YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2: “Amazing Fantasy” and “The Parker Luck”

Name: YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2: “Amazing Fantasy” and “The Parker Luck”
Item: YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN: Episodes 1.1 and 1.2: “Amazing Fantasy” and “The Parker Luck”
Author: Review

"Fun, But Marred"

Family Content: -2 Extreme caution for older teenagers and adults.

Entertainment Quality:

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

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What You Need To Know:

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN is an animated series on Disney+. Set during his ninth grade, the first two episodes show Peter Parker having trouble juggling his duties as a vigilante superhero and a high school student. His grades grab the attention of industrialist Norman Osborn. Norman gives Peter a once-in-a-lifetime science internship at Oscorp. Peter still struggles. He’s torn between saving the city, working at Oscorp and disappointing his friends. Will the web slinger be able to survive? The series is set in an alternate world within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The first two episodes of YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN are fun and creative. They have strong voice acting and positive moral content. However, the stiff animation leaves something to be desired. Peter Parker exhibits the virtues of justice, courage and rescuing civilians. He apologizes to villains for hurting them and offers them redemption if they repent. However, the first two NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN episodes have light foul language, strong fantasy violence and some politically correct content. For example, his friend is politically correct and bisexual. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises strong caution for older children.

Content:

(BB, PP, O, PC, Ho, Acap, L, VV, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:

Strong moral worldview of a teenage boy putting his hero duties above his own selfish needs, the protagonist stops various criminals within the city, he saves multiple citizens from danger, he showcases mercy towards a petty thief struggling to pay her bills, the main character follows a “no kill” rule, he has a strong maternal figure in his aunt, and the typical “popular quarterback” character values hard work and learning about science, but there’s an appearance by the sorcerer Doctor Strange in Episode 1.1 with some brief spell-casting and there’s some light politically correct allusions as the title character’s friend expresses an interest in both boys and girls and has a snarky attitude about a businessman and about an oil company;

Foul Language:

Two “h” obscenities and two OMG profanities in Episode 1.1; Three “h” words, one “d” obscenity and three OMG profanities in Episode 1.2, and the hero says “crap” during one or two fights;

Violence:

Moderate fantasy violence throughout, but no blood or gore, a spider bites the back of a teenage boy, a monster destroys a high school building in Queens and throws a couple vehicles, the hero narrowly stops a car from crashing into a bus, a boy bumps into a moving taxi car, Spider-Man gets into a fist fight with three young adult thugs, Spider-Man uses his webbing to hold a burglar for the police, quarterback get knocks down after he throws what will be a touchdown pass, a villain with dual flamethrowers sets fire to an apartment building and tries to troch Spider-Man, a villain is thrown through a glass window, a local pet shop is torn asunder during a battle (no animals are harmed), and Spider-Man knocks out a villain on the head;

Sex:

No sex, but the freshman hero develops a crush on a junior high school grade girl, and the hero becomes envious of the girl dating the school’s star quarterback;

Nudity:

No nudity;

Alcohol Use:

No alcohol use;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:

No smoking or drugs;

Miscellaneous Immorality:

Title character fails his promise to visit his quarterback friend’s victory party, the protagonist constantly lies about his whereabouts when he becomes Spider-Man, and hero is envious of a girl’s high school boyfriend but becomes friends with the young man.

More Detail:

YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN is a computer-generated action series on Disney+. Set during his ninth grade, Peter Parker is getting to grips as a young vigilante. In episodes one and two, he grabs the attention of Norman Osborn. Peter snags a once-in-a-lifetime science internship at Oscorp. However, Peter struggles. He’s torn between saving the city or disappointing his friends. Will the web slinger be able to survive? The series is set in an alternate world within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

In Episode One, “Amazing Fantasy,” Peter Parker is bitten by a spider from an alternate dimension. In this series, Peter is a nervous high school freshman with a passion for robotics. He’s in the first stage of his crime-fighting career. Later, Peter aims to ask his high school crush on a date. However, Lonnie, the popular football quarterback, gets to the girl first. Will Peter’s heart crumble forever?

The first episode is a solid beginning to the series. The action scenes are creative, the pacing is good, and the characters are well realized. The biggest strength is Peter’s characterization. In this version, Peter acts like an authentic American teenager who has a good-heart but is prone to making mistakes. He’s socially awkward around his classmates but always tries to do the right thing. The vocal performance by Hudson Thames as Peter is earnest and easily the best part of the show. The second best part is his moral compass.

In terms of morality, YFN SPIDER-MAN offers a strong moral worldview. Peter Parker spends his time capturing city thieves, stopping car chases, and rescuing civilians from battle. In episode one, Peter lets a female thief escape after she apologizes to her victim. In episode two, Peter checks to make sure his enemy is still breathing from a fight. Peter also mentions he misses his father-figure Uncle Ben (whose death is not explained in this program). The program doesn’t mention faith or God, but Peter upholds a sense of justice and responsibility.

In Episode Two, “The Parker Luck,” Peter accepts Norman’s offer of a science internship at Oscorp. On the first day of the internship, Peter makes a promise to watch his friend Lonnie during the school football game. However, Peter’s lack of proper planning prompts him to bail on his promise. He also risks failing the intern entrance exam at Oscorp. Will Peter be able to save himself?

Episode Two is a great follow-up to the first episode. Lonnie’s twist of “quarterback player who values intelligence” is a welcome addition, and it’s satisfying seeing him develop a friendly bond with Peter. Peter’s antics at Oscorp and the villains also yield funny moments. Sadly, this episode exposes the show’s downsides.

The animation quality is a mixed bag. The show goes in a 3D cel-shaded direction, emulating the look of 1960s Spider-Man comics. The character models and environments are great, but the animation has the fluidity of dry concrete. It is stilted, limited and fails to live up to the creative angles used in the action scenes. If you are expecting SPIDER-VERSE quality animation, you need to look elsewhere.

For sensitive viewers, this show has two major red flags, the mild fantasy violence and light foul language. Spider-Man gets into fist fights, a car chase and a life-or-death match with an arsonist villain. He throws a brick at a petty thug and tosses an enemy through a glass window. Peter also gets hit by a taxi and in the face by the villains. There is no blood or gore, but Peter briefly blurts out “Hell” and “crap” in two separate battles.

To sum up, the first two episodes of YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN are generally a positive experience. They offer strong voice acting and positive moral content. However, the stiff animation leaves something to be desired. Peter Parker exercises the virtues of justice, courage and rescuing civilians. He even apologizes to villains for hurting them and also offers them redemption if they repent. However, YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN has some light foul language and strong fantasy violence. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises strong caution for teenage viewers.

The original SPIDER-MAN comic books were groundbreaking in the 1960s. They featured a teenage superhero who had personal teenage problems. YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN is trying to recapture that tone, but with modern updates. For example, the characters are more ethnically diverse. Also, Peter Parker’s high school friend expresses an interest in both boys and girls. She also expresses a disdain for a wealthy businessman and an oil company.