Being a Spider-Man fan in 2018 can be quite the exercise. We’ve seen three different Peter Parkers in the last decade, watched a solo film universe rise and crash in the span of a year, and we now have tangential spin-off films that may or may not connect to our wall-crawling hero depending on who you ask on which day of the week.
Refusing to succumb to convoluted business dealings, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse disregards the real-world drama and embraces the pages of Marvel’s past, present, and future to weave the most exhilarating comic book films to date.
Into the Spider-Verse introduces viewers to Miles Morales (Shameik Moore), a teen struggling with everyday life in New York City. Miles feels the pressure to succeed in his parents’ eyes, but he only wants to explore his passion for graffiti. While out tagging the subways he is bitten by a radioactive spider, granting him spider-like abilities, and stumbles across a plot to access parallel universes. With the help of other realities’ Spider-People, Miles must choose to take on the hero’s mantle or risk watching his dimension collapse in on itself.
From the jump, you are propelled into a new experience with Into the Spider-Verse. The team at Sony Animation has brought something that feels simultaneously familiar and unique. The pages of a comic book are drawn before your eyes with all the pizzazz and elegance of a Steve Ditko or John Romita, and sprinkled throughout numerous scenes are details that elaborate upon the character work setup by the film’s screenwriters.
The animated world pulsates with life – there’s nothing more energizing than watching small ripples curl out from around Miles’ feet as he pushes off a train and into the skyline – and culture, as scenes are littered with everything from visual references of previous Spider-Man adventures to reimaginings of popular hip-hop albums of today.
The visual style pairs well with the film’s screenplay which is equally as kinetic. Into the Spider-Verse is expertly paced, leaving little room for rest. As soon as you feel settled into the flow of the film it introduces a new Spider-Hero, adding a new dose of energy and complexity.
Thanks to its PG rating, a rarity in this age, it steers clear of the somber tone of many comic book movies and instead leans into the fun and playful side of the medium. The gags abound, and the writing team reaches deep into the Spider-Man toolbox to find new ways to bring a smile to your face. It’s cinematic flexing when the film retells Spider-Man’s origin story more than a handful of times and has you feeling more elated after each one.
But what you really came here for was the various Spider-People. While Miles is the star, he is joined by Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson), Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Man Noir (Nicolas Cage), Peni Parker (Kimiko Glenn), and Spider-Ham (John Mulaney); each one given their time to shine, but also playing their role to a tea. The latter three heroes have the least amount of screen time, but shake up the movie with the characters’ different animation styles and their comedic chops, particularly Mulaney.
Moore, Johnson, and Steinfeld are given weightier parts, and compliment each other well. Moore and Johnson bounce between a brotherly and mentor/mentee dynamic with comedic effect. Steinfeld’s Stacy exerts herself as the dominant hero, but is all grace when focused on Moore’s Miles. There’s a sense of understanding amongst the trio, and within the film’s writing team, that Miles’ and his story are the focus and must be a priority if they and the film are to succeed.
And succeed they do. Into the Spider-Verse is a holiday gift to the world and shows the importance of teamwork in making a movie like this. Every aspect of the film is working in tandem to tell a universal and familiar story in an intoxicating way. One that will have you looking up the next showtime as the credits are still rolling. This is a Spider-Man film for every neighborhood.
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr., affectionately known as Jr NTR, has consistently enthralled audiences with his dynamic performances and versatile acting prowess. Following the successful release of “Devara: Part 1” on September 27, 2024, fans are eagerly anticipating his forthcoming projects. Here’s an overview of what’s next for this action superstar.
1. Devara: Part 2
After the resounding success of “Devara: Part 1,” which grossed over ₹466 crore globally, the sequel is highly anticipated. Director Koratala Siva has hinted that “Devara: Part 2” will be even more intense, stating that if Part 1 showcased 10% of Jr NTR’s capabilities, Part 2 will unveil the remaining 90%. Filming is slated to commence in the first half of 2026, with a targeted release by the end of that year.
2. War 2
Expanding his horizons, Jr NTR is set to make his Hindi film debut with “War 2,” directed by Ayan Mukerji. This sequel to the 2019 blockbuster “War” will see him sharing screen space with Hrithik Roshan and Kiara Advani. The film is part of the YRF Spy Universe and is scheduled for release on August 14, 2025, coinciding with the Indian Independence Day weekend.
3. NTR 31 (Tentative Title: Dragon)
In collaboration with acclaimed director Prashanth Neel, Jr NTR will star in a period drama tentatively titled “Dragon.” The film is set to delve into themes of immigration and is expected to be one of the most expensive projects for both the actor and the director. The movie is slated for a grand release on January 9, 2026.
Why Jr NTR is the Action Hero Everyone Wants to See
Jr NTR’s appeal as an action hero stems from his ability to seamlessly blend intense physicality with deep emotional resonance. His performances are characterized by a compelling screen presence, dynamic energy, and a remarkable ability to connect with audiences across diverse roles. This unique combination of skills has solidified his status as a leading figure in Indian cinema, making him the action hero everyone wants to see.
