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26300 | Sony Music’s artists aren’t involved in YouTube’s new voice-cloning AI experiment. Not unrelated: Google’s recent filing with the US Copyright Office.
(Grainge’s statement, remember, began: “We have a fundamental responsibility to our artists to ensure the digital ecosystem evolves to protect them and their work against unauthorized exploitation, including by generative AI platforms…”)
One interesting final observation on the clutch of artists who agreed, with their record companies, to enter the YouTube ‘Dream Track’ trial?
They’re stars, for sure. But in both the case of Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, they’re – currently anyway – not the biggest megastars on either company’s books.
You might not expect, at this early stage, for the likes of UMG to put forward Drake, Taylor Swift, or The Beatles – or for WMG to put forward Ed Sheeran or Dua Lipa – to be guinea pigs in any early AI music experiments, even if they’re run by ‘friends’ of the music industry like YouTube.
You might, then, also understandably wonder if there have been significant licensing payments made by YouTube to UMG and WMG for the right to play with the AI vocals of artists who have signed off on ‘Dream Track’ thus far. |
26301 | Sony Music’s artists aren’t involved in YouTube’s new voice-cloning AI experiment. Not unrelated: Google’s recent filing with the US Copyright Office.
They’re stars, for sure. But in both the case of Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, they’re – currently anyway – not the biggest megastars on either company’s books.
You might not expect, at this early stage, for the likes of UMG to put forward Drake, Taylor Swift, or The Beatles – or for WMG to put forward Ed Sheeran or Dua Lipa – to be guinea pigs in any early AI music experiments, even if they’re run by ‘friends’ of the music industry like YouTube.
You might, then, also understandably wonder if there have been significant licensing payments made by YouTube to UMG and WMG for the right to play with the AI vocals of artists who have signed off on ‘Dream Track’ thus far. And, if so, if these payments are being placed against any as-yet-unrecouped advances that some of these artists may have on their label accounts. |
26302 | Sony Music’s artists aren’t involved in YouTube’s new voice-cloning AI experiment. Not unrelated: Google’s recent filing with the US Copyright Office.
They’re stars, for sure. But in both the case of Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, they’re – currently anyway – not the biggest megastars on either company’s books.
You might not expect, at this early stage, for the likes of UMG to put forward Drake, Taylor Swift, or The Beatles – or for WMG to put forward Ed Sheeran or Dua Lipa – to be guinea pigs in any early AI music experiments, even if they’re run by ‘friends’ of the music industry like YouTube.
You might, then, also understandably wonder if there have been significant licensing payments made by YouTube to UMG and WMG for the right to play with the AI vocals of artists who have signed off on ‘Dream Track’ thus far. And, if so, if these payments are being placed against any as-yet-unrecouped advances that some of these artists may have on their label accounts.
More broadly, you might ponder a bigger question. |
26303 | Sony Music’s artists aren’t involved in YouTube’s new voice-cloning AI experiment. Not unrelated: Google’s recent filing with the US Copyright Office.
But in both the case of Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group, they’re – currently anyway – not the biggest megastars on either company’s books.
You might not expect, at this early stage, for the likes of UMG to put forward Drake, Taylor Swift, or The Beatles – or for WMG to put forward Ed Sheeran or Dua Lipa – to be guinea pigs in any early AI music experiments, even if they’re run by ‘friends’ of the music industry like YouTube.
You might, then, also understandably wonder if there have been significant licensing payments made by YouTube to UMG and WMG for the right to play with the AI vocals of artists who have signed off on ‘Dream Track’ thus far. And, if so, if these payments are being placed against any as-yet-unrecouped advances that some of these artists may have on their label accounts.
More broadly, you might ponder a bigger question.
When the day comes that YouTube asks the world’s biggest superstars to wholeheartedly embrace ‘Dream Track’, will Google’s recent US Copyright Office filing give said superstars – and their record companies – pause for thought? |
26304 | Sony Music’s artists aren’t involved in YouTube’s new voice-cloning AI experiment. Not unrelated: Google’s recent filing with the US Copyright Office.
You might, then, also understandably wonder if there have been significant licensing payments made by YouTube to UMG and WMG for the right to play with the AI vocals of artists who have signed off on ‘Dream Track’ thus far. And, if so, if these payments are being placed against any as-yet-unrecouped advances that some of these artists may have on their label accounts.
More broadly, you might ponder a bigger question.
When the day comes that YouTube asks the world’s biggest superstars to wholeheartedly embrace ‘Dream Track’, will Google’s recent US Copyright Office filing give said superstars – and their record companies – pause for thought?
JKBX (pronounced "Jukebox") unlocks shared value from things people love by offering consumers access to music as an asset class — it calls them Royalty Shares. |
26305 | Sony Music’s artists aren’t involved in YouTube’s new voice-cloning AI experiment. Not unrelated: Google’s recent filing with the US Copyright Office.
You might, then, also understandably wonder if there have been significant licensing payments made by YouTube to UMG and WMG for the right to play with the AI vocals of artists who have signed off on ‘Dream Track’ thus far. And, if so, if these payments are being placed against any as-yet-unrecouped advances that some of these artists may have on their label accounts.
More broadly, you might ponder a bigger question.
When the day comes that YouTube asks the world’s biggest superstars to wholeheartedly embrace ‘Dream Track’, will Google’s recent US Copyright Office filing give said superstars – and their record companies – pause for thought?
JKBX (pronounced "Jukebox") unlocks shared value from things people love by offering consumers access to music as an asset class — it calls them Royalty Shares. In short: JKBX makes it possible for you to invest in music the same way you invest in stocks and other securities.Music Business Worldwide |
26306 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
Happy Friday, Polygon readers! Each week, we round up the most notable releases to streaming and video rental, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.
This week’s biggest debut is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which is now streaming on Netflix. That’s not all, as Insidious: The Red Door — the fifth installment in the Insidious horror franchise — also arrives on the platform this week alongside Jawan, one of the biggest Indian action movies of the year. There’s plenty more exciting releases this week too, with A Haunting in Venice now streaming on Hulu, the Italian superhero movie Freaks vs. the Reich on Prime Video, plus the premiere of The Kill Room and Outlaw Johnny Black from director-star Michael Jai White on VOD.
Here’s everything new to watch this weekend! |
26307 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
Happy Friday, Polygon readers! Each week, we round up the most notable releases to streaming and video rental, highlighting the biggest and best new movies for you to watch at home.
This week’s biggest debut is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, which is now streaming on Netflix. That’s not all, as Insidious: The Red Door — the fifth installment in the Insidious horror franchise — also arrives on the platform this week alongside Jawan, one of the biggest Indian action movies of the year. There’s plenty more exciting releases this week too, with A Haunting in Venice now streaming on Hulu, the Italian superhero movie Freaks vs. the Reich on Prime Video, plus the premiere of The Kill Room and Outlaw Johnny Black from director-star Michael Jai White on VOD.
Here’s everything new to watch this weekend!
New on Netflix
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Superhero action
Run time: 2h 20m
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac
The highly anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sees Miles Morales facing off not only against a dimension-hopping nemesis in the form of the Spot, but a whole multiverse of Spider-Mans, Spider-People, and even a Spider-Dinosaur as he attempts to save the day once again. |
26308 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
the Reich on Prime Video, plus the premiere of The Kill Room and Outlaw Johnny Black from director-star Michael Jai White on VOD.
Here’s everything new to watch this weekend!
New on Netflix
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Superhero action
Run time: 2h 20m
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac
The highly anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sees Miles Morales facing off not only against a dimension-hopping nemesis in the form of the Spot, but a whole multiverse of Spider-Mans, Spider-People, and even a Spider-Dinosaur as he attempts to save the day once again.
From our multiversal review:
Not every theme and plot and moment in Across the Spider-Verse lands, particularly with the other part of this story still most of a year away. |
26309 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
Here’s everything new to watch this weekend!
New on Netflix
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Superhero action
Run time: 2h 20m
Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac
The highly anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sees Miles Morales facing off not only against a dimension-hopping nemesis in the form of the Spot, but a whole multiverse of Spider-Mans, Spider-People, and even a Spider-Dinosaur as he attempts to save the day once again.
From our multiversal review:
Not every theme and plot and moment in Across the Spider-Verse lands, particularly with the other part of this story still most of a year away. But in the end, the theme of the Spider-Verse movies is shaping up to be a story about people trying to be bigger and bolder themselves, trying to reach beyond what they’re told they’re capable of, and do more. |
26310 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
From our multiversal review:
Not every theme and plot and moment in Across the Spider-Verse lands, particularly with the other part of this story still most of a year away. But in the end, the theme of the Spider-Verse movies is shaping up to be a story about people trying to be bigger and bolder themselves, trying to reach beyond what they’re told they’re capable of, and do more. It’s no wonder that every part of Across the Spider-Verse is an attempt to outdo the first movie. The idea of growing, of surpassing and ignoring everyone else’s limits, is the heart of this series’ heroes and their individual journeys. It looks like the movies themselves are designed to follow suit. |
26311 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
From our multiversal review:
Not every theme and plot and moment in Across the Spider-Verse lands, particularly with the other part of this story still most of a year away. But in the end, the theme of the Spider-Verse movies is shaping up to be a story about people trying to be bigger and bolder themselves, trying to reach beyond what they’re told they’re capable of, and do more. It’s no wonder that every part of Across the Spider-Verse is an attempt to outdo the first movie. The idea of growing, of surpassing and ignoring everyone else’s limits, is the heart of this series’ heroes and their individual journeys. It looks like the movies themselves are designed to follow suit.
