Sony’s stewardship of Spider-Man has produced underwhelming spinoffs from that universe, from “Venom” (not good, but successful) to “Morbius” (not good, and RIP). In terms of stand-alone appeal, though, “Madame Web” likely represents the weakest of those concepts, yielding a movie that screams “streaming series,” and even that might have been a wispy stretch.
Indeed, this film starring Dakota Johnson as a relatively obscure Spider-Man figure likely would have struggled in the best of times, but with superhero movies hitting a rough patch, its prospects look particularly grim. Much of that has to do with a central character whose “power” exists entirely in her head, which blunts attempts to spin much excitement out of the premise.
“Madame Web” does benefit slightly from existing as a stand-alone origin story set in 2003, with only glancing (and reasonably clever) connections to more familiar material. Yet even the hardiest of hard-core Marvel fans might have difficulty forming a serious attachment to something anchored by such slender threads.
The movie opens in a remote part of Peru, where a scientist’s search for a spider believed to possess extraordinary healing properties results in the birth of a baby unaware of her special gifts. The arachnid also imbues a villain (Tahar Rahim of “The Mauritanian”) with more tangible spider-like powers, and later gives him nightmares about a trio of teenagers who, in the future, will bring about his demise.Flash forward 30 years, and Cassie (Johnson) is working as a paramedic alongside her partner Ben (Adam Scott, generally wasted here), when a near-death experience triggers eerie visions hinting at her ability to see the future.
Comments
Post a Comment