Madame Web – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Madame Web – Crawling in Misery’s Future: An Origin Unwanted

Film is, by and large, a very subjective medium.  From the onset of over-the-top action to the endearing nature of a romantic tale, we all witness it through the lens of indifference.  Occasionally, there are films that will sway the masses in one direction.  When it does, it can be a marker of excellence … or a broken big screen experience.  In this review, I look at the latest Sony/comic book film.  I’m going to go straight to the point, Madame Web is a befuddlement of epic proportions.  

This is the story of Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) and how dark forces led her to become the clairvoyant creature known as … Madame Web.  Within the basic aspects of filmmaking, you always have a foundation that builds up characters, premise, and plot.  No matter the genre, development propels from here, leading to some kind of emotional reverie (laughter, fear, love, etc.).  With this film, the basic shell of a ‘comic book’ foundation is laid, but never developed.  We begin in the first act that plops down one-dimensional archetypes for a lethargic origin tale: the ominous backstory of familial tragedy, a ‘mustache-twirling’ villain seeking unexplained control, and an unlikely ‘nobody’ that discovers they have otherworldly powers.  From here, the film never thrusts into anything riveting, creating no spark of reverence when certain moments happen to Cassandra.  When we head into the second act, with no attempt at building from its foundation, it leads to a heavy mirror reflecting the horrid script.  Through a hodge podge of diluted dialogue, unlikable side characters, and an ‘on-the-run’ storyline, you witness the bland array of messy scenes building up an unwelcome growth of the main character.  Through the monotony of scenes, the one thing that may grab your attention are the obvious Easter Eggs to the greater ‘Spiderman’ lore.

As Cassandra leads through a series of unfortunate (but predictable) encounters, it morphs into cliché melodrama mixed in with throwaway purpose.  As she embarks on learning the ‘truth’, it leads down the list of run-of-the-mill comic book cliches that further drown the script.  When all comes to a head, Cassandra embarks on that generic over-the-top action sequence in the third act, with an unrewarding climax and epilogue.  Madame Web is just a lazy attempt at building up another comic book hero.  Whether you are a fan or not of this comic book lore, don’t waste your time.  This is basically a throwaway film. 

Full Score – 1 out of 5 (Mind Numbing)