Sony’s newest Marvel offering comes in the form of Madame Web. Cassandra (Dakota Johnson) is a paramedic who lives in New York City. She develops powers that allow her to see the future which she can use to change it. When revelations come to light about her past, she forms a relationship with three young women who are bound for greatness.
Ever since I saw the film yesterday, I’ve been wrecking my head trying to formulate my thoughts about it. This was one that I was super excited for; the cast is great and a female version of Spider-Man more than sparked my interest, but it ended up being one giant disappointment.
The first letdown was the script. A lot of the dialogue came across as forced and unauthentic. As a result, a variety of the scenes were uncomfortable to sit through because you could tell that the actors were doing what they could with the source material and it just wasn’t translating properly.
Another issue that I had was that pacing. It took awhile to get going and it was as if some scenes didn’t get the focus needed while others got too much. The sequence in the subway that developed into a cab chase lasted for awhile while Cassie’s visit to Peru was only five minutes. It didn’t make sense.
One bright spot was the chemistry between Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced and Celeste O’Connor. They gelled together well enough and their camaraderie was realistic. Cassie was like an older sister to Julia, Anya and Mattie and if we do end up getting a sequel, I look forward to seeing more of them all together. Adam Scott as Ben, Emma Roberts as Mary Parker and Zosia Mamet as Amaria were also welcome additions. Another missed opportunity was Tahar Rahim’s villain Ezekiel Simms. He was one of the worst villains I have ever witnessed! I found him incredibly dull and didn’t care when he was on screen.
I’m sad that Madame Web was such a misfire. There was potential hidden deep within, I just don’t think it was properly brought to fruition. I feel bad for the cast, but it’s not their fault as they did all they could. I hate to say it – the future of superhero films is not looking too good.
Rating: ♥️♥️
Credits Rolling 