Madame Web Becomes Entangled with Herself
which would disappoint people who were hoping to see Madame Web for the camp that it seemed to be. There is a lot more goofiness in the movie, especially in the last few minutes, but overall, Madame Web is a subdued experience—it's not horrible, but it's also not great, and it's neither boring nor as memorable as one could have hoped. The most interesting aspect of this weird film is how captivating its tortured existence is.
This movie appears to be related to the Spider-Man universe, but it doesn't seem to be able to fully commit to being associated with that mythology. In 2003, Cassie and Ben Parker (Adam Scott) are pals and ambulance drivers. Ben Parker will eventually become a devoted and tragic uncle to Spider-Man, Peter Parker. Emma Roberts, Ben's sister-in-law, is expecting a child, whose name we are certain is Peter, but we never hear it. Towards the end of the movie, it seems as though that name was mentioned before Sony became nervous and chose to make Madame Web more independent.However, in the theatrical cut, it's just a bizarre tease—depending on how kind you want to be, Madame Web is either overly coy or the victim of a junky hack job.
What is our current opinion on superhero movies? If recent box office totals and reviews are any guide, not very good. Madame Web evokes memories of a bygone era, a hazardous attempt at intellectual property that could have performed at least somewhat better seven years prior. Or perhaps not. The film also functions as a throwback to a bygone, pre-Iron Man period of comic book adaptation; stylistically, it is closer to Halle Berry's terrible 2004 film Catwoman than it is to anything that has recently come out of the Marvel machine.It's unclear if Clarkson is intentionally bringing back historical details in her film (such as an early Beyoncé billboard and a reference to Martha Stewart's imprisonment), but perhaps the entire production serves as a semi-satirical commentary on the sartorial conventions of the previous two decades. Once more, assuming Madame Web is so self-aware is the more liberal read.
The majority of the film is a bizarre Pepsi commercial with muted performers. Johnson is a simple actor who is so endearing in material as diverse as Suspiria and 50 Shades of Grey. Her choice of casting is regrettable because this is a film that calls for a particular vibrancy and fluidity with absurd vocabulary about poison and augury. Sidney Sweeney is one of three young females targeted by Tahar Rahim's Ezekiel Sims, a crudely drawn character whose only actions are to pursue teenagers and engage in stilted tech conversations with Zosia Mamet. Rahim also plays a villain in Spider-Man, not Spider-Man.
Celeste O'Connor and Isabela Merced, two livelier actors who have been given only the most minor roles to play, play Sweeney's opposites. They, along with Sweeney, are destined for superhuman glory in a sequel that Madame Web hinted about but probably will never see the light of day. Everyone concerned is caught in a state of brand uncertainty; the only firm belief that anyone is truly permitted to have is that they genuinely enjoy a crisp Pepsi cola on a steamy day in New York City. (Or, more accurately, Boston posing as New York City.)
Having said that, there was a good portion of Madame Web that I liked; it was essentially an eccentric chase movie, rich in colors created by Clarkson and oddly boosted by Johnson's expression of drowsiness. The movie contains a poignant tale of women who are compelled by fate and free will to sneak into the night together and attempt to save one another. Madame Web has more personality from Johnson's dry as London gin humor than from the manufactured whimsy and sarcasm of most modern MCU films.
Unfortunately, as the story must finally pick up speed toward an action-packed finale, Johnson becomes lost in a maze of explanatory jargon. Furthermore, Clarkson never effectively utilizes Cassie's paranormal abilities. Theoretically, Cassie's ability to see into the future may make her an exceptional fighter—one who can anticipate an opponent's punches and land them just in time. Rather, she narrowly avoids disaster by crashing a few automobiles and setting a fireworks warehouse on fire. It is conceivable that Ms. Web will only ever live in our imaginations' multiverse as a sequel, where she will finally fully realize her potential.
Madame Web will remain a solitary endeavor in the real world, a strange and erratic vision of what once might have been had the superhero movie industry figured out a way to truly sustain itself through its second decade; however, the powers that be, some prophets, them, don't seem to have seen the end coming, despite the unrelenting churn of product, the increasingly complex synergy, and the inevitable waning of novelty.