Jawan
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Action thriller
Run time: 2h 50m
Director: Atlee
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi
The biggest Indian movie of the year has landed on Netflix. |
26312 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
But in the end, the theme of the Spider-Verse movies is shaping up to be a story about people trying to be bigger and bolder themselves, trying to reach beyond what they’re told they’re capable of, and do more. It’s no wonder that every part of Across the Spider-Verse is an attempt to outdo the first movie. The idea of growing, of surpassing and ignoring everyone else’s limits, is the heart of this series’ heroes and their individual journeys. It looks like the movies themselves are designed to follow suit.
Jawan
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Action thriller
Run time: 2h 50m
Director: Atlee
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi
The biggest Indian movie of the year has landed on Netflix. Directed by Atlee (Mersal), Jawan features megastar Shah Rukh Khan (between this and Pathaan, he is truly back) and is basically “Robin Hood meets Charlie’s Angels.”
Insidious: The Red Door
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix Saturday
Genre: Supernatural horror
Run time: 1h 47m
Director: Patrick Wilson
Cast: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne
The fifth movie in the Insidious franchise is the directorial debut for star Patrick Wilson. |
26313 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
It looks like the movies themselves are designed to follow suit.
Jawan
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Action thriller
Run time: 2h 50m
Director: Atlee
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi
The biggest Indian movie of the year has landed on Netflix. Directed by Atlee (Mersal), Jawan features megastar Shah Rukh Khan (between this and Pathaan, he is truly back) and is basically “Robin Hood meets Charlie’s Angels.”
Insidious: The Red Door
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix Saturday
Genre: Supernatural horror
Run time: 1h 47m
Director: Patrick Wilson
Cast: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne
The fifth movie in the Insidious franchise is the directorial debut for star Patrick Wilson. It’s also a sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2, as the last two movies in the franchise were prequels. |
26314 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
Directed by Atlee (Mersal), Jawan features megastar Shah Rukh Khan (between this and Pathaan, he is truly back) and is basically “Robin Hood meets Charlie’s Angels.”
Insidious: The Red Door
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix Saturday
Genre: Supernatural horror
Run time: 1h 47m
Director: Patrick Wilson
Cast: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne
The fifth movie in the Insidious franchise is the directorial debut for star Patrick Wilson. It’s also a sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2, as the last two movies in the franchise were prequels.
From our review:
As a director, Wilson isn’t as effortless a horror ringmaster as Wan or Whannell: He favors more actor-centric scares than wild imagery. |
26315 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
Directed by Atlee (Mersal), Jawan features megastar Shah Rukh Khan (between this and Pathaan, he is truly back) and is basically “Robin Hood meets Charlie’s Angels.”
Insidious: The Red Door
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix Saturday
Genre: Supernatural horror
Run time: 1h 47m
Director: Patrick Wilson
Cast: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne
The fifth movie in the Insidious franchise is the directorial debut for star Patrick Wilson. It’s also a sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2, as the last two movies in the franchise were prequels.
From our review:
As a director, Wilson isn’t as effortless a horror ringmaster as Wan or Whannell: He favors more actor-centric scares than wild imagery. But he makes great use of expressive close-ups (often of himself) and shallow focus, with a few creepy It Follows-like shots of blurry figures approaching from the distance, and a terrifically claustrophobic scene inside an MRI machine. |
26316 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
It’s also a sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2, as the last two movies in the franchise were prequels.
From our review:
As a director, Wilson isn’t as effortless a horror ringmaster as Wan or Whannell: He favors more actor-centric scares than wild imagery. But he makes great use of expressive close-ups (often of himself) and shallow focus, with a few creepy It Follows-like shots of blurry figures approaching from the distance, and a terrifically claustrophobic scene inside an MRI machine. Dalton’s college story, meanwhile, occasionally borders on campus-prank zaniness: It includes what can only be described as a puke ghost, and there’s one amusing use of the horror movie cliche about the haunted little kid who makes terrifying drawings of the ghouls only he can see. (Naturally, that kid grows up to become a star pupil in an insufferable freshman art class.) |
26317 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
It’s also a sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2, as the last two movies in the franchise were prequels.
From our review:
As a director, Wilson isn’t as effortless a horror ringmaster as Wan or Whannell: He favors more actor-centric scares than wild imagery. But he makes great use of expressive close-ups (often of himself) and shallow focus, with a few creepy It Follows-like shots of blurry figures approaching from the distance, and a terrifically claustrophobic scene inside an MRI machine. Dalton’s college story, meanwhile, occasionally borders on campus-prank zaniness: It includes what can only be described as a puke ghost, and there’s one amusing use of the horror movie cliche about the haunted little kid who makes terrifying drawings of the ghouls only he can see. (Naturally, that kid grows up to become a star pupil in an insufferable freshman art class.)
Sly
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 35m
Director: Thom Zimny
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Quentin Tarantino
This documentary takes a close look at the life of one of the great American movie stars and film writers: Sylvester Stallone. |
26318 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
Dalton’s college story, meanwhile, occasionally borders on campus-prank zaniness: It includes what can only be described as a puke ghost, and there’s one amusing use of the horror movie cliche about the haunted little kid who makes terrifying drawings of the ghouls only he can see. (Naturally, that kid grows up to become a star pupil in an insufferable freshman art class.)
Sly
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 35m
Director: Thom Zimny
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Quentin Tarantino
This documentary takes a close look at the life of one of the great American movie stars and film writers: Sylvester Stallone.
Nyad
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Biographical sports drama
Run time: 2h 1m
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Cast: Jodie Foster, Annette Bening, Rhys Ifans
Nyad tells the (questionably) true story of swimmer Diana Nyad, who swam from Cuba to Florida at 64 years old, among many other swimming accomplishments. |
26319 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
(Naturally, that kid grows up to become a star pupil in an insufferable freshman art class.)
Sly
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Documentary
Run time: 1h 35m
Director: Thom Zimny
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Quentin Tarantino
This documentary takes a close look at the life of one of the great American movie stars and film writers: Sylvester Stallone.
Nyad
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Biographical sports drama
Run time: 2h 1m
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Cast: Jodie Foster, Annette Bening, Rhys Ifans
Nyad tells the (questionably) true story of swimmer Diana Nyad, who swam from Cuba to Florida at 64 years old, among many other swimming accomplishments.
Wingwomen
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Action
Run time: 1h 56m
Director: Mélanie Laurent
Cast: Mélanie Laurent, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Isabelle Adjani
Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) is both behind and in front of the camera in this action comedy about women thieves on the run looking to pull off one last job. |
26320 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
Nyad
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Biographical sports drama
Run time: 2h 1m
Directors: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Cast: Jodie Foster, Annette Bening, Rhys Ifans
Nyad tells the (questionably) true story of swimmer Diana Nyad, who swam from Cuba to Florida at 64 years old, among many other swimming accomplishments.
Wingwomen
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Action
Run time: 1h 56m
Director: Mélanie Laurent
Cast: Mélanie Laurent, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Isabelle Adjani
Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) is both behind and in front of the camera in this action comedy about women thieves on the run looking to pull off one last job.
New on Hulu
A Haunting in Venice
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Horror mystery
Run time: 1h 43m
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan
Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot adaptations have generally been a fun time, even when they have problems (looking at you, Death on the Nile). |
26321 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
Wingwomen
Where to watch: Available to stream on Netflix
Genre: Action
Run time: 1h 56m
Director: Mélanie Laurent
Cast: Mélanie Laurent, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Isabelle Adjani
Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds) is both behind and in front of the camera in this action comedy about women thieves on the run looking to pull off one last job.
New on Hulu
A Haunting in Venice
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Horror mystery
Run time: 1h 43m
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan
Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot adaptations have generally been a fun time, even when they have problems (looking at you, Death on the Nile). A Haunting in Venice is his best yet, as Branagh’s confidence as director and performer in this mode only continues to grow. |
26322 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
New on Hulu
A Haunting in Venice
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Horror mystery
Run time: 1h 43m
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Dornan
Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot adaptations have generally been a fun time, even when they have problems (looking at you, Death on the Nile). A Haunting in Venice is his best yet, as Branagh’s confidence as director and performer in this mode only continues to grow. It’s perfect fall viewing.
Quiz Lady
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 1h 39m
Director: Jessica Yu
Cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell
Sandra Oh and Awkwafina play a pair of estranged sisters who try to win big on a game show to pay off their mom’s debts. |
26323 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
A Haunting in Venice is his best yet, as Branagh’s confidence as director and performer in this mode only continues to grow. It’s perfect fall viewing.
Quiz Lady
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 1h 39m
Director: Jessica Yu
Cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell
Sandra Oh and Awkwafina play a pair of estranged sisters who try to win big on a game show to pay off their mom’s debts. The supporting cast includes Will Ferrell, Jason Schwartzman, Tony Hale, and the late Paul Reubens.
