Madame Web (2024): The Web That Failed to Connect

Introduction:

In a cinematic universe teeming with superheroes, multiverses, and time travel, Madame Web (2024) was Marvel and Sony’s attempt to weave something new into the Spider-Man franchise. Featuring Dakota Johnson in a mysterious, clairvoyant role, the film promised intrigue, suspense, and a bold new chapter for female-led superhero stories. But with overwhelmingly negative reviews and a meme storm flooding the internet, one has to ask: Is Madame Web really that terrible — or is there a misunderstood web underneath?

Plot Summary (Spoiler-Light):

The story follows Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson), a paramedic in Manhattan who gains precognitive abilities after a near-death experience. As her visions intensify, she finds herself connected to three teenage girls — Julia, Anya, and Mattie — each of whom are being hunted by a mysterious man with a vendetta against future Spider-Women. Cassandra must protect them and uncover the truth behind her powers, her past, and a tragic event in the Amazon that holds the key to it all.

The Good: A Few Threads Worth Mentioning

While Madame Web struggles with many things, it’s not without merit:

Dakota Johnson’s Effort: Though she seemed miscast to some, Johnson attempts to ground her performance in subtle realism. Her calm demeanor brings a strange contrast to the film's chaotic plotting.

Visual Potential: The cinematography, especially in Cassandra’s vision sequences, has brief moments of haunting beauty. The use of red-toned flashes and web-like overlays could’ve been far more impactful had it been explored deeply.

The Premise: A superhero film led by women and focusing on foresight rather than brute strength is a fresh concept in theory. The “what-if” of Madame Web still lingers — a clairvoyant superhero could’ve added rich depth to the multiverse saga.

The Bad: A Web of Wasted Potential

Unfortunately, the film’s problems are tangled and vast:

Weak Screenplay: The dialogue often borders on unintentionally funny. In fact, one line — “He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died” — went viral for how stilted it sounded.

Underdeveloped Characters: The three young women Cassandra protects are barely given identities beyond costume and name. What could have been a dynamic team-up feels flat and rushed.

Inconsistent Tone: Is it a thriller? A teen superhero origin? A nostalgic nod to early-2000s superhero films? The film doesn’t seem to know, which leaves the viewer feeling disconnected.

Pacing Issues: The movie takes too long to build up its plot, and by the time the action intensifies, emotional investment is minimal.

The Meme Effect: So Bad, It’s... Popular?

One of the more fascinating aspects of Madame Web is how it unintentionally carved a space for itself in pop culture through memes. Lines from the trailer and out-of-context scenes became viral content on TikTok, Reddit, and Twitter. While this isn't the kind of legacy Marvel likely wanted, it's given the movie a strange afterlife — viewers are now watching it “just to see how bad it really is.”

In some ways, this backlash-driven buzz mirrors films like Morbius, which bombed in theaters but lived on through ironic fandom. Could Madame Web become a “so-bad-it’s-good” cult classic?

A Different Perspective: Was It Misunderstood?

Critics panned the film with scores as low as 13% on Rotten Tomatoes. But among fans, there's a small but vocal group claiming Madame Web tried to do something different — no multiversal cameos, no Spider-Man, no obligatory sky beam finale.

It focuses instead on fate, premonition, and maternal protection — themes not often explored in superhero cinema. Could it be that Madame Web was simply marketed wrong? Perhaps if it had leaned into its psychic horror-thriller vibe rather than trying to match Marvel’s usual formula, it would’ve been received more warmly.

Final Verdict:

🕸️ Madame Web is a fascinating failure — ambitious in concept, clumsy in execution. It’s not the worst superhero movie ever made, but it’s certainly one of the most tonally confused. If you go in expecting a grounded, intimate look at destiny and power, you might be disappointed. But if you’re curious about how a film can falter despite so much potential, it’s worth the watch — even if only to join the online chaos.

⭐ Rating: 2 out of 5