There has recently been speculation in Hollywood that the era of superhero cinema is over. But the film studios continue undeterred. With “Madame Web,” Sony is expanding its “Spider-Man” universe.
Countless superheroes have made it to the big screen in the last 20 years. The Marvel Cinematic Universe alone now includes 33 films. For a long time they were considered a guaranteed box office magnet.
But in 2023, hoped-for blockbusters fell short of expectations commercially, including “The Flash” and “Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania”. “The Marvels” even turned out to be a flop and didn’t even recoup its costs. There’s already talk of superhero fatigue in Hollywood. Spectacular effects, popular characters and established stars are apparently no longer enough to attract audiences to the cinemas in large numbers.
Studios are defying superhero fatigue
However, this hasn’t stopped the studios from continuing to produce one superhero film after the other. Now “Madame Web” is coming to cinemas. The title heroine is a mutant with telepathic and clairvoyant abilities. The first movie about the comparatively unknown heroine tells how she got here. It will probably be the start of a series of “Madame Web” films. “I don’t know what will happen,” says leading actress Dakota Johnson in an interview with the German Press Agency in London, “but I’m definitely open to it.”
The character of Madame Web comes from Marvel. The film by Marvel-proven director SJ Clarkson (“Jessica Jones”, “The Defenders”) belongs to the “Spider-Man” universe from the studio Sony Pictures, which holds the rights to the “Spider-Man” characters and, among other things who produced the “Venom” films. However, “Madame Web” is not (yet) directly linked to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Incidentally, Spider-Man, a close ally of Madame Web in the comics, does not appear either.
Dakota Johnson as the title character
Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson) alias Cassie initially has no idea about her future as Madame Web or her eventful past because she is an orphan. Flashback: When Cassie’s mother is heavily pregnant with her, she searches the Peruvian jungle for a rare spider whose poison is said to give her superpowers. When she finds the spider, she is betrayed and shot by her bodyguard Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim). Ezekiel wants to use the serum himself. With the help of a spider, a mysterious jungle tribe is able to deliver baby Cassie healthy before her mother dies.
Some 30 years later, Cassie lives an ordinary life in New York. It is only when the ambulance driver has a near-death experience during a rescue operation that her abilities, which she initially does not have under control and finds as a burden, are activated. Meanwhile, Ezekiel, who has become a rich man thanks to his superpowers as a kind of villainous Spider-Man, is haunted by a recurring nightmare. In this vision he fights three young girls with spider powers and ultimately dies.
Obsessed with saving his life, Ezekiel plans to find and kill the still unsuspecting teenagers Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced) and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor) before they gain their powers. But on the first attempt, she crosses paths with Cassie. She takes the trio under her wing. She soon realizes that the overwhelming events cannot be a coincidence. Cassie embarks on a journey to explore her and her mother’s past.
Plot largely predictable
“I wanted to make a great film with great characters,” says director Clarkson in the dpa interview, “and make sure that the plot is strong throughout and gives each character an individual journey, but one that fits into the main theme.” Unfortunately, it becomes clear in the first quarter of an hour of the film where this journey will lead, for almost all of the characters. Just as Madame Web can predict the future, the audience can largely predict the plot.
Plus, you can’t help but get the impression that Dakota Johnson wasn’t passionate about it. Her performance is reminiscent of the acting refusal of Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie in “The Eternals”. She moves through the film too reserved and emotionless. When asked whether she chose the role for economic rather than artistic reasons, she dismissed it in the dpa interview. “The artistic aspect is of great importance to me,” emphasizes the 34-year-old. “It’s important to me that the creative meets my needs and what I want to achieve with my work.”
Co-actresses steal the show from Johnson
But regardless of whether Cassie is happy, sad or tense, at no point does Johnson give the impression that her life and those of the three teenagers are at stake. In fact, her co-actresses, who are all over 20, steal the show. This is particularly true for the versatile Sydney Sweeney, known from the series “Euphoria”, who is predicted to have a great Hollywood career. Tahar Rahim (“Napoleon”, “The Mauritanian”) is also charismatic and fabulous as a villain. But Ezekiel deserved more time and better dialogue.
It takes about three quarters of an hour before “Madame Web” really gets going. Then the film has some exciting moments. The fact that the ladies are dealing with a villain with Spider-Man abilities is an interesting reversal of the narrative. Unfortunately, not enough was done with this idea. Many plot elements and dialogue are formulaic and use the usual Hollywood and superhero clichés.
The fact that “Madame Web” is somewhat entertaining despite all these criticisms is particularly due to the three young actresses. It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to lure superhero-weary audiences back to the cinemas. “I hope it’s a success,” says Dakota Johnson. “But with a film like this, you never know.”