[7.6/10] Again, Ultimate Spider-Man goes a little overboard with the cutaway comedy, and makes its themes a little too plain (Peter is worried about his friendship with Harry! DID YOU GET IT?!) but the action is well done and the character work and arc within the episode is all solid.
The business with friction between Harry and the Shield Cadets is a little sitcomm-y, full of misunderstandings and ill-timed overhearings. But even if it’s paint by numbers, I like the idea of Spidey having to worry about his personal life vs. his superheroic life, and the strain of trying to balance the two. That’s pure Spider-Man stuff. And while easy, Harry’s extreme concern about Pete when Venom attacks, and Pete’s concern for Harry being the thing that helps him snap out of being Venom is well done.
I also really like how they play around with the Venom mythos here. It’s pretty bold to dispense with the alien costume idea, not to mention Eddie Brock, and just make the symbiote something Doc Ock distilled from Peter’s blood. The way the symbiote leaps from host to host, recontextualizing a lot of familiar faces along the way, is a new spin on the character, leading to some cool set pieces and character moments. And I particularly liked the visuals of Spidey fighting within Venom, with the fluidity of the creature being especially noteworthy.
Overall, the conflict here was a bit stock, and the comedy was a little overdone, but the bones of the episode were good, and the new spin on Venom was enjoyable.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2018-10-19T22:44:24Z
[7.6/10] Again, Ultimate Spider-Man goes a little overboard with the cutaway comedy, and makes its themes a little too plain (Peter is worried about his friendship with Harry! DID YOU GET IT?!) but the action is well done and the character work and arc within the episode is all solid.
The business with friction between Harry and the Shield Cadets is a little sitcomm-y, full of misunderstandings and ill-timed overhearings. But even if it’s paint by numbers, I like the idea of Spidey having to worry about his personal life vs. his superheroic life, and the strain of trying to balance the two. That’s pure Spider-Man stuff. And while easy, Harry’s extreme concern about Pete when Venom attacks, and Pete’s concern for Harry being the thing that helps him snap out of being Venom is well done.
I also really like how they play around with the Venom mythos here. It’s pretty bold to dispense with the alien costume idea, not to mention Eddie Brock, and just make the symbiote something Doc Ock distilled from Peter’s blood. The way the symbiote leaps from host to host, recontextualizing a lot of familiar faces along the way, is a new spin on the character, leading to some cool set pieces and character moments. And I particularly liked the visuals of Spidey fighting within Venom, with the fluidity of the creature being especially noteworthy.
Overall, the conflict here was a bit stock, and the comedy was a little overdone, but the bones of the episode were good, and the new spin on Venom was enjoyable.