About the film (courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing):
In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing’s most enigmatic heroines. The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who develops the power to see the future… and realizes she can use that insight to change it. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women bound for powerful destinies…if they can all survive a deadly present.

Sony’s Spider-Man Universe (SSU) faces a pivotal and perplexing film with Madame Web. An enigmatic figure plucked from the comics, Madame Web’s mutant capabilities – precognition, astral projection, and a connection to the metaphysical “Web of Life and Destiny” – make her a uniquely challenging character to adapt. Unfortunately, the film sacrifices narrative coherence and engaging superheroics for a muddled attempt at grand world-building.

Dakota Johnson leads the cast as Cassandra Webb, born blind and afflicted with a chronic health condition that strangely amplifies her psychic powers. Johnson does a semi-commendable job bringing vulnerability and steely determination to a character bound to a life support system resembling a giant spider’s web. However, sympathy can only stretch so far when the film’s relentless exposition drowns out character development.

We’re plunged into a convoluted multiverse storyline where Madame Web uses her powers to recruit other Spider-People from different realities. Sydney Sweeney plays Julia Carpenter, a version of Spider-Woman who becomes intertwined in the film’s central conflict against a menacing villain. Sweeney brings a much-needed energy to the film, but like Johnson, she often fades into the background amidst the overwhelming plot machinations.

The film’s greatest sin is its insistence on prioritizing franchise setups over telling a compelling, self-contained story. Scenes jump erratically between time periods and dimensions, introducing variations of familiar Spider-Man allies and nemeses with little narrative justification. These cameos feel less like organic story beats and more like studio-mandated checklists designed to tease future SSU installments.

Much of the action consists of visually uninspired chase sequences and battles that fail to generate excitement. The reliance on murky CGI and disorienting editing only furthers a sense of incoherence that detracts from the thrills of superhero cinema. Madame Web’s own potential for visually interesting powers, like astral projection and peering into other realities, remains largely untapped.

As with some prior SSU films, Madame Web seems torn between mimicking the formula of Marvel Studios’ success and striving for a different cinematic flavor. Its attempts at a darker, edgier tone fall flat, with forced references to trauma and loss that fail to give the film an emotional core. While it aims to set itself apart within the oversaturated superhero genre, it ultimately becomes tangled in a web of its own ambition.

In its desperation to expand its Spider-Verse without a solid filmmaking foundation, Madame Web weaves a tangled narrative that serves neither its characters nor the audience. Die-hard Spidey enthusiasts might find fleeting amusement in the multiverse antics, but those searching for a satisfying superhero movie will be left disappointed. Madame Web isn’t the worst film in the genre, but it represents a major stumble for Sony and a wasted opportunity to bring a fascinating character to life.

Madame Web is only in theaters starting today, so you might want to swing by quickly to check it one out while it sticks around. And if you are planning on seeing this around Valentine’s Day, just prepare to have your heart broken.