Beware all of you! Madame Web isn’t the person you remember from the past. She’s young, non-blind, and awkward in social settings. Madame Web Movie gives us an entirely new look at Cassandra Webb and other Marvel characters. In reality, it’s so different that the term Madame Web might not even seem appropriate! They’ve switched the characters and stories from comics.
The film feels stuck in 2003 because of its dialog and style looking old-fashioned. It’s sometimes okay but several times, it’s not a great film. Madame Web Movie ends up making use of the talents of its actors and fails to fulfill its promise of a clairvoyant superhero protecting the future Spider-Women. Additionally it’s too focused on the Spider-Man family when he’s supposed tie the various films together.
Table of Contents
The phenomenon of superhero movies in the decade of 2010 reached new levels, flooding cinemas with an average of eight films every year. While there were moments of brilliance rush of caped crusaders and masked vigilantes left no opportunities for a variety of blockbuster entertainment. Studios, enthralled by the lucrative nature of the genre have become complacent and re-use old tropes and stories to diminishing profits. The disappointing box office performances of the year which included The Flash, Shazam 2, The Marvels, Ant-Man 3 And Aquaman 2, marked a public resentment.
In the wake of the consequences of the failures of the disappointments, the industry is facing an unsettling reality check like an extremely thorough PowerPoint presentation that outlines the flaws and recommends solutions for future movies.
In the year 2019 Madame Web Movie began its journey from concept to production and was granted the green light to begin production in 2020. In 2022, cameras were rolling in capturing the tale on film and reports of reshoots appearing in the next year. It was decided to make Madame Web to life was driven by the need to extend Marvel, as well as the Sony Spider-Man universe which was bolstered by the surprise success in Venom as well as Into the Spider Verse in 2018. In contrast to the conventional depiction of Madame Web Movie as an elderly psychic who assists Spider-Man The character went through an important transformation.
She is being depicted in the role of a paramedic played by Dakota Johnson who remains completely unaware of the existence of Spider-Man. The movie seems to be grappling to confront its identity dilemma as evident in the baffling trailer released the year before, which attracted attention due to its ambiguous tone convoluted plot and uninspired leading performance. In recognition of the changing tides of the expectations of audiences, the movie is now marketed as a suspense thriller that is gritty with Johnson insisting on its independent nature in a different film universe in press interviews.
Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson), Cassie’s daughter recalls in the Madame Web Movie trailer how her late mother was studying spiders in the Amazon shortly before she passed. Cassie Webb (Kerry Bishe), Cassie is fixated on this fact because it happened. After all her mother did die during that trip while still pregnant. This fascination may also stem from Cassie being so close to Constance Webb (Kerry Bishe). Though Constance dies during childbirth, her daughter Cassie manages to survive thanks to Las Aranas (commonly referred to as Spider-People) and their superhealing spiders.
Unfortunately, Cassie feels abandoned, angry and disdained as an adult an incident which causes her to maintain distance from people due to feelings of abandonment, anger and disdain until Las Aranas grants her an extraordinary power enabling her to adopt another litter of spiderlings who also don’t have webs something she never imagined possible through Las Aranas’ magic powers granted to her by Las Aranas through clairvoyance granted by Las Aranas!
Cassie remains something of a puzzle; she works as a paramedic in New York City and enjoys American Idol and Chinese takeout yet remains reluctant to attend family gatherings due to possible abandonment issues from being raised in foster care. Cassie was later brought home from Amazon but her path back remains unclear. Though Cassie may assert she’s fine her behavior suggests otherwise; more like an emotional survivor hiding layers of unresolved grief beneath her tough exterior.
Dakota Johnson beautifully portrays Cassie. Johnson perfectly captured Cassie’s social awkwardness and disinterest in pleasing others through her rough edges and lackluster bedside manner. Johnson’s delivery of sharp comebacks and awkward explanations resonated with online audiences even if some lines did not make the final cut. Johnson perfectly captured the essence of an unwilling caregiver cementing herself as the ideal choice for this role.
Madame Web attempts to balance between psychological thriller and a coming of age roadtrip dramedy. However, its witty quips such as Cassie’s attempt to scale walls from the former distract from its earlier qualities. The story is about an assailant who tries to destroy three future Spider Women by using increasingly violent methods. Sydney Sweeney, Isabel Merced and Celeste O’Connor portray basic but flawed archetypes even despite the best effort to be charming in their scripts.
In Sweeney’s Julia Carpenter is timid and uneasy, she is trying to find the same assistance and encouragement she received on Euphoria. On the other hand, on Merced’s Anya she’s smart and cautious of strangers initially, but then is more open to them openly. In the end, Franklin’s Mattie stands out due to her bold declarations, spontaneous behavior and uncompromising personality.
Cassie and her companions have the same experience of being lost and lonely until they get together and form their own impromptu family. Madame Web only lightly touches the subject of this emotional journey and misses an chance. Even with its occasionally sad tone I appreciate Madame Web’s efforts to address more complex issues. It tries to illustrate how the girls find comfort in one another although it doesn’t go into the issue.
Madame Web could be seen as a remark on how girls should reach maturity earlier and men fight against it with violence and manipulation, but you’d need to find the truth. It’s true that Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) certainly plays this role, as he wants to murder Julia, Anya and Mattie! We recognize him as bad because of his general villainous strength, wealth and presence including the fact that he has Zosia Mamet in the role of Amaria be his tech-savvy henchwoman as well as having very common villain dialogue, which creates Rahim seem to be talking directly at them instead of in indirect ways.
