“madame web'' is an alternate Spider-Man movie directed by S.J. Clarkson and released on Valentine's Day. The film features cheesy dialogue, over-the-top character tropes, and questionable CGI, but it also showcases girl power, an empowering soundtrack, and a strong performance from Dakota Johnson.
Cathy Webb, played by Johnson, is the main character in this movie. The film begins with a flashback to Peru in 1973, and the audience is introduced to Cassie's pregnant mother, Cassie, as she searches for a rare spider whose venom she believes has unique healing properties. Meet Constance.
Constance, played by Kelly Bishé, is accompanied by Ezekiel Sims, played by Tahar Rahim, but Constance betrays her when he discovers the elusive spider. Ezekiel steals her spider from Constance and shoots her. The researcher is found near death by an indigenous tribe known in local legend as “Las Alañas'' or “Spider People.''
The Spider People scoop up Constance and run through the trees at super speed. It has outrageous special effects comparable to “''.twilight” movie.
Constance is bitten by one of the spiders before dying and gives birth to Cathy.
The film then moves to 2003, where Cassie is working as an EMT in New York City. How she immigrated to America from Peru and started her life there is just one of the many unanswered questions in the film.
Cassie ends up having an accident on the job, which somehow triggers her powers, the ability to manipulate time and see the future.
The audience will also be introduced to the 2003 version of Ezekiel. Ezekiel also has spider powers and repeatedly dreams of being killed by three Spider-Women.
The three women are Julia, Anya, and Matty, played by Sidney Sweeney, Isabella Merced, and Celeste O'Connor, respectively. None of them have powers as of 2003, but through Ezekiel's dreams it is assumed that they will eventually gain powers, but we don't get any further explanation for this and the movie ends with It ends with them still powerless.
Ezekiel is a weak villain, with cheesy lines like “Trust me,” which detract from the potential depth of his character. I'm glad I didn't know that today was the day I was going to die. ”
Because of bad things sound editingEzekiel's voice can be heard dubbed for almost the entire movie, which is very distracting.
Ezekiel sets out to kill the girls who were prophesied to assassinate him, but they were still teenagers in 2003.
Cathy and the three girls, who did not know each other at the time, end up boarding the same train by chance. She then has a premonition that Ezekiel will murder them and decides to take the girls into the middle of the forest, but they are all unrealistically calm.
Through unnatural conversations, each person's individuality is forcibly established. Julia is innocent and good-natured, Isabella is a nerd, and Matty is a rebel. If their roles weren't made clear in the dialogue, Julia wears schoolgirl clothes throughout the film, and Isabella wears a shirt that says “I eat math for breakfast.”
Side note: Just putting glasses on Sweeney isn't enough to make her a homely teenager. ”beautiful girl behind glasses” metaphor is exhausted.
But the film also shows strong costume choices, hinting at classic Spider-Man colors, such as Cassie's gorgeous red leather jacket and dark blue shirt combination.
Shortly after meeting the girls, Cassie realizes that the myth of spider people is true and decides to go to Peru to look for answers. There she meets Santiago, the man who saved Constance, and he helps her understand and control her powers.
The parts of the film where Cassie is in Peru feel rushed, improbable, and confusing. Plus, Cassie is wanted by the police for kidnapping three girls on a train, so how can she travel abroad in one go?
Quickly returning to America, Cassie, Julia, Anya, and Mattie work together to defeat Ezekiel and ultimately found family.
Unrealistic actions and actions during the movie take the audience away from the movie. When Kathy and her girls were staying at a hotel to hide from Ezekiel, they didn't lock the door behind them when they entered the room. If I were being chased by a man with superhuman abilities, I would remember to lock the door.
This movie is full of lucky conveniences and unanswered questions that the screenwriters hope the audience will forget. How was Kathy able to quickly find the exact spot in the Amazon rainforest where her mother took the photo 30 years ago, without a map or guide? Can it poison people just by touching them? How does Spider-Woman get her powers?
The characters are never seen wearing superhero suits, except for Ezekiel's dreams and a brief premonition that Cassie sees at the end of the film. They spend less than a minute in the suits, but the movie feels more like a two-hour origin story than a superhero movie.
However, songs with strong female voices such as “''dreamThe Cranberries'I think we're all alone nowTiffany's “” and “toxicBritney Spears' work elevated the film and its girl power themes.
I don't think this movie would have been so repulsive if it had been directed by a man, had a male lead, or sexualized women through their clothing.
Female superheroes are often unnecessarily sexualized, from the suits they wear to the way they're photographed. However, that is not the case with Madame Web. For Johnson and Sweeney, two actresses who have been largely sexualized by the media, this lack of objectification was likely surprising to many viewers. Director Clarkson didn't give in to those expectations, even if it drove up ratings, and that's to be commended.
This movie certainly isn't the best of the year, but I don't think it's going to be the worst either. This movie wasn't particularly memorable, but it wasn't boring either. It's a fun watch when you're with friends and don't want to do anything too serious, as long as you don't think too hard about the details.
Rating: 6/10
