By William Budd, MA, Film and TV
Female led superhero blockbusters deserve better, or is this the sorry state of a dying genre? Re-enter the world of Sony’s trite Spiderman extended universe, where Cassie Webb (played by an uncharismatic Dakota Johnson) discovers her powerful physic abilities while reconciling her past, to save three ingénue Spider-Women yet to discover their powers.
This entry is objectively bad, but there’s some fun to be had when viewed through a camp lens. The film contains a hodgepodge of a-typical superhero tropes that we’ve seen countless times: an origin story, a brainless villain, an unremarkable CGI world – what differentiates Madame Web is how clunky everything is; this feels like movie incarceration and the audience are the judge and jury.
Scenes fleet between mediocrity and unintentional humour. This is the feature debut from British director S.J. Clarkson, a veteran of big budget TV (Succession, Orange is the New Black), who attempts to create a competent piece of popcorn entertainment, but rumours abound that the studio interfered, with four writers and prolonged reshoots suggesting a troubled production. Moreover, the shameless overabundance of product placement is rather extraordinary, where the Pepsi logo is quite literally the centrepiece of the action during the final battle (likely a studio mandated decision).
One unique aspect that Madame Web utilises is a time travel motif; Cassie’s abilities allow her to time bend and change her realities. Although eventually repetitive, these sequences provide a level of sustained engagement throughout the film that elevates it from complete disaster. Furthermore, the movie is set in 2003, and for those that remember this era well, musical sequences of Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ and Meredith Brooks’ ‘Bitch’ appeal to my nostalgic sensibilities. At this point the superhero genre has been exploited ad nauseum with countless iterations. 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are exemplary versions of the form; however, the conveyer belt of formulaic streaming shows and sequels are still an industry standard.
In the case of Madame Web, the film is infected with flaws, inconsistencies, and downright terrible moments; however, it has a strange camp sensibility that makes it stand out from the bland, cookie-cutter superhero world. Perhaps in a few years, this will be hailed as an under-appreciated camp classic (reminiscent of 2004’s Catwoman). In the shrewd words of Cