There have been countless negative reviews for Madame Web, with both fans and critics tearing into Sony Pictures' latest Marvel movie. Now, though, filmmaker Mike Flanagan has weighed in with his thoughts and the result is the funniest verdict to date.
The writer and director is best known for horror movies like Hush and Doctor Sleep, not to mention hit Netflix series such as Midnight Mass and The Fall of the House of Usher. For his Letterboxd review, Flanagan chose to write out Nicole Kidman's infamous AMC speech from the theater chain's widely ridiculed advertising campaign.
It seems to be indicative of how much effort he believes Madame Web deserves from him but it's the tags which tell the full story. Those include "exposition to cats," "convenient explosives," "murder visions," "fireworks because," "don't say Peter Parker," "wait why is she blind," and "terrible nurses."
He'd also add "ADR," "dubbing," "no really," "the ADR," a reference to the abysmal ADR which is used for the majority of Tahar Rahim's lines as Ezekiel Sims in the movie. It's unclear whether that's because his lines changed or if his accent was too hard to understand the first time around.
Here's Flanagan's full take on Madame Web:
We come to this place... for magic. We come to the theater to laugh, to cry, to care. Because we need that, all of us: that indescribable feeling we get when the lights begin to dim, and we go somewhere we've never been before; not just entertained, but somehow reborn.... together. Dazzling images, on a huge silver screen. Sound that I can feel. Somehow, heartbreak feels good in a place like this. Our heroes feel like the best part of us, and stories feel perfect and powerful. Because here... They are.
Meanwhile, in another universe...In a switch from the typical genre, Madame Web tells the standalone origin story of one of Marvel publishing's most enigmatic heroines.
The suspense-driven thriller stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who may have clairvoyant abilities. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she forges a relationship with three young women destined for powerful futures...if they can all survive a deadly present.
The movie stars Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, and Adam Scott.
Madame Web is now playing in theaters worldwide. Do you agree with this review of the movie? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.