TEMPLE, Texas — The newest addition to Sony Picture's Spider-Man adjacent film universe has swung its way into theaters, and sadly, like its much-maligned predecessor "Morbius", "Madame Web" has taken the internet by storm for all the wrong reasons.
"Madame Web" was hit with brutal reviews from critics and fans and currently sits at an abysmal 13% on Rotten Tomatoes.
You may have seen social media littered with memes, bad reviews and other ridicule of the movie (albeit among some genuinely positive opinions, or at least "so-bad-its-good" acclaim), but is "Madame Web" really as bad as many say it is?
Well, in the opinion of this reviewer at least, no, but it's certainly close. It balances very precariously on the "so bad it's good" line, teetering dangerously towards just plain bad, but it can still be somewhat fun for those who know what they're getting into.
Whereas the company's "Venom" sequel was at least somewhat self-aware of its cheesiness, "Madame Web" never quite seems sure of whether it is trying to be a good movie or not. There are a handful of genuinely interesting ideas, such as brief moments of clever cinematography that sadly become far overdone or give way to choppy and disorienting editing, and the film's connection to the Spider-Man storyline that, again, it never seems to decide if it wants to lean into or not.
The film's cast, while featuring some big names and undeniable talent, gives a mixed bag of performances. Dakota Johnson's turn as the titular character of Cassandra Webb comes across as unenthused and phoned in for much if not all of the movie, as if she is as bored of the movie as much of the audience likely was during its runtime.
The trio of future Spider-Women at the heart of the film, played by Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced and Celeste O'Connor, do a decent job of working with what the script gives them, although sadly, despite the film's marketing heavily featuring them fighting crime with full costume and superpowers, they are given little to actually do other than follow the lead character around or make bad decisions to put themselves in danger to be rescued.
Fans expecting a strong, female-led superhero team-up will be sorely disappointed, as the movie entirely lets down its female-led cast and promise of a new superhero team with underdeveloped characters and a lack of action.
Supporting cast members such as Emma Roberts and Adam Scott likewise do their best to turn in a good, but not much more, performance, although they, much like their characters, seem to have very little clue of what is actually going on with, or in, the movie.
The weakest link in 'Madame Web's' cast of characters is unquestionably its villain. Tahar Rahim plays an antagonist so forgettable most theater-goers will likely have forgotten the character's name long before the credits role, mostly due to the fact that the movie never really expands on him outside of "evil".
Ezekiel Sims (The film's villain, in case you have forgotten), is incredibly one-note. Despite the fact that he is a man haunted by visions of his own death and driven by his constant efforts to prevent it, which is a fascinating concept for a villain, the writers never delve further into his psyche or develop him as a character outside of a clunkily written monologue to a nameless character at the beginning of the movie. Couple that with vaguely defined powers, a complete lack of any real evil plan and a vocal performance so bad that many viewers thought it was dubbed, and Ezekiel is essentially little more than a plot device to bring the ensemble cast together and give them someone to "fight".
"Madame Web" could have still been fun if the cast was having fun with it, but sadly, none of them ever seem to be. The cast, which again, is made up of very talented people, is not to blame, however, with good actors being hampered by a weak script.
What truly lets "Madame Web" down is its writing, which is what dips it into "so bad it's good" territory.
Regardless of the talent of the cast, few actors could save lines like "He's crawling on the ceiling like some sort of... spider-person!" or "They may be teenagers now, but in the future, they have powers", or the script's constant forced exposition, cringe-worthy dialogue and often unlikeable or even irritating characters.
The movie's four screenwriters seem to either be completely unaware of the others' work, or like they are actively working against each other. Characters constantly say they don't know what's happening, and the script has no intention of answering any of their, or the audience's, questions.
Cassandra Webb's clairvoyance could have been a fascinatingly unique hook for a superhero movie as viewers question what is a vision and what is the present, but instead, it is watered down and never quite gets interesting enough to carry the film.
Likewise, the movie's multiple hints towards Spider-Man (Spoiler alert, Cassandra's friend Ben is actually Peter Parker's Uncle Ben!) could have been a fun thread between the two universes if handled correctly, but the script instead decides to give away Ben's identity at the beginning and spends the rest of the movie refusing to follow up on the information with any payoff of substance, leaving the audience waiting for some other "reveal" that never comes.
"Madame Web" is riddled with mistakes that will be noticeable to even somewhat mindful viewers, like anachronisms with the movie's 2003 setting, questionable medical knowledge, obvious product placement, camera angles that overtly reveal that scenes make no sense and a seeming ignorance of the film's own established plot points (Spoiler alert once again, one of Cassandra's recurring visions features the letter "S" on a neon sign, and when the climactic confrontation occurs, the villain is instead killed by... the letter "P").
In short, "Madame Web" is not a good movie, falling short of even the weakest mainline "Spider-Man" movies, and probably earns much of the criticism it is facing online. However, for those looking to shut their brain off for a while, have a laugh or two or poke fun at it "Mystery Science Theater 3000" style, it can still provide some fun for those willing to take it as un-seriously as it deserves.
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