…..The 2024 rendition of “Madame Web,” featuring Dakota Johnson in the titular role, stands as a lackluster addition to the superhero film canon. Directed by a seemingly misguided creative team, this film fails to capitalize on the potential of its talented cast, delivering a forgettable experience marred by lackluster performances and uninspired storytelling.

…..Dakota Johnson’s portrayal of Madame Web is equivalent to drinking lukewarm water, not terrible but leaving a lot to be desired due to a lack of depth and conviction in her performance, giving off the impression of someone only in the film for the paycheck (and I can’t say I blame her). The character’s complexities are reduced to a one-dimensional rendering, leaving audiences lacking any indication of a connection between the character and her comic book counterpart, a character shrouded in mystique and wisdom. 

…..The film’s narrative is plagued by predictability and a dearth of originality. It leans heavily on tired superhero tropes without offering any fresh perspectives on the genre, aside from the half baked attempts throughout at using time complexities to induce any amount of investment within the audience. The flick tries to inject mystery and intrigue into Madame Web’s backstory but falls flat, as the plot unfolds in a formulaic manner anyways that fails to captivate or surprise.

…..The supporting cast, including the main villain, aren’t much better. The spiderman-esque appeal of the film, the only reason (Well, not the only reason) why many even went to see the movie in the first place, holds not even a fraction of the actual runtime of the movie, and is executed in such a hemorrhaging way that you aren’t even sure what you’ve actually watched after the film’s “resounding climax” concludes.

…..To tie into that, even visually the film struggles to make an impression. The special effects lack the innovative quality expected from a blockbuster superhero film in 2024, leaving action sequences feeling uninspired and visually unappealing. The film’s production design and cinematography, while at least slightly competent, do little to elevate the overall viewing experience. In fact, some sequences are just directly reused cuts from older Sony spider man projects, really conveying how little dedication those who worked on this movie actually devoted to it.

…..In conclusion, the 2024 “Madame Web” film falls prey to a combination of paycheck performances, abysmal storytelling, and atrocious visuals. Despite the potential hinted at by the cast and a single cherry-picked trailer shot, the movie fails to weave an engaging narrative or deliver the kind of superhero spectacle audiences have become desperate for ever since the quality degradation of the MCU. I know I for one truly hope that this film takes inspiration from its arachnid origins, in the sense that within 6-8 months, any memory of it is dried up behind a radiator and dead.