must embrace what makes you you.
Self-belief is directly related to being comfortable and confident in your identity.
Brilliant Message, Amazing Movie.
Believing in yourself
Broadly speaking, the spiderverse movies are about self-belief. To be more precise, ‘Into the Spiderverse’ asks whether you need to feel adequate, to pursue your dreams (of becoming Spiderman).
At the start of the movie Miles believes, that you must be exceptional, prepared, and worthy first. That heroism belongs to people who are already capable, confident, and certain.
By the end, he takes a leap of faith, despite not feeling ready, and being afraid and uncertain. In fact, the entire philosophical conflict gets reframed. No one starts ready. Becoming Spider-Man means choosing responsibility despite uncertainty.
Every prior Spiderman movie has had the line “Great power… great responsibility”. But this movie truly fuses this quote with the theme, by showing the pressures that come along with that responsibility.
Throughout the movie, Miles compares himself to the other fully formed Spider-people. He’s expected to live up to the previous Spiderman, to save the multiverse and his friends, and also to live up to his father’s expectations.
I think this is a large reason why this movie resonates so well with so many young people. Because, now more than ever, young people are experiencing immense pressure from societal expectations.
Finally, I want to talk about the philosophical climax of the movie. Peter B Parker tells Miles that he isn’t ready. Miles asks when he knows that he’s ready. Peter responds: “You don’t, it’s a leap of faith”.
Miles sits there tied up until his father arrives at his doorstep. His father had, up to this point, set very strict expectations on Miles. Through the door he tells Miles, that he only pushes him like that because he sees a spark in him. And whatever he chooses to do with it, he’ll be great.
This scene is what I like to call the epiphany scene. It’s where the protagonist learns that they’ve been viewing the philosophical conflict completely incorrect.
Miles spends much of the movie trying to compare himself to other Spider-People. But he does not succeed by becoming another Spider-Man. He succeeds by becoming his own version of Spider-Man.
So here, the meaning of the movie gets one more layer. It’s not just saying that you should believe in yourself. It’s not just saying that you need not feel adequate or ready to pursue your goals. The movie is saying, is that in order to believe in yourself (to become spiderman), you must embrace what makes you you.
Self-belief is directly related to being comfortable and confident in your identity.
Brilliant Message, Amazing Movie.
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