New on Prime Video
Freaks vs. |
26324 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
A Haunting in Venice is his best yet, as Branagh’s confidence as director and performer in this mode only continues to grow. It’s perfect fall viewing.
Quiz Lady
Where to watch: Available to stream on Hulu
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 1h 39m
Director: Jessica Yu
Cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Will Ferrell
Sandra Oh and Awkwafina play a pair of estranged sisters who try to win big on a game show to pay off their mom’s debts. The supporting cast includes Will Ferrell, Jason Schwartzman, Tony Hale, and the late Paul Reubens.
New on Prime Video
Freaks vs. the Reich
Where to watch: Available to stream on Prime Video
Genre: Superhero/circus war movie
Run time: 2h 21m
Director: Gabriele Mainetti
Cast: Claudio Santamaria, Aurora Giovinazzo, Pietro Castellitto
This offbeat Italian superhero movie follows a group of circus performers in World War II who are sought after by the Nazis and team up to stop them. |
26325 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
The supporting cast includes Will Ferrell, Jason Schwartzman, Tony Hale, and the late Paul Reubens.
New on Prime Video
Freaks vs. the Reich
Where to watch: Available to stream on Prime Video
Genre: Superhero/circus war movie
Run time: 2h 21m
Director: Gabriele Mainetti
Cast: Claudio Santamaria, Aurora Giovinazzo, Pietro Castellitto
This offbeat Italian superhero movie follows a group of circus performers in World War II who are sought after by the Nazis and team up to stop them. I have heard it’s funny, sweet, and has strong action — definitely on my weekend watchlist. |
26326 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
The supporting cast includes Will Ferrell, Jason Schwartzman, Tony Hale, and the late Paul Reubens.
New on Prime Video
Freaks vs. the Reich
Where to watch: Available to stream on Prime Video
Genre: Superhero/circus war movie
Run time: 2h 21m
Director: Gabriele Mainetti
Cast: Claudio Santamaria, Aurora Giovinazzo, Pietro Castellitto
This offbeat Italian superhero movie follows a group of circus performers in World War II who are sought after by the Nazis and team up to stop them. I have heard it’s funny, sweet, and has strong action — definitely on my weekend watchlist.
New on Peacock
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Where to watch: Available to stream on Peacock
Genre: Romantic comedy
Run time: 1h 32m
Director: Nia Vardalos
Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor
One of cinema’s most endearingly goofy families is back, in the most family-centric franchise this side of the Fast and Furious movies. |
26327 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
I have heard it’s funny, sweet, and has strong action — definitely on my weekend watchlist.
New on Peacock
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Where to watch: Available to stream on Peacock
Genre: Romantic comedy
Run time: 1h 32m
Director: Nia Vardalos
Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor
One of cinema’s most endearingly goofy families is back, in the most family-centric franchise this side of the Fast and Furious movies. It’s the first Greek Wedding movie since 2016, which came nearly 15 years after the original smash hit. This time, star-writer Nia Vardalos takes over directorial duties, following up her 2009 directorial debut I Hate Valentine’s Day. |
26328 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
I have heard it’s funny, sweet, and has strong action — definitely on my weekend watchlist.
New on Peacock
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Where to watch: Available to stream on Peacock
Genre: Romantic comedy
Run time: 1h 32m
Director: Nia Vardalos
Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Louis Mandylor
One of cinema’s most endearingly goofy families is back, in the most family-centric franchise this side of the Fast and Furious movies. It’s the first Greek Wedding movie since 2016, which came nearly 15 years after the original smash hit. This time, star-writer Nia Vardalos takes over directorial duties, following up her 2009 directorial debut I Hate Valentine’s Day.
New on AMC Plus
Sympathy for the Devil
Where to watch: Available to stream on AMC Plus
Genre: Psychological thriller
Run time: 1h 30m
Director: Yuval Adler
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Joel Kinnaman
A largely two-person movie that sounds a bit like Collateral, Sympathy for the Devil stars Nicolas Cage as a passenger who holds a driver (Joel Kinnaman) hostage on a long car trip. |
26329 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
It’s the first Greek Wedding movie since 2016, which came nearly 15 years after the original smash hit. This time, star-writer Nia Vardalos takes over directorial duties, following up her 2009 directorial debut I Hate Valentine’s Day.
New on AMC Plus
Sympathy for the Devil
Where to watch: Available to stream on AMC Plus
Genre: Psychological thriller
Run time: 1h 30m
Director: Yuval Adler
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Joel Kinnaman
A largely two-person movie that sounds a bit like Collateral, Sympathy for the Devil stars Nicolas Cage as a passenger who holds a driver (Joel Kinnaman) hostage on a long car trip.
New to rent
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Action adventure
Run time: 1h 35m
Director: Cal Brunker
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin
The Paw Patrol is back — this sequel to the first movie sees the pup get superpowers in their quest to stop Mayor Humdinger from destroying Adventure City. |
26330 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
New on AMC Plus
Sympathy for the Devil
Where to watch: Available to stream on AMC Plus
Genre: Psychological thriller
Run time: 1h 30m
Director: Yuval Adler
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Joel Kinnaman
A largely two-person movie that sounds a bit like Collateral, Sympathy for the Devil stars Nicolas Cage as a passenger who holds a driver (Joel Kinnaman) hostage on a long car trip.
New to rent
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Action adventure
Run time: 1h 35m
Director: Cal Brunker
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin
The Paw Patrol is back — this sequel to the first movie sees the pup get superpowers in their quest to stop Mayor Humdinger from destroying Adventure City.
The Kill Room
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Dark comedy thriller
Run time: 1h 38m
Director: Nicol Paone
Cast: Joe Manganiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Joe Manganiello stars as a hitman turned artist in this funny comedy about how the worlds of fine art and high crime aren’t so separated after all. |
26331 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
New to rent
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Action adventure
Run time: 1h 35m
Director: Cal Brunker
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin
The Paw Patrol is back — this sequel to the first movie sees the pup get superpowers in their quest to stop Mayor Humdinger from destroying Adventure City.
The Kill Room
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Dark comedy thriller
Run time: 1h 38m
Director: Nicol Paone
Cast: Joe Manganiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Joe Manganiello stars as a hitman turned artist in this funny comedy about how the worlds of fine art and high crime aren’t so separated after all. When he turns to art as a method of laundering money, the hitman becomes an unexpected overnight sensation in the high-art scene. |
26332 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
The Kill Room
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Dark comedy thriller
Run time: 1h 38m
Director: Nicol Paone
Cast: Joe Manganiello, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman
Joe Manganiello stars as a hitman turned artist in this funny comedy about how the worlds of fine art and high crime aren’t so separated after all. When he turns to art as a method of laundering money, the hitman becomes an unexpected overnight sensation in the high-art scene.
Outlaw Johnny Black
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Satirical Western
Run time: 2h 10m
Director: Michael Jai White
Cast: Michael Jai White, Anika Noni Rose, Erica Ash
Michael Jai White’s long-awaited follow-up to Black Dynamite is finally here: a “West-ploitation” movie about an outlaw who pretends to be a preacher and settles in a new troubled town. |
26333 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
When he turns to art as a method of laundering money, the hitman becomes an unexpected overnight sensation in the high-art scene.
Outlaw Johnny Black
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Satirical Western
Run time: 2h 10m
Director: Michael Jai White
Cast: Michael Jai White, Anika Noni Rose, Erica Ash
Michael Jai White’s long-awaited follow-up to Black Dynamite is finally here: a “West-ploitation” movie about an outlaw who pretends to be a preacher and settles in a new troubled town. The star and director spoke to us at length about the movie and the long road it took to get here. |
26334 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
When he turns to art as a method of laundering money, the hitman becomes an unexpected overnight sensation in the high-art scene.
Outlaw Johnny Black
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Satirical Western
Run time: 2h 10m
Director: Michael Jai White
Cast: Michael Jai White, Anika Noni Rose, Erica Ash
Michael Jai White’s long-awaited follow-up to Black Dynamite is finally here: a “West-ploitation” movie about an outlaw who pretends to be a preacher and settles in a new troubled town. The star and director spoke to us at length about the movie and the long road it took to get here.
Sound of Freedom
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Crime thriller
Run time: 2h 11m
Director: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp
One of the most surprising (and controversial) box-office hits of the year, Sound of Freedom purports to be a true story about stopping child trafficking. |
26335 | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix, A Haunting in Venice, and every new movie to watch this weekend
The star and director spoke to us at length about the movie and the long road it took to get here.
Sound of Freedom
Where to watch: Available to rent on Amazon, Apple, and Vudu
Genre: Crime thriller
Run time: 2h 11m
Director: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp
One of the most surprising (and controversial) box-office hits of the year, Sound of Freedom purports to be a true story about stopping child trafficking. The truth is much more complicated than that. |
26336 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
“Those slavering jaws; the lolling tongue; the rime of saliva on the grizzled chops.”
This is Angela Carter, not on Venom, but on the wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood” in The Bloody Chamber, her collection of reimagined folk and fairy tales. It’s actually from “The Company of Wolves,” which is one of three retellings of “Little Red Riding Hood” in the collection, each with its own spin on the familiar tale.
Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun — and worth fitting into your schedule. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch . |
26337 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
“Those slavering jaws; the lolling tongue; the rime of saliva on the grizzled chops.”