Because if there’s one thing Ezekiel Sims is going to do it’s remind you that he came from nothing. He came from nothing and no one is going to take everything he’s worked for away from him! If there is another thing Ezekiel Sims is going to do, it’s not wear any footwear in New York alleys or train stations, which is disturbing. But like every other main character in Madame Web Film.
We only ever get the most baseline information about Ezekiel, we don’t know what his passions are, or his purpose for life. He’s been cursed with nightmares of his death but did he become a casually evil dude just to avoid being attacked, and killed by Spider Women? Does he have any technology or research he’s doing to show that he’s at least trying to survive through above board means?
Madame Web Movie: Unnecessarily Packed in Two Hours
Madame Web crams a lot in its nearly two hour runtime but it doesn’t really need to. The film’s bizarre speed and focus aren’t directed properly for instance Cassie’s coworker Ben Parker (Adam Scott) and his pregnant sister in law Mary Parker (Emma Roberts). Richard Parker Ben’s brother who was married by Mary and mysteriously disappeared before Mary having her baby is what makes Richard appear as a absent father which makes for some comic relief, especially when you consider that the film takes place in just three weeks? Cassie goes on a trip for a week only to return after Spider-Man had taken away on another adventure?
Ben as well as Mary Parker seem forced into these films as an afterthought. Venom is a major part of the Spider-Man storyline and his films have the ability to tell it without him. We don’t require movies that turn Ben as well as Mary Parker into Sony’s Spider-Man Universe’s Skywalkers, Madame Web Movie has shown this clearly enough and so why would we try to retroactively incorporating not only Spider-Man himself but his family members too?
Madame Web’s Film major showdowns take place on trains and rooftops, necessitating creative bobbing, weaving, and misdirection in order to be engaging and exciting to watch. Many of the effects and sets in these scenes are practical which is nice since this gives off a realistic feel as 2003 is used as the setting in these scenes (added bonus!).
A key scene from the trailers shows Cassie taking action against death after seeing vision after vision as her fellow passengers enter the train, its rapid pace disorients both Cassie as well as us viewers alike! The subway scene featured prominently shows Cassie taking action after being bombarded by vision after vision after vision as each girl enters. Its fast paced real time vision, disorients both Cassie, as well as us viewers alike in its fast paced sequence that disorients both her as well as us viewers.
Madame Web Movie is truly distinguished by its portrayal of Cassie’s visions as well as the surreal, dreamlike environment she is in Director S.J. Clarkson employs some of the stylistic elements from the show Anatomy of a Scamal’s style choices to convey Cassie’s clairvoyance with diopter lenses and practical tricks that might seem abstract for a legal drama series but they work well here. moving slowly and stuttering on screen action to mimic the way thoughts or memories flow through Cassie’s head.
Madame Web Movie: Sony’s Echoes of Doctor Strange
Madame Web’s uneven tone may leave me cold, but its success in orchestrating an action sequence timed to Britney Spears’ “Toxic” is undeniable. Cassie crashing a stolen taxi into a diner was particularly satisfying and amused me; I especially enjoyed how she was incorporating any physical abilities she hadn’t acquired from spider bite into emergency vehicle driving (even off ramp garage floors weren’t enough for Cassie!). Get Dakota Johnson into Ambulance 2 Michael Bay!
Madame Web’s erratic tone could cause me to be in a cold mood but its effectiveness in orchestrating an action scene which is timed according to Britney Spears “Toxic” is undeniable. Cassie smashing the stolen vehicle into a restaurant was particularly pleasing and enthralled me. I particularly enjoyed the way she incorporated any physical skills she didn’t acquire through spider bites in emergency driving (even garage floors that were offramp were not sufficient for Cassie). Find Dakota Johnson into Ambulance 2 Michael Bay!
Following the all lady team-up of the TV show The Marvels where the three characters are linked together to fight the same enemy I was hoping that Madame Web Movie would deliver another exciting badass story of women bonded by their talents and learning to collaborate regardless of their differences. It only provides a glimpse of the awesome and impressive Cassie, Julia, Anya and Mattie will ultimately be.
Following the all lady team-up of the TV show The Marvels where the three characters are linked together to fight the same enemy I was hoping that Madame Web Movie would deliver another exciting badass story of women bonded by their talents and learning to collaborate regardless of their differences. It only provides a glimpse of the awesome and impressive Cassie, Julia, Anya and Mattie will ultimately be.
If you consider that’s over 50% of the major characters is a complete wasted story. The characters don’t ever dress in Madame Web or have the powers they’re expected to acquire. What are the underlying goals or rationale of all this activity? This is an unfinished story. Although a sequel may be not as certain from the Sony’s Spider Man Universe, Madam Web Movie has at least attempted to tell a tale that leaves viewers wanting to know more or leave them with an emotional feeling a connection to the persona and the things they can do.
Verdict
Madame Web Movie attempts to connect multiple plots and characters in a surprisingly confusing but ultimately boring outcome. It attempts to strike a balance between the comedic style of contemporary superhero films with a more interesting psychological thriller if more time had spent on the creation of both villain, and hero instead of trying to tie all the new characters. The film fails both as an independent film as well as a franchise-starter in not providing Cassie with a satisfying background story as well as failing to create a future Spider-Women however certain action oriented scenes evoke the earlier Spider-Man films from the earlier 2000s.
What the average cinema-goer should take away from this unholy mess made even more intriguing by reading its torturous Wikipedia page remains unknown. Superhero films may not be dead (just today the trailer for Deadpool & Wolverine broke a YouTube record) but its age certainly has passed; superhero films like Madame Web – soulless boardroom product made without regard for what matters to its target audience certainly have. Madame Web is in cinemas on 14 February 2019.
