Madame Web Review

Madame Web, the latest attempt by Sony to expand its Spider-verse franchise, is a film that dangles potential but ultimately fails to deliver. Directed by S.J. Clarkson and featuring Dakota Johnson in the titular role, the movie offers a glimpse into the origins of a character tangentially related to Spider-Man. Despite its intriguing premise and occasional flashes of humor, Madame Web becomes ensnared in clunky storytelling, underdeveloped characters, and an overreliance on exposition. The result is yet another example of a superhero film that seems more like a contractual obligation than a genuine creative endeavor.

The story follows Cassandra “Cassie” Webb (Dakota Johnson), a paramedic in early-2000s Manhattan who gains precognitive abilities after a near-death experience. Her newfound powers allow her to foresee catastrophic events, thrusting her into a desperate race to protect three teenage girls — Julia (Sydney Sweeney), Anya (Isabela Merced), and Mattie (Celeste O’Connor) — from the villainous Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim). Ezekiel, tormented by visions of the girls killing him in the future, is determined to eliminate them before they can fulfill their supposed destiny as Spider-Women.

While the concept has the potential for an engaging superhero origin story, the execution falls short. Much of the blame lies with the script, credited to Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless (Morbius), which leans heavily on clunky dialogue and tedious exposition. Characters constantly explain the plot to one another, often with laughably banal results. Ezekiel’s early monologue, in which he lays out his entire villainous plan to an unknowing Cassie, epitomizes the film’s “tell, don’t show” approach. This reliance on exposition robs the narrative of tension and leaves little room for organic character development.

The film’s protagonist, Cassie, is another sore point. While Dakota Johnson’s deadpan humor occasionally breathes life into the character, her portrayal is hindered by inconsistent writing. Cassie is meant to evolve from a reluctant hero into a protective figure, but her journey feels rushed and unconvincing. Her interactions with the three girls she’s tasked with saving are equally underwhelming. The teenagers are written as one-dimensional archetypes, with little to distinguish them beyond their surface traits. Even their eventual destinies as Spider-Women are left unexplored, with no powers or backstories to hint at their future roles.

The villain, Ezekiel Sims, fares no better. Played by Tahar Rahim, Ezekiel is a one-note antagonist whose motivations are thinly sketched at best. Beyond his vague obsession with self-preservation, there’s little to make him compelling or threatening. His underwhelming presence underscores the film’s larger problem: an inability to craft meaningful stakes or memorable characters.

Visually, Madame Web offers a mixed bag. S.J. Clarkson’s direction borrows heavily from her TV experience (Jessica Jones), with fluid camera movements and dynamic transitions that occasionally inject energy into the narrative. Some sequences, like Cassie’s initial struggle to understand her powers, carry a trippy, almost surreal quality that hints at what the film could have been. Unfortunately, the action scenes are bogged down by subpar CGI and uninspired choreography. Even the film’s $80 million budget can’t disguise its reliance on recycled ideas and effects, including a glaringly obvious clip from 2004’s Spider-Man 2.

Adding insult to injury is the film’s blatant product placement. The Pepsi logos scattered throughout Madame Web feel less like incidental details and more like deliberate distractions. Combined with a tepid plot and forced attempts at setting up sequels, the pervasive commercialization highlights Sony’s true priorities: leveraging the Spider-Man brand for profit, rather than delivering a quality story.

While Madame Web isn’t entirely devoid of merit — it’s mercifully paced at under two hours and occasionally finds humor in its absurdity — it’s hard to shake the sense that this is a film made with little passion or purpose. The rich source material from Marvel Comics is squandered, reduced to a series of half-hearted nods that fail to honor the legacy of the character. Even the film’s climactic moments, which should be thrilling and emotional, feel hollow and contrived.

Madame Web is a forgettable addition to Sony’s Spider-verse lineup. Its lack of creativity and coherence leaves little hope for the franchise’s future, which increasingly seems defined by its reliance on brand recognition over storytelling. For fans of superhero cinema, this is a web you might want to avoid getting tangled in.