This is Angela Carter, not on Venom, but on the wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood” in The Bloody Chamber, her collection of reimagined folk and fairy tales. It’s actually from “The Company of Wolves,” which is one of three retellings of “Little Red Riding Hood” in the collection, each with its own spin on the familiar tale.
Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun — and worth fitting into your schedule. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch .
Retellings are compelling because they allow writers to toy with readers’ preconceived notions of how the story “should go,” both in terms of genre conventions and in terms of plot. |
26338 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
It’s actually from “The Company of Wolves,” which is one of three retellings of “Little Red Riding Hood” in the collection, each with its own spin on the familiar tale.
Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun — and worth fitting into your schedule. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch .
Retellings are compelling because they allow writers to toy with readers’ preconceived notions of how the story “should go,” both in terms of genre conventions and in terms of plot. We know Little Red Riding Hood will go to her grandmother’s house, where she will find that her grandmother has been eaten by a wolf, just as we know Spider-Man will be bitten by a radioactive spider. |
26339 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun — and worth fitting into your schedule. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch .
Retellings are compelling because they allow writers to toy with readers’ preconceived notions of how the story “should go,” both in terms of genre conventions and in terms of plot. We know Little Red Riding Hood will go to her grandmother’s house, where she will find that her grandmother has been eaten by a wolf, just as we know Spider-Man will be bitten by a radioactive spider. The fun, both for the author and the reader, comes in deviating from those norms — in finding new ways to tell old tales.
With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games attempts something similar. |
26340 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun — and worth fitting into your schedule. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch .
Retellings are compelling because they allow writers to toy with readers’ preconceived notions of how the story “should go,” both in terms of genre conventions and in terms of plot. We know Little Red Riding Hood will go to her grandmother’s house, where she will find that her grandmother has been eaten by a wolf, just as we know Spider-Man will be bitten by a radioactive spider. The fun, both for the author and the reader, comes in deviating from those norms — in finding new ways to tell old tales.
With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games attempts something similar.
Mainstream Spider-Man stories are increasingly Spider-Men stories, and Spider-Man 2, the third Spidey game from Insomniac, is no different. |
26341 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch .
Retellings are compelling because they allow writers to toy with readers’ preconceived notions of how the story “should go,” both in terms of genre conventions and in terms of plot. We know Little Red Riding Hood will go to her grandmother’s house, where she will find that her grandmother has been eaten by a wolf, just as we know Spider-Man will be bitten by a radioactive spider. The fun, both for the author and the reader, comes in deviating from those norms — in finding new ways to tell old tales.
With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games attempts something similar.
Mainstream Spider-Man stories are increasingly Spider-Men stories, and Spider-Man 2, the third Spidey game from Insomniac, is no different. You play as both the yassified Peter Parker from Spider-Man Remastered and Miles Morales from his eponymous debut in 2020, switching between the two at your leisure with all the speed afforded by the PlayStation 5’s SSD. |
26342 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
We know Little Red Riding Hood will go to her grandmother’s house, where she will find that her grandmother has been eaten by a wolf, just as we know Spider-Man will be bitten by a radioactive spider. The fun, both for the author and the reader, comes in deviating from those norms — in finding new ways to tell old tales.
With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games attempts something similar.
Mainstream Spider-Man stories are increasingly Spider-Men stories, and Spider-Man 2, the third Spidey game from Insomniac, is no different. You play as both the yassified Peter Parker from Spider-Man Remastered and Miles Morales from his eponymous debut in 2020, switching between the two at your leisure with all the speed afforded by the PlayStation 5’s SSD.
In fact, speed is one of the primary improvements on display in the first PS5-exclusive Spider-Man game. |
26343 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
We know Little Red Riding Hood will go to her grandmother’s house, where she will find that her grandmother has been eaten by a wolf, just as we know Spider-Man will be bitten by a radioactive spider. The fun, both for the author and the reader, comes in deviating from those norms — in finding new ways to tell old tales.
With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games attempts something similar.
Mainstream Spider-Man stories are increasingly Spider-Men stories, and Spider-Man 2, the third Spidey game from Insomniac, is no different. You play as both the yassified Peter Parker from Spider-Man Remastered and Miles Morales from his eponymous debut in 2020, switching between the two at your leisure with all the speed afforded by the PlayStation 5’s SSD.
In fact, speed is one of the primary improvements on display in the first PS5-exclusive Spider-Man game. New to the series are web wings, which allow the Spider-Mans to fly through the city, gliding over rooftops and gaining speed from wind tunnels without needing to rely on buildings, bridges, or other anchors for web-slinging. |
26344 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games attempts something similar.
Mainstream Spider-Man stories are increasingly Spider-Men stories, and Spider-Man 2, the third Spidey game from Insomniac, is no different. You play as both the yassified Peter Parker from Spider-Man Remastered and Miles Morales from his eponymous debut in 2020, switching between the two at your leisure with all the speed afforded by the PlayStation 5’s SSD.
In fact, speed is one of the primary improvements on display in the first PS5-exclusive Spider-Man game. New to the series are web wings, which allow the Spider-Mans to fly through the city, gliding over rooftops and gaining speed from wind tunnels without needing to rely on buildings, bridges, or other anchors for web-slinging. (They’re especially useful when crossing the East River into the newly added Brooklyn and Queens.) |
26345 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
With Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Insomniac Games attempts something similar.
Mainstream Spider-Man stories are increasingly Spider-Men stories, and Spider-Man 2, the third Spidey game from Insomniac, is no different. You play as both the yassified Peter Parker from Spider-Man Remastered and Miles Morales from his eponymous debut in 2020, switching between the two at your leisure with all the speed afforded by the PlayStation 5’s SSD.
In fact, speed is one of the primary improvements on display in the first PS5-exclusive Spider-Man game. New to the series are web wings, which allow the Spider-Mans to fly through the city, gliding over rooftops and gaining speed from wind tunnels without needing to rely on buildings, bridges, or other anchors for web-slinging. (They’re especially useful when crossing the East River into the newly added Brooklyn and Queens.) Web-swinging is faster now as well, enhancing that ineffable feeling of being Spider-Man as you glide through New York with ease. |
26346 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
You play as both the yassified Peter Parker from Spider-Man Remastered and Miles Morales from his eponymous debut in 2020, switching between the two at your leisure with all the speed afforded by the PlayStation 5’s SSD.
In fact, speed is one of the primary improvements on display in the first PS5-exclusive Spider-Man game. New to the series are web wings, which allow the Spider-Mans to fly through the city, gliding over rooftops and gaining speed from wind tunnels without needing to rely on buildings, bridges, or other anchors for web-slinging. (They’re especially useful when crossing the East River into the newly added Brooklyn and Queens.) Web-swinging is faster now as well, enhancing that ineffable feeling of being Spider-Man as you glide through New York with ease. Whether you’re playing as Miles or Peter, traversing the three available boroughs is an undeniable joy — so much so that I found myself using fast travel less frequently than in the previous two games, because movement felt that much more fluid. |
26347 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
In fact, speed is one of the primary improvements on display in the first PS5-exclusive Spider-Man game. New to the series are web wings, which allow the Spider-Mans to fly through the city, gliding over rooftops and gaining speed from wind tunnels without needing to rely on buildings, bridges, or other anchors for web-slinging. (They’re especially useful when crossing the East River into the newly added Brooklyn and Queens.) Web-swinging is faster now as well, enhancing that ineffable feeling of being Spider-Man as you glide through New York with ease. Whether you’re playing as Miles or Peter, traversing the three available boroughs is an undeniable joy — so much so that I found myself using fast travel less frequently than in the previous two games, because movement felt that much more fluid.
Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon
Narratively, juggling two Spider-Mans requires a different kind of deftness. |
26348 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
New to the series are web wings, which allow the Spider-Mans to fly through the city, gliding over rooftops and gaining speed from wind tunnels without needing to rely on buildings, bridges, or other anchors for web-slinging. (They’re especially useful when crossing the East River into the newly added Brooklyn and Queens.) Web-swinging is faster now as well, enhancing that ineffable feeling of being Spider-Man as you glide through New York with ease. Whether you’re playing as Miles or Peter, traversing the three available boroughs is an undeniable joy — so much so that I found myself using fast travel less frequently than in the previous two games, because movement felt that much more fluid.
Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon
Narratively, juggling two Spider-Mans requires a different kind of deftness. Two villains new to the series take center stage — Kraven the Hunter and Venom — as well as a returning cast of nearly every villain from the previous two games. |
26349 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
(They’re especially useful when crossing the East River into the newly added Brooklyn and Queens.) Web-swinging is faster now as well, enhancing that ineffable feeling of being Spider-Man as you glide through New York with ease. Whether you’re playing as Miles or Peter, traversing the three available boroughs is an undeniable joy — so much so that I found myself using fast travel less frequently than in the previous two games, because movement felt that much more fluid.
Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon
Narratively, juggling two Spider-Mans requires a different kind of deftness. Two villains new to the series take center stage — Kraven the Hunter and Venom — as well as a returning cast of nearly every villain from the previous two games. Without delving into spoilers, a large majority of that cast is sidelined early on, leaving Kraven and Venom as our principal antagonists, albeit with large roles for returning villains the Lizard (who made a brief appearance in Miles Morales) and Mister Negative. |
26350 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Whether you’re playing as Miles or Peter, traversing the three available boroughs is an undeniable joy — so much so that I found myself using fast travel less frequently than in the previous two games, because movement felt that much more fluid.
Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon
Narratively, juggling two Spider-Mans requires a different kind of deftness. Two villains new to the series take center stage — Kraven the Hunter and Venom — as well as a returning cast of nearly every villain from the previous two games. Without delving into spoilers, a large majority of that cast is sidelined early on, leaving Kraven and Venom as our principal antagonists, albeit with large roles for returning villains the Lizard (who made a brief appearance in Miles Morales) and Mister Negative. There are others besides them that should delight comic fans, setting up future conflicts for either expansions or the presumed Spider-Man 3 to tackle. |
26351 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon
Narratively, juggling two Spider-Mans requires a different kind of deftness. Two villains new to the series take center stage — Kraven the Hunter and Venom — as well as a returning cast of nearly every villain from the previous two games. Without delving into spoilers, a large majority of that cast is sidelined early on, leaving Kraven and Venom as our principal antagonists, albeit with large roles for returning villains the Lizard (who made a brief appearance in Miles Morales) and Mister Negative. There are others besides them that should delight comic fans, setting up future conflicts for either expansions or the presumed Spider-Man 3 to tackle. If what you come to Spider-Man for is spectacle and villainy, Spider-Man 2 has the goods and then some.
As for our heroes, Miles and Peter return from their individual outings for a dramatic team-up. |
26352 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Two villains new to the series take center stage — Kraven the Hunter and Venom — as well as a returning cast of nearly every villain from the previous two games. Without delving into spoilers, a large majority of that cast is sidelined early on, leaving Kraven and Venom as our principal antagonists, albeit with large roles for returning villains the Lizard (who made a brief appearance in Miles Morales) and Mister Negative. There are others besides them that should delight comic fans, setting up future conflicts for either expansions or the presumed Spider-Man 3 to tackle. If what you come to Spider-Man for is spectacle and villainy, Spider-Man 2 has the goods and then some.
As for our heroes, Miles and Peter return from their individual outings for a dramatic team-up. Their two stories are threaded together, allowing for randomized encounters where Peter might show up while you’re playing as Miles (or vice versa), with the two of you tag-teaming a random criminal and slamming them into the ground in what feels like the world’s least fair fight. |
26353 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Without delving into spoilers, a large majority of that cast is sidelined early on, leaving Kraven and Venom as our principal antagonists, albeit with large roles for returning villains the Lizard (who made a brief appearance in Miles Morales) and Mister Negative. There are others besides them that should delight comic fans, setting up future conflicts for either expansions or the presumed Spider-Man 3 to tackle. If what you come to Spider-Man for is spectacle and villainy, Spider-Man 2 has the goods and then some.
As for our heroes, Miles and Peter return from their individual outings for a dramatic team-up. Their two stories are threaded together, allowing for randomized encounters where Peter might show up while you’re playing as Miles (or vice versa), with the two of you tag-teaming a random criminal and slamming them into the ground in what feels like the world’s least fair fight. And yes, they do the Spider-Man-pointing-at-Spider-Man meme in-game. |
26354 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
There are others besides them that should delight comic fans, setting up future conflicts for either expansions or the presumed Spider-Man 3 to tackle. If what you come to Spider-Man for is spectacle and villainy, Spider-Man 2 has the goods and then some.
As for our heroes, Miles and Peter return from their individual outings for a dramatic team-up. Their two stories are threaded together, allowing for randomized encounters where Peter might show up while you’re playing as Miles (or vice versa), with the two of you tag-teaming a random criminal and slamming them into the ground in what feels like the world’s least fair fight. And yes, they do the Spider-Man-pointing-at-Spider-Man meme in-game. And yes, it is charming the first time (though maybe less so the second). |
26355 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
There are others besides them that should delight comic fans, setting up future conflicts for either expansions or the presumed Spider-Man 3 to tackle. If what you come to Spider-Man for is spectacle and villainy, Spider-Man 2 has the goods and then some.
As for our heroes, Miles and Peter return from their individual outings for a dramatic team-up. Their two stories are threaded together, allowing for randomized encounters where Peter might show up while you’re playing as Miles (or vice versa), with the two of you tag-teaming a random criminal and slamming them into the ground in what feels like the world’s least fair fight. And yes, they do the Spider-Man-pointing-at-Spider-Man meme in-game. And yes, it is charming the first time (though maybe less so the second). The main story sometimes swaps Spider-Mans mid-mission, as in the dramatic opening sequence where Sandman coats the city in dust as Peter and Miles rush to help firefighters and first responders, with eerie echoes of 9/11. |
26356 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
If what you come to Spider-Man for is spectacle and villainy, Spider-Man 2 has the goods and then some.
As for our heroes, Miles and Peter return from their individual outings for a dramatic team-up. Their two stories are threaded together, allowing for randomized encounters where Peter might show up while you’re playing as Miles (or vice versa), with the two of you tag-teaming a random criminal and slamming them into the ground in what feels like the world’s least fair fight. And yes, they do the Spider-Man-pointing-at-Spider-Man meme in-game. And yes, it is charming the first time (though maybe less so the second). The main story sometimes swaps Spider-Mans mid-mission, as in the dramatic opening sequence where Sandman coats the city in dust as Peter and Miles rush to help firefighters and first responders, with eerie echoes of 9/11. Side missions often allow either Spider-Man to tackle them, but the main story beats require one or the other, as each hero is allowed his full particularity as a singular Spider-Man. |
26357 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
As for our heroes, Miles and Peter return from their individual outings for a dramatic team-up. Their two stories are threaded together, allowing for randomized encounters where Peter might show up while you’re playing as Miles (or vice versa), with the two of you tag-teaming a random criminal and slamming them into the ground in what feels like the world’s least fair fight. And yes, they do the Spider-Man-pointing-at-Spider-Man meme in-game. And yes, it is charming the first time (though maybe less so the second). The main story sometimes swaps Spider-Mans mid-mission, as in the dramatic opening sequence where Sandman coats the city in dust as Peter and Miles rush to help firefighters and first responders, with eerie echoes of 9/11. Side missions often allow either Spider-Man to tackle them, but the main story beats require one or the other, as each hero is allowed his full particularity as a singular Spider-Man.
Peter’s plot involves a retelling of the Venom origin story, with beats that will be recognizable to those even passingly familiar with the Spider-Man mythos. |
26358 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
And yes, they do the Spider-Man-pointing-at-Spider-Man meme in-game. And yes, it is charming the first time (though maybe less so the second). The main story sometimes swaps Spider-Mans mid-mission, as in the dramatic opening sequence where Sandman coats the city in dust as Peter and Miles rush to help firefighters and first responders, with eerie echoes of 9/11. Side missions often allow either Spider-Man to tackle them, but the main story beats require one or the other, as each hero is allowed his full particularity as a singular Spider-Man.
Peter’s plot involves a retelling of the Venom origin story, with beats that will be recognizable to those even passingly familiar with the Spider-Man mythos. If Spider-Man 2 is a game of retellings, Peter’s story clings most closely to the canon. |
26359 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
And yes, they do the Spider-Man-pointing-at-Spider-Man meme in-game. And yes, it is charming the first time (though maybe less so the second). The main story sometimes swaps Spider-Mans mid-mission, as in the dramatic opening sequence where Sandman coats the city in dust as Peter and Miles rush to help firefighters and first responders, with eerie echoes of 9/11. Side missions often allow either Spider-Man to tackle them, but the main story beats require one or the other, as each hero is allowed his full particularity as a singular Spider-Man.
Peter’s plot involves a retelling of the Venom origin story, with beats that will be recognizable to those even passingly familiar with the Spider-Man mythos. If Spider-Man 2 is a game of retellings, Peter’s story clings most closely to the canon. If you’ve seen Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, you’ll know the gist of what to expect when the symbiote finds its way to Peter. |
26360 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
And yes, it is charming the first time (though maybe less so the second). The main story sometimes swaps Spider-Mans mid-mission, as in the dramatic opening sequence where Sandman coats the city in dust as Peter and Miles rush to help firefighters and first responders, with eerie echoes of 9/11. Side missions often allow either Spider-Man to tackle them, but the main story beats require one or the other, as each hero is allowed his full particularity as a singular Spider-Man.
Peter’s plot involves a retelling of the Venom origin story, with beats that will be recognizable to those even passingly familiar with the Spider-Man mythos. If Spider-Man 2 is a game of retellings, Peter’s story clings most closely to the canon. If you’ve seen Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, you’ll know the gist of what to expect when the symbiote finds its way to Peter. It isn’t until the late game that Peter’s story starts pushing more strongly against our canonical memories and into something more unique to Insomniac. |
26361 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Side missions often allow either Spider-Man to tackle them, but the main story beats require one or the other, as each hero is allowed his full particularity as a singular Spider-Man.
Peter’s plot involves a retelling of the Venom origin story, with beats that will be recognizable to those even passingly familiar with the Spider-Man mythos. If Spider-Man 2 is a game of retellings, Peter’s story clings most closely to the canon. If you’ve seen Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, you’ll know the gist of what to expect when the symbiote finds its way to Peter. It isn’t until the late game that Peter’s story starts pushing more strongly against our canonical memories and into something more unique to Insomniac.
