The first wave of reviews for Madame Web have landed and, thus far, they're not good. Like Venom and Morbius before it, it seems Sony Pictures has delivered yet another outdated comic book movie which makes all the same mistakes as those released during that mid-2000s era of superhero storytelling.
There are a few small positives (the cast, for example, is largely praised) but a bad script and uninspired ideas appear to have doomed the big screen debut of these female superheroes.
We got to watch Madame Web earlier this month and, unfortunately, it wasn't great. While we'd argue that it's better than Morbius - substantially so, in fact - Dakota Johnson delivers an uninspired performance and the story is indeed somewhat underwhelming. There's not much to be excited about if you're a Spider-Man fan and, when you throw a paper-thin villain into the mix and a serious lack of costumed action, the result is a forgettable movie that's best saved for streaming.
There are glimpses of greatness (the action scenes largely deliver as do the three Spider-Women). However, despite some hints that this could have been a fresh start for Sony's live-action Spider-Verse, Madame Web just never capitalises on them.
Here are a sampling of what other critics are saying about Madame Web:
"Madame Web has some good ideas, but poor execution mimicking the worst aspects of early 2000s comic book movies drags down the entire production into something as thin and flimsy as a spider web." - Bleeding Cool
"On the basis of Madame Web, however, Sony’s Spider-Man Universe is now completely lifeless—and in no need of resuscitation." - The Daily Beast
"There aren’t any exciting comic book teases to break down (there are teases of teases more than anything else) or satisfying emotional achievements to latch onto. It’s a story that only makes sense if you don’t think about it, filled with performances that aren’t very engaging, and then it ends. That ending does tease there could be more Madame Web to come, but we’d be very, very surprised if that ever happens." - Gizmodo
"If there’s one interesting thing in Madame Web, it’s how the film navigates the post-9/11 personal security landscape. Through Ezekiel’s villainous planning with his assistant, Madame Web shows how much privacy civilians voluntarily gave up — or the United States government took — all in the name of national security. It’s a rare satisfying element in a film that otherwise fails to deliver at every turn." - The Hollywood Reporter
"Madame Web has the makings of a interesting superhero psychological thriller, but with a script overcrowded with extraneous characters, basic archetypes, and generic dialogue, it fails the talent and the future of its onscreen Spider-Women." - IGN
"Johnson is one of the most naturally honest and gifted performers to ever play the lead role in one of these things, and while that allows her to elevate certain moments in this movie way beyond where they have any right to be, it also makes it impossible for her to hide in the moments that lay bare their own miserableness." - IndieWire
"Ultimately, Madame Web could have been a decent little B-side of a superhero film, but the terrible, cornball dialogue and lacklustre pace doom it early on." - JoBlo.com
"No matter how likeable Cassie and her friends are, they are powerless in the face of a plot that goes through the motions, revealing ‘shocking’ twists about her past and building to an overblown finale. Madame Web argues that no one’s future is written, but it is very easy to see exactly where this film is going." - Screen Daily
"Because if you thought 'Morbius' was bad, buckle up for 'Madame Web.' Directed by S.J. Clarkson ('Jessica Jones'), the psychological thriller (★½ out of four; rated PG-13; in theaters Wednesday) barely clears the painfully low bar set by Jared Leto’s pseudo-vampire flick." - USA Today
"In the end, 'Madame Web' feels like a cross between an extended soda commercial and a teaser trailer for still more spinoffs. 'Whatever the future holds, we’ll be ready,' Cassie promises. But you don’t have to be a soothsayer to see this particular franchise is D.O.A. — or a snob to expect better." - Variety