During my childhood, my mother would guide us towards toys that resembled G.I. Joe or Transformers action figures, but were not the real deal. These knockoff toys had strange-looking faces and poorly designed joints, resulting in limbs that didn’t move correctly or would even detach altogether. Although these off-brand imitations were more affordable than the authentic ones, no matter how much I used my imagination, I couldn’t transform my flawed GoBots into the iconic Optimus Prime.
If my ten-year-old self could have foreseen the future, just like Cassie Webb can, I would have viewed this disappointment as valuable preparation for a film like “Madame Web.” This Sony-produced Spider-Man spinoff lacks the charm that one would expect from even the most basic superhero movie. The titular mutant, who is never explicitly referred to as Madame Web, originates from the outskirts of the Marvel multiverse. This suggests that, similar to “Morbius” and “Venom,” the studio is scraping the barrel to find lesser-known characters to exploit.
In her original pulp form, Madame Web was an elderly, blind wheelchair user with extraordinary psychic abilities. However, in this adaptation, she is portrayed as an athletic Gen X ambulance driver who has vivid visions of impending disasters, allowing her to intervene before they occur. She also possesses the ability to be in multiple places simultaneously. While these powers are not the worst to have, they hardly warrant a standalone origin story. Once the pattern of her abilities is established, they become rather mundane. The premonitions are eerie, reminiscent of flashes from the “Final Destination” franchise, but Cassie’s ability to redo events diminishes the intrigue of each situation.
Even with the talented Dakota Johnson in the lead role (who seems to suspect that she could end up in the next lackluster “Cat woman” film, evident in her eccentric line deliveries), “Madame Web” was never going to reach the level of the high-concept Avengers movies produced by Disney. The script is confusing, the action lacks excitement, and the visual effects appear cheap.