With a lineup of diverse and high-profile projects, Jr NTR continues to push cinematic boundaries and captivate audiences worldwide. His dedication to his craft and ability to reinvent himself with each role ensure that fans have much to look forward to in the coming years.
Headed to a wilderness retreat of a wealthy pharmaceutical CEO to hopefully land a lucrative job, widower Elliot and his reluctant daughter Ridley manage to have a car accident with a heretofore-thought creature out of legend, and hijinks ensue!
Oh this is an absolute gem of a movie y’all, brought to you by the genius minds of film production company A24, a delightful blend of horror and campy, almost idiotic, comedy. Make sure your seatbelt is buckled and let’s dive into this!
So Ridley (Jenna Ortega) is you typical teenager, angsty and missing her passed-on mother, full of acne troubles and secretly vaping while her dad Elliot (Paul Rudd) ignores her for much more than appearance purposes, while he schmoozes his way into the good graces of the family they’re going to stay with. Elliot ignores everything but his continued greed, for both money and continuous stability for him and Ridley, really, he swears, so when the misty mountains cause their electronics to go haywire and Elliot’s busy with that crisis, he doesn’t notice until it’s too late and BAM. You’ve hit an actual unicorn with your car.
Like most girls, Ridley can’t help but be fascinated by the poor mythical horse-like creature, and of course she reaches out to grasp the glowing horn, filling her head full of magic and her eyes full of stars and the cosmos, while Elliot has a much more, let’s say visceral, reaction. But rather than calling, I dunno, some sort of wildlife preserve or the cops or even considering burying the unfortunate horned horse, no, the baby is loaded like a downed stag into the back of Elliott’s car and they hurry on to the CEO’s wilderness retreat.
It makes sense that the changes to Ridley’s appearance are the first thing that allows O’Dell (Richard E. Grant) and his greedy, grasping family to understand that the body of the unicorn has healing properties. Wife Belinda (Tea Leoni) is your typical utterly vapid socialite who helps the poor downtrodden of whatever’s currently popular third world country, not for the do-gooder part of it, but for the optics. And their son Shepard (Will Poulter) is a walking poster boy for the arrogant frat boy type who could never settle on just one thing to be or do, and so he tries them all – archery, photography, mixology, music and various forms of pharmaceuticals, all while sporting these terrible fashion choices in shorts and rambling proudly about his nonexistent accomplishments. Griff (Anthony Carrigan) is the family butler and general verbal punching bag, and let us not forget the unfortunate pair of doctoral research scientists who get called in to examine the unicorn, Dr. Song (Steve Park) and Dr. Bhatia (Sunita Mani).
So we have a family of covetous types who all want to divy the unicorn up and sell its various parts for as much wealth and power as they can get, plus the pair of scientists who are flabbergasted to find themselves dissecting an actual unicorn that, hey, guess what, isn’t actually dead for really-real yet. Elliott’s trying to procure his and Ridley’s slice of the action, though honestly, his lawyerly powers of persuasion seem to be rather lacking in this regard, while Ridley is off doing some actual research on medieval unicorns and what the ancient legends in tapestries had to say about them. You know how the modern genie, with his Arabian lamp and his three wishes with their horrifically ironic consequences, actually stems from the ancient legend of that old monster, the creature born from fire that wants nothing more than to destroy all human life on Earth, the Djinn? Our modern legends and beliefs about unicorns is kinda like that.
So everyone, even our scientists with their experiments and O’Dell supposedly being an experienced animal hunter, seems to have forgotten that a horse is a mammal and therefore, has parents. And while everyone is concerning themselves with what to use the babies’ various parts for, only Ridley seems to have realized, that the babies’ sire and dam are coming for it!
We all know horses are smart, and that humans and horses can form an almost mythical bond, but when a stallion or even a dam’s ire is raised, they can attack and defend just as well as any rampaging beast, and do present a very real and dire threat. And these particular horses, with their shaggy midnight-black coats and hooves the size of monster-truck hubcaps, their fangs and absolute righteous rage at their baby being stolen, not to mention both mom and dad’s inherently magical nature, and those utterly badass war-unicorn horns, are here to wreak utter destruction and death upon the humans that would dare to eat, drink and snort, their baby!
Full of utterly ridiculous fun with human greed and the scarcely-remembered wonder of those magical creatures you heard about as a child, cheer along with the Jurassic Park-like screech of our rampaging parents to save their baby, in Death of a Unicorn, in theaters now!
Upcoming NTR Junior projects
“Death of a Unicorn: A24’s Twisted Fairytale You Won’t Forget”
WonderCon 2025: A Faith Full Dickens Tale & The King of Kings Animated Movie
WonderCon 2025: Fade to Black Interviews
Top 10 Unexpected Movies Where The Bad Guy Wins
