In the wake of its Valentine’s Day release, early reviews for the highly anticipated Dakota Johnson starrer, “Madame Web,” have surfaced, painting a rather mixed picture for the Spider-Man spin-off. Positioned as a significant addition to the Sony-Marvel franchise, the film introduces Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan, who discovers her ability to foresee the future.
Attempting to weave a classic superhero narrative, the movie follows Webb’s journey as she grapples with her newfound powers, while also serving as an origin story for several Spider-Women, portrayed by Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O’Connor.
Despite high expectations, the film failed to capture the hearts of critics who labeled it as ‘messy.’ Debuting on February 14 in the United States, “Madame Web” faced early backlash with critiques pointing out issues in the script and editing. Some early reviews on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) praised Dakota Johnson’s ‘stand out’ performance but lamented the overall disappointment with the film.
“#MadameWeb is yet another disappointing entry in the Sony Universe. Dakota Johnson is a stand-out, but unfortunately, that’s not the case for the rest of the cast. Not as bad as I expected it to be, but it sadly falls short of what could have been a decent movie,” read one tweet.
Another contributor expressed, “I watched #MadameWeb, and it was bad. I tried to give it a chance, but sadly the poor execution didn’t help it. The cast was awesome, but the performances were definitely disappointing…”
Critics went on to describe the film as an “embarrassing mess,” with talented stars wasted on what some called “probably the worst comic book movie” they had ever seen.
However, amidst the negative reviews, there were voices of dissent, praising the film for its entertainment value. One viewer stated, “Consider me on the side of #MadameWeb is fun. I was seated for stupid fun and got exactly what I wanted. I had a good time, and Dakota Johnson is a delight in this.”
The film also faced a harsh critique on Rotten Tomatoes, earning a low 18% score. Some fans, however, drew parallels with previous Sony-Marvel releases like “Morbius” and the “Venom” franchise, emphasizing that audience ratings could differ significantly from critic reviews.
Led by an all-female cast, “Madame Web” draws inspiration from the comic book mythology surrounding the character originating in 1980, whose abilities once aided Peter Parker. The film is scheduled to premiere in cinemas in India on February 16th, with screenings available in English, Hindi, and Tamil.