Miles’ story takes more liberties. Hailey Cooper, Miles’ love interest from his solo game, returns here, taking more of an MJ-esque role and carving out her own identity separate from Miles’. |
26362 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Peter’s plot involves a retelling of the Venom origin story, with beats that will be recognizable to those even passingly familiar with the Spider-Man mythos. If Spider-Man 2 is a game of retellings, Peter’s story clings most closely to the canon. If you’ve seen Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, you’ll know the gist of what to expect when the symbiote finds its way to Peter. It isn’t until the late game that Peter’s story starts pushing more strongly against our canonical memories and into something more unique to Insomniac.
Miles’ story takes more liberties. Hailey Cooper, Miles’ love interest from his solo game, returns here, taking more of an MJ-esque role and carving out her own identity separate from Miles’. American Sign Language is featured heavily throughout Miles’ missions because of Hailey’s presence, feeling as natural and integral to the story as anything from the canon. |
26363 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Peter’s plot involves a retelling of the Venom origin story, with beats that will be recognizable to those even passingly familiar with the Spider-Man mythos. If Spider-Man 2 is a game of retellings, Peter’s story clings most closely to the canon. If you’ve seen Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, you’ll know the gist of what to expect when the symbiote finds its way to Peter. It isn’t until the late game that Peter’s story starts pushing more strongly against our canonical memories and into something more unique to Insomniac.
Miles’ story takes more liberties. Hailey Cooper, Miles’ love interest from his solo game, returns here, taking more of an MJ-esque role and carving out her own identity separate from Miles’. American Sign Language is featured heavily throughout Miles’ missions because of Hailey’s presence, feeling as natural and integral to the story as anything from the canon. One of the Miles-specific side quests involves learning about the artistic history of Harlem, and it entwines the real-life histories of Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, and Charlie Parker with the fictional history of SHIELD and other Marvel properties. |
26364 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
If you’ve seen Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, you’ll know the gist of what to expect when the symbiote finds its way to Peter. It isn’t until the late game that Peter’s story starts pushing more strongly against our canonical memories and into something more unique to Insomniac.
Miles’ story takes more liberties. Hailey Cooper, Miles’ love interest from his solo game, returns here, taking more of an MJ-esque role and carving out her own identity separate from Miles’. American Sign Language is featured heavily throughout Miles’ missions because of Hailey’s presence, feeling as natural and integral to the story as anything from the canon. One of the Miles-specific side quests involves learning about the artistic history of Harlem, and it entwines the real-life histories of Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, and Charlie Parker with the fictional history of SHIELD and other Marvel properties. An early mission shows off Insomniac’s technical chops with a section that cleverly borrows a trick from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. |
26365 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
It isn’t until the late game that Peter’s story starts pushing more strongly against our canonical memories and into something more unique to Insomniac.
Miles’ story takes more liberties. Hailey Cooper, Miles’ love interest from his solo game, returns here, taking more of an MJ-esque role and carving out her own identity separate from Miles’. American Sign Language is featured heavily throughout Miles’ missions because of Hailey’s presence, feeling as natural and integral to the story as anything from the canon. One of the Miles-specific side quests involves learning about the artistic history of Harlem, and it entwines the real-life histories of Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, and Charlie Parker with the fictional history of SHIELD and other Marvel properties. An early mission shows off Insomniac’s technical chops with a section that cleverly borrows a trick from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon. |
26366 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Miles’ story takes more liberties. Hailey Cooper, Miles’ love interest from his solo game, returns here, taking more of an MJ-esque role and carving out her own identity separate from Miles’. American Sign Language is featured heavily throughout Miles’ missions because of Hailey’s presence, feeling as natural and integral to the story as anything from the canon. One of the Miles-specific side quests involves learning about the artistic history of Harlem, and it entwines the real-life histories of Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, and Charlie Parker with the fictional history of SHIELD and other Marvel properties. An early mission shows off Insomniac’s technical chops with a section that cleverly borrows a trick from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon.
[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.] |
26367 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Hailey Cooper, Miles’ love interest from his solo game, returns here, taking more of an MJ-esque role and carving out her own identity separate from Miles’. American Sign Language is featured heavily throughout Miles’ missions because of Hailey’s presence, feeling as natural and integral to the story as anything from the canon. One of the Miles-specific side quests involves learning about the artistic history of Harlem, and it entwines the real-life histories of Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, and Charlie Parker with the fictional history of SHIELD and other Marvel properties. An early mission shows off Insomniac’s technical chops with a section that cleverly borrows a trick from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon.
[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.]
The recent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has an obsession with “canon events,” pivotal moments in a Spider-Man’s life that the film’s villain, Spider-Man 2099, is dedicated to maintaining across the multiverse. |
26368 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
One of the Miles-specific side quests involves learning about the artistic history of Harlem, and it entwines the real-life histories of Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, and Charlie Parker with the fictional history of SHIELD and other Marvel properties. An early mission shows off Insomniac’s technical chops with a section that cleverly borrows a trick from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon.
[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.]
The recent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has an obsession with “canon events,” pivotal moments in a Spider-Man’s life that the film’s villain, Spider-Man 2099, is dedicated to maintaining across the multiverse. Whether it’s the upside-down kiss, the death of Uncle Ben or Jefferson Davis, or simply the spider bite that starts it all, Spider-Man 2099 believes that upholding these canon events, even the painful ones, is key to preserving the stability of each strand of reality. |
26369 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
An early mission shows off Insomniac’s technical chops with a section that cleverly borrows a trick from Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon.
[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.]
The recent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has an obsession with “canon events,” pivotal moments in a Spider-Man’s life that the film’s villain, Spider-Man 2099, is dedicated to maintaining across the multiverse. Whether it’s the upside-down kiss, the death of Uncle Ben or Jefferson Davis, or simply the spider bite that starts it all, Spider-Man 2099 believes that upholding these canon events, even the painful ones, is key to preserving the stability of each strand of reality. Miles disagrees, believing it is Spider-Man’s job to resist the seemingly inevitable — to always do what’s right, not simply what’s preordained. |
26370 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Of the two Spider-Mans, it’s Miles who feels more alive with the possibility to break free of expectation and canon.
[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.]
The recent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has an obsession with “canon events,” pivotal moments in a Spider-Man’s life that the film’s villain, Spider-Man 2099, is dedicated to maintaining across the multiverse. Whether it’s the upside-down kiss, the death of Uncle Ben or Jefferson Davis, or simply the spider bite that starts it all, Spider-Man 2099 believes that upholding these canon events, even the painful ones, is key to preserving the stability of each strand of reality. Miles disagrees, believing it is Spider-Man’s job to resist the seemingly inevitable — to always do what’s right, not simply what’s preordained. The film ends with a promise of pushing back against Spider-Man 2099, and with it, the established canon. |
26371 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
[Ed. note: Spoilers follow for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.]
The recent Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has an obsession with “canon events,” pivotal moments in a Spider-Man’s life that the film’s villain, Spider-Man 2099, is dedicated to maintaining across the multiverse. Whether it’s the upside-down kiss, the death of Uncle Ben or Jefferson Davis, or simply the spider bite that starts it all, Spider-Man 2099 believes that upholding these canon events, even the painful ones, is key to preserving the stability of each strand of reality. Miles disagrees, believing it is Spider-Man’s job to resist the seemingly inevitable — to always do what’s right, not simply what’s preordained. The film ends with a promise of pushing back against Spider-Man 2099, and with it, the established canon.
I was hungry for Spider-Man 2 to push back in a similar way — to treat the established story like Angela Carter repurposing “Little Red Riding Hood” to her whims, like Michael Cunningham plumbing “Rumpelstiltskin” for a story about the desire to have a child, or like Helen Oyeyemi and her body of work. |
26372 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Whether it’s the upside-down kiss, the death of Uncle Ben or Jefferson Davis, or simply the spider bite that starts it all, Spider-Man 2099 believes that upholding these canon events, even the painful ones, is key to preserving the stability of each strand of reality. Miles disagrees, believing it is Spider-Man’s job to resist the seemingly inevitable — to always do what’s right, not simply what’s preordained. The film ends with a promise of pushing back against Spider-Man 2099, and with it, the established canon.
I was hungry for Spider-Man 2 to push back in a similar way — to treat the established story like Angela Carter repurposing “Little Red Riding Hood” to her whims, like Michael Cunningham plumbing “Rumpelstiltskin” for a story about the desire to have a child, or like Helen Oyeyemi and her body of work. Or, to give a more mass media example, like Star Wars: Visions, which gives creative leeway to a variety of animators and storytellers to play with the very basics of what makes Star Wars Star Wars. |
26373 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Miles disagrees, believing it is Spider-Man’s job to resist the seemingly inevitable — to always do what’s right, not simply what’s preordained. The film ends with a promise of pushing back against Spider-Man 2099, and with it, the established canon.
I was hungry for Spider-Man 2 to push back in a similar way — to treat the established story like Angela Carter repurposing “Little Red Riding Hood” to her whims, like Michael Cunningham plumbing “Rumpelstiltskin” for a story about the desire to have a child, or like Helen Oyeyemi and her body of work. Or, to give a more mass media example, like Star Wars: Visions, which gives creative leeway to a variety of animators and storytellers to play with the very basics of what makes Star Wars Star Wars.
