Marvel and Sony's 'Madame Web' has finally landed on Netflix. Is this movie worth your time? Or can you go ahead and give it a skip? Read on to know more.
As a huge Marvel fan, I felt compelled to watch 바카라˜Madame Web바카라™ to check it off my bucket list. However, after hearing all the negative reviews, I decided to hold off and wait for it to be available on OTT platforms. Now that it바카라™s landed on Netflix and is surprisingly performing well on its first day of digital debut, I바카라™ve decided to give it a chance. So, if you바카라™re considering watching this Marvel production, here바카라™s everything you need to know about it.
The story revolves around Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson), a paramedic who discovers the secrets of a rare spider species with healing properties, linked to her and her late mother. Living a careless life, Cassandra바카라™s psychic abilities as a clairvoyant start to trouble her, causing confusion. She soon becomes entangled in a dangerous web of fate, where she must protect Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O바카라™Connor) from Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), her late mother바카라™s former colleague. Throughout the movie, we witness Cassandra바카라™s journey as she comes to understand her powers and the reasons behind Ezekiel바카라™s desire to kill the three teenage girls.
While the premise appeared promising, the lead stars in the movie didn바카라™t seem to fully believe in their performances. I mean, this has to be Dakota Johnson바카라™s weakest performance. She바카라™s expressionless and emotionless most of the time, and when she does display emotion, she moves on too quickly. But despite that, you바카라™d still end up cheering for her, even if you could see her next move coming from a mile away.
Coming to the girls, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O바카라™Connor assume important roles, but their portrayals just don바카라™t hit the mark. Despite their essential roles, their on-screen presence lacks the striking impact expected of pivotal characters. Throughout the film, they haven바카라™t been able to deliver any standout moments. On the other hand, one actor I had high expectations for was Tahar Rahim. He had all the potential to be a threatening antagonist. But the script, more precisely the lack of back story, failed him.
None of the other supporting characters particularly stood out.
바카라˜Madame Web바카라™ kicks off well and will keep you hooked by sparking curiosity about two different timelines. Like Cassandra herself, you too will end up being confused about the visions she바카라™s seeing; the movie will keep you thinking about what바카라™s going on. However, as more characters start to come into the picture, the story starts to feel a bit unclear. It seemed like Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, and S.J. Clarkson struggled with moving the plot forward smoothly. The entire narrative started to feel like it was written out of convenience. Questions arise like what has Ezekiel been up to all these years, how he got his powers, how is Cassandra (mind you, she바카라™s a wanted person) able to travel across continents without getting caught, or how come the police aren바카라™t showing up within seconds if there바카라™s a helicopter that blasted mid-air. There are so many questions, and together, they just don바카라™t give you answers.
In terms of visuals, Mauro Fiore바카라™s camera work isn바카라™t very impressive. There are a lot of snap zooms and medium close-up shots, which can be overwhelming. The camera moves so quickly that it바카라™s hard to understand what바카라™s really happening. Even the editing is way too abrupt. In a superhero movie, action sequences are supposed to be easy to follow, but there are rapid cuts that don바카라™t let you fully absorb yourself into one particular setting. It바카라™s like you바카라™re deep in the Amazon Forests and within the blink of an eye, you바카라™re back in your driveway in New York. So, Leigh Folsom Boyd could have done a better job in ensuring smooth transitions.
One standout feature perhaps is the music. Other than the part where you will find yourself grooving to Britney Spears바카라™ hit 바카라˜Toxic,바카라™ the compositions by Johan Söderqvist not only enhance the emotional depth but also create the nerve-wracking tension required, no matter how predictable. It바카라™s a perfect Marvel score!
But overall, the S.J. Clarkson directorial feels hollow. The movie feels more like an introduction to Cassandra바카라™s powers, with a lot of time spent on her trying to understand what바카라™s happening or come to terms with the fact that she has powers. But even in doing so, the execution has failed. At the end of the day, it serves its purpose of introducing Madame Web as a Marvel superhero, but it바카라™s a straightforward story that doesn바카라™t leave your jaws dropped and leaves you with a dissatisfactory feeling towards the end. But considering how Marvel is making movies these days, I didn바카라™t really have any high hopes.
Director: S. J. Clarkson
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, Celeste O'Connor, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott
Available On: Netflix
Duration: 116 minutes
Premiere Date: May 16, 2024
Genre: Action, Science Fiction
Language: English
Yes.
Overall, 바카라˜Madame Web바카라™ is one big mess. There are quite a few yawning moments, but I바카라™ll have to admit, I바카라™m waiting to see how Sony and Marvel take forward the storyline. There바카라™s a lot of potential for the three future superheroes, and hopefully, their representations will be far better. The movie doesn바카라™t leave a big mark in the superhero genre. Instead, it feels like a lukewarm introduction of the characters in an already exhausted universe.