IronWatcher’s review published on Letterboxd:
Watched in the cinema (26th visit in 2024)
Sony's Spider-Man universe finally wants to pick up speed outside of the main films from director Jon Watts. While the first "Venom" still offered forgettable entertainment, the sequels and "Morbius" in particular have now gained an almost legendary bad reputation - and largely deserve it. With "Madame Web", Sony is now trying to turn the tide, combat the fatigue in the superhero genre and establish its own piece in the MCU - and at the highest level. In light of the recent strikes, this film is one of the few, alongside "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Kraven The Hunter", to bring superpowers to cinemas in 2024. At a time when superhero films with capes, origin stories and skybeams have cannibalised each other in recent years, there currently seems to be enough room for superhero cinema to take a fresh breath.
In fact, "Madame Web" does a few things differently. There is far less spectacle, and it would be dishonest to claim that the film by director S.J. Clarkson, who previously worked in series, focuses more on its effects than its characters. In direct comparison, the title seems much leaner, which is not a bad thing in itself. Nevertheless, what Sony has done with the title character can hardly be described as refreshingly bold. While the character in the comics is often portrayed as an older, not necessarily good-natured, blind seer, in the film adaptation she naturally has to be a young, athletic heroine. Sony continues to portray its characters from the Spidey cosmos as anti-heroes, although the "anti" is increasingly fading and is only written in small, thick brackets.
But be that as it may, we get another standard origin story pulled over our sinews. One that is told in such a dull, stultifying way and devoid of any sophistication that even the most blatant superpowers are dealt with so listlessly within the film, as if what we see on screen is nothing more than an assembly line production.
A comparison that is not so far-fetched. Especially when it comes to the characters, it's almost unbelievable that any effort or care was put into them. The mere fact that Sydney Sweeney has to constantly walk around in the film in a costume that was probably stored in a dirty film fund under the category "Schoolgirl" speaks volumes. Not to mention the fact that the character sketches are either non-existent or so crude that even the dimmest candle on the cake really does realise it.
Nobody expects a sophisticated cinema experience from titles like these, but such a lobotomising effect cannot have been the declared aim. "Madame Web" really doesn't seem to think its audience is particularly clever and perhaps that's why it has subtracted everything that provides at least rudimentary food for thought. When you consider how much talent was literally wasted in front of the camera, you could almost get a little angry, oh if only the film wasn't so miserably indifferent. It fits in perfectly with Sony's other Spider-Man-MCU-antihero-something-universe films mentioned above.
And don't worry, the film, which is set in 2003, takes every opportunity to make it clear where we are. So if you enjoy realising that Emma Roberts and Adam Scott are related to a very important character in the Spidey cosmos in the film, you might experience a few pleasant moments. But if that's enough for you, you can justifiably call yourself frugal in the unhealthy spectrum. After all, "Madame Web" presents a good alternative quite early on. In one scene, a doctor advises Cassandra that she should stay at home and watch old films. A great suggestion, there's really nothing more to add.