Spider-Man 2 doesn’t go quite this far, but where it does go is still satisfyingly slant. |
26374 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
The film ends with a promise of pushing back against Spider-Man 2099, and with it, the established canon.
I was hungry for Spider-Man 2 to push back in a similar way — to treat the established story like Angela Carter repurposing “Little Red Riding Hood” to her whims, like Michael Cunningham plumbing “Rumpelstiltskin” for a story about the desire to have a child, or like Helen Oyeyemi and her body of work. Or, to give a more mass media example, like Star Wars: Visions, which gives creative leeway to a variety of animators and storytellers to play with the very basics of what makes Star Wars Star Wars.
Spider-Man 2 doesn’t go quite this far, but where it does go is still satisfyingly slant. Wrinkles to critical characters and plot points will keep even seasoned Spider-fans on their toes. Moreover, it plays like a dream, with smart additions to combat that enhance the power fantasy of being Spider-Man. |
26375 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
I was hungry for Spider-Man 2 to push back in a similar way — to treat the established story like Angela Carter repurposing “Little Red Riding Hood” to her whims, like Michael Cunningham plumbing “Rumpelstiltskin” for a story about the desire to have a child, or like Helen Oyeyemi and her body of work. Or, to give a more mass media example, like Star Wars: Visions, which gives creative leeway to a variety of animators and storytellers to play with the very basics of what makes Star Wars Star Wars.
Spider-Man 2 doesn’t go quite this far, but where it does go is still satisfyingly slant. Wrinkles to critical characters and plot points will keep even seasoned Spider-fans on their toes. Moreover, it plays like a dream, with smart additions to combat that enhance the power fantasy of being Spider-Man. Each Spider-Man now has a full arsenal of special moves and gadgets that complement one another, making even the most basic combat encounter feel like a choreographed ballet of kicks, thwips, and zaps. |
26376 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Or, to give a more mass media example, like Star Wars: Visions, which gives creative leeway to a variety of animators and storytellers to play with the very basics of what makes Star Wars Star Wars.
Spider-Man 2 doesn’t go quite this far, but where it does go is still satisfyingly slant. Wrinkles to critical characters and plot points will keep even seasoned Spider-fans on their toes. Moreover, it plays like a dream, with smart additions to combat that enhance the power fantasy of being Spider-Man. Each Spider-Man now has a full arsenal of special moves and gadgets that complement one another, making even the most basic combat encounter feel like a choreographed ballet of kicks, thwips, and zaps. The game is beautifully rendered, taking full advantage of the newest PlayStation, with such detailed textures on each unlockable suit that you’d swear they were real, and ray-traced window after ray-traced window in a loving rendition of New York. |
26377 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Spider-Man 2 doesn’t go quite this far, but where it does go is still satisfyingly slant. Wrinkles to critical characters and plot points will keep even seasoned Spider-fans on their toes. Moreover, it plays like a dream, with smart additions to combat that enhance the power fantasy of being Spider-Man. Each Spider-Man now has a full arsenal of special moves and gadgets that complement one another, making even the most basic combat encounter feel like a choreographed ballet of kicks, thwips, and zaps. The game is beautifully rendered, taking full advantage of the newest PlayStation, with such detailed textures on each unlockable suit that you’d swear they were real, and ray-traced window after ray-traced window in a loving rendition of New York. (If you can get past the Frankenstein-ification of the boroughs, that is. RIP Chelsea.)
There are hints of greater thematic aspirations within Spider-Man 2. |
26378 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Spider-Man 2 doesn’t go quite this far, but where it does go is still satisfyingly slant. Wrinkles to critical characters and plot points will keep even seasoned Spider-fans on their toes. Moreover, it plays like a dream, with smart additions to combat that enhance the power fantasy of being Spider-Man. Each Spider-Man now has a full arsenal of special moves and gadgets that complement one another, making even the most basic combat encounter feel like a choreographed ballet of kicks, thwips, and zaps. The game is beautifully rendered, taking full advantage of the newest PlayStation, with such detailed textures on each unlockable suit that you’d swear they were real, and ray-traced window after ray-traced window in a loving rendition of New York. (If you can get past the Frankenstein-ification of the boroughs, that is. RIP Chelsea.)
There are hints of greater thematic aspirations within Spider-Man 2. Questions about mass incarceration, recidivism, and reintegration into society for formerly incarcerated people; worries about the surveillance state and what we give up when we engage with modern technology. |
26379 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Moreover, it plays like a dream, with smart additions to combat that enhance the power fantasy of being Spider-Man. Each Spider-Man now has a full arsenal of special moves and gadgets that complement one another, making even the most basic combat encounter feel like a choreographed ballet of kicks, thwips, and zaps. The game is beautifully rendered, taking full advantage of the newest PlayStation, with such detailed textures on each unlockable suit that you’d swear they were real, and ray-traced window after ray-traced window in a loving rendition of New York. (If you can get past the Frankenstein-ification of the boroughs, that is. RIP Chelsea.)
There are hints of greater thematic aspirations within Spider-Man 2. Questions about mass incarceration, recidivism, and reintegration into society for formerly incarcerated people; worries about the surveillance state and what we give up when we engage with modern technology. These things appear, however fleetingly, in Spider-Man 2, but there isn’t enough time to elaborate on any single one in the unrelenting march of set-piece after glorious set-piece. |
26380 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
The game is beautifully rendered, taking full advantage of the newest PlayStation, with such detailed textures on each unlockable suit that you’d swear they were real, and ray-traced window after ray-traced window in a loving rendition of New York. (If you can get past the Frankenstein-ification of the boroughs, that is. RIP Chelsea.)
There are hints of greater thematic aspirations within Spider-Man 2. Questions about mass incarceration, recidivism, and reintegration into society for formerly incarcerated people; worries about the surveillance state and what we give up when we engage with modern technology. These things appear, however fleetingly, in Spider-Man 2, but there isn’t enough time to elaborate on any single one in the unrelenting march of set-piece after glorious set-piece.
But I’m glad they’re there, anyway. Because if we’re going to retell a story, we ought to retell it anew. |
26381 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
The game is beautifully rendered, taking full advantage of the newest PlayStation, with such detailed textures on each unlockable suit that you’d swear they were real, and ray-traced window after ray-traced window in a loving rendition of New York. (If you can get past the Frankenstein-ification of the boroughs, that is. RIP Chelsea.)
There are hints of greater thematic aspirations within Spider-Man 2. Questions about mass incarceration, recidivism, and reintegration into society for formerly incarcerated people; worries about the surveillance state and what we give up when we engage with modern technology. These things appear, however fleetingly, in Spider-Man 2, but there isn’t enough time to elaborate on any single one in the unrelenting march of set-piece after glorious set-piece.
But I’m glad they’re there, anyway. Because if we’re going to retell a story, we ought to retell it anew. Canons were made to be broken, and Spider-Man 2 swings in that direction. |
26382 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
(If you can get past the Frankenstein-ification of the boroughs, that is. RIP Chelsea.)
There are hints of greater thematic aspirations within Spider-Man 2. Questions about mass incarceration, recidivism, and reintegration into society for formerly incarcerated people; worries about the surveillance state and what we give up when we engage with modern technology. These things appear, however fleetingly, in Spider-Man 2, but there isn’t enough time to elaborate on any single one in the unrelenting march of set-piece after glorious set-piece.
But I’m glad they’re there, anyway. Because if we’re going to retell a story, we ought to retell it anew. Canons were made to be broken, and Spider-Man 2 swings in that direction. With a sequel teed up by the game’s final act, I’m eager to see where Insomniac goes with that momentum. Next stop: the Bronx.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be released Oct. |
26383 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
RIP Chelsea.)
There are hints of greater thematic aspirations within Spider-Man 2. Questions about mass incarceration, recidivism, and reintegration into society for formerly incarcerated people; worries about the surveillance state and what we give up when we engage with modern technology. These things appear, however fleetingly, in Spider-Man 2, but there isn’t enough time to elaborate on any single one in the unrelenting march of set-piece after glorious set-piece.
But I’m glad they’re there, anyway. Because if we’re going to retell a story, we ought to retell it anew. Canons were made to be broken, and Spider-Man 2 swings in that direction. With a sequel teed up by the game’s final act, I’m eager to see where Insomniac goes with that momentum. Next stop: the Bronx.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be released Oct. 20 on PlayStation 5. |
26384 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
RIP Chelsea.)
There are hints of greater thematic aspirations within Spider-Man 2. Questions about mass incarceration, recidivism, and reintegration into society for formerly incarcerated people; worries about the surveillance state and what we give up when we engage with modern technology. These things appear, however fleetingly, in Spider-Man 2, but there isn’t enough time to elaborate on any single one in the unrelenting march of set-piece after glorious set-piece.
But I’m glad they’re there, anyway. Because if we’re going to retell a story, we ought to retell it anew. Canons were made to be broken, and Spider-Man 2 swings in that direction. With a sequel teed up by the game’s final act, I’m eager to see where Insomniac goes with that momentum. Next stop: the Bronx.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be released Oct. 20 on PlayStation 5. The game was reviewed using a pre-release download code provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. |
26385 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
Questions about mass incarceration, recidivism, and reintegration into society for formerly incarcerated people; worries about the surveillance state and what we give up when we engage with modern technology. These things appear, however fleetingly, in Spider-Man 2, but there isn’t enough time to elaborate on any single one in the unrelenting march of set-piece after glorious set-piece.
But I’m glad they’re there, anyway. Because if we’re going to retell a story, we ought to retell it anew. Canons were made to be broken, and Spider-Man 2 swings in that direction. With a sequel teed up by the game’s final act, I’m eager to see where Insomniac goes with that momentum. Next stop: the Bronx.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be released Oct. 20 on PlayStation 5. The game was reviewed using a pre-release download code provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. |
26386 | Spider-Man 2 toys with Marvel history to be as much fun as possible
These things appear, however fleetingly, in Spider-Man 2, but there isn’t enough time to elaborate on any single one in the unrelenting march of set-piece after glorious set-piece.
But I’m glad they’re there, anyway. Because if we’re going to retell a story, we ought to retell it anew. Canons were made to be broken, and Spider-Man 2 swings in that direction. With a sequel teed up by the game’s final act, I’m eager to see where Insomniac goes with that momentum. Next stop: the Bronx.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 will be released Oct. 20 on PlayStation 5. The game was reviewed using a pre-release download code provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygon’s ethics policy here . |
26387 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
Temu, the Chinese e-commerce company whose app is now attracting longer engagement times than Amazon, is Apple’s most downloaded free app in the U.S. for 2023. The Cupertino-based tech giant today released an App Store feature that showcases the top iPhone apps of the year, free and paid, as measured by app installs — its proxy for overall popularity. This year, apps from Chinese-based companies have taken over spots previously held by U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google, as CapCut and TikTok, which hail from Beijing-based ByteDance, came in at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.
Meta, which last year held the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 spots with WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, respectively, showed up in the top 10 this year with a slightly different mix. Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. |
26388 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
for 2023. The Cupertino-based tech giant today released an App Store feature that showcases the top iPhone apps of the year, free and paid, as measured by app installs — its proxy for overall popularity. This year, apps from Chinese-based companies have taken over spots previously held by U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google, as CapCut and TikTok, which hail from Beijing-based ByteDance, came in at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.
Meta, which last year held the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 spots with WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, respectively, showed up in the top 10 this year with a slightly different mix. Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. downloads. Instagram and WhatsApp followed at No. 6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year. |
26389 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
The Cupertino-based tech giant today released an App Store feature that showcases the top iPhone apps of the year, free and paid, as measured by app installs — its proxy for overall popularity. This year, apps from Chinese-based companies have taken over spots previously held by U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google, as CapCut and TikTok, which hail from Beijing-based ByteDance, came in at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.
Meta, which last year held the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 spots with WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, respectively, showed up in the top 10 this year with a slightly different mix. Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. downloads. Instagram and WhatsApp followed at No. 6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year.
Google, meanwhile, had dominated last year’s list with the No. |
26390 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
This year, apps from Chinese-based companies have taken over spots previously held by U.S. tech giants like Meta and Google, as CapCut and TikTok, which hail from Beijing-based ByteDance, came in at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.
Meta, which last year held the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 spots with WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, respectively, showed up in the top 10 this year with a slightly different mix. Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. downloads. Instagram and WhatsApp followed at No. 6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year.
Google, meanwhile, had dominated last year’s list with the No. 2 app YouTube, just behind TikTok, as well as No. 5 Google Maps, No. 6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. |
26391 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
tech giants like Meta and Google, as CapCut and TikTok, which hail from Beijing-based ByteDance, came in at No. 3 and No. 5, respectively.
Meta, which last year held the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 spots with WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, respectively, showed up in the top 10 this year with a slightly different mix. Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. downloads. Instagram and WhatsApp followed at No. 6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year.
Google, meanwhile, had dominated last year’s list with the No. 2 app YouTube, just behind TikTok, as well as No. 5 Google Maps, No. 6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. |
26392 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
3 and No. 5, respectively.
Meta, which last year held the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 spots with WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, respectively, showed up in the top 10 this year with a slightly different mix. Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. downloads. Instagram and WhatsApp followed at No. 6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year.
Google, meanwhile, had dominated last year’s list with the No. 2 app YouTube, just behind TikTok, as well as No. 5 Google Maps, No. 6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. 7 Google Search and No. 8 YouTube, both also slipping in ranking from last year. |
26393 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
3 and No. 5, respectively.
Meta, which last year held the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 9 spots with WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, respectively, showed up in the top 10 this year with a slightly different mix. Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. downloads. Instagram and WhatsApp followed at No. 6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year.
Google, meanwhile, had dominated last year’s list with the No. 2 app YouTube, just behind TikTok, as well as No. 5 Google Maps, No. 6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. 7 Google Search and No. 8 YouTube, both also slipping in ranking from last year.
The shift in downloads could represent that U.S. |
26394 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
3, No. 4 and No. 9 spots with WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, respectively, showed up in the top 10 this year with a slightly different mix. Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. downloads. Instagram and WhatsApp followed at No. 6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year.
Google, meanwhile, had dominated last year’s list with the No. 2 app YouTube, just behind TikTok, as well as No. 5 Google Maps, No. 6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. 7 Google Search and No. 8 YouTube, both also slipping in ranking from last year.
The shift in downloads could represent that U.S. tech giants are nearly at a market saturation point, where their apps aren’t as in demand as they were in previous years because many already have them installed. |
26395 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
Gone from the charts is Facebook, while Meta’s new app Instagram Threads was the No. 3 app by U.S. downloads. Instagram and WhatsApp followed at No. 6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year.
Google, meanwhile, had dominated last year’s list with the No. 2 app YouTube, just behind TikTok, as well as No. 5 Google Maps, No. 6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. 7 Google Search and No. 8 YouTube, both also slipping in ranking from last year.
The shift in downloads could represent that U.S. tech giants are nearly at a market saturation point, where their apps aren’t as in demand as they were in previous years because many already have them installed. It also points to the growing demand for apps from Chinese firms, like ByteDance, which are attracting younger users’ attention along with government scrutiny, with TikTok being banned from a number of government devices over concerns about its China ties. |
26396 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
6 and No. 9, slipping in position from their ranking last year.
Google, meanwhile, had dominated last year’s list with the No. 2 app YouTube, just behind TikTok, as well as No. 5 Google Maps, No. 6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. 7 Google Search and No. 8 YouTube, both also slipping in ranking from last year.
The shift in downloads could represent that U.S. tech giants are nearly at a market saturation point, where their apps aren’t as in demand as they were in previous years because many already have them installed. It also points to the growing demand for apps from Chinese firms, like ByteDance, which are attracting younger users’ attention along with government scrutiny, with TikTok being banned from a number of government devices over concerns about its China ties. Montana also attempted to ban TikTok in its state, but that ruling was put on hold by the courts for the time being as TikTok’s lawsuit progresses. |
26397 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
2 app YouTube, just behind TikTok, as well as No. 5 Google Maps, No. 6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. 7 Google Search and No. 8 YouTube, both also slipping in ranking from last year.
The shift in downloads could represent that U.S. tech giants are nearly at a market saturation point, where their apps aren’t as in demand as they were in previous years because many already have them installed. It also points to the growing demand for apps from Chinese firms, like ByteDance, which are attracting younger users’ attention along with government scrutiny, with TikTok being banned from a number of government devices over concerns about its China ties. Montana also attempted to ban TikTok in its state, but that ruling was put on hold by the courts for the time being as TikTok’s lawsuit progresses.
The negative attention TikTok has received in the year may account for its slip from being the No. |
26398 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
6 Google Search and No. 7 Gmail. In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. 7 Google Search and No. 8 YouTube, both also slipping in ranking from last year.
The shift in downloads could represent that U.S. tech giants are nearly at a market saturation point, where their apps aren’t as in demand as they were in previous years because many already have them installed. It also points to the growing demand for apps from Chinese firms, like ByteDance, which are attracting younger users’ attention along with government scrutiny, with TikTok being banned from a number of government devices over concerns about its China ties. Montana also attempted to ban TikTok in its state, but that ruling was put on hold by the courts for the time being as TikTok’s lawsuit progresses.
The negative attention TikTok has received in the year may account for its slip from being the No. 1 app last year to now the No. |
26399 | Temu was the most-downloaded iPhone app in the U.S. in 2023
In 2023, however, Google’s only two apps in the top 10 by downloads included No. 7 Google Search and No. 8 YouTube, both also slipping in ranking from last year.
The shift in downloads could represent that U.S. tech giants are nearly at a market saturation point, where their apps aren’t as in demand as they were in previous years because many already have them installed. It also points to the growing demand for apps from Chinese firms, like ByteDance, which are attracting younger users’ attention along with government scrutiny, with TikTok being banned from a number of government devices over concerns about its China ties. Montana also attempted to ban TikTok in its state, but that ruling was put on hold by the courts for the time being as TikTok’s lawsuit progresses.
The negative attention TikTok has received in the year may account for its slip from being the No. 1 app last year to now the No. 5 app. But U.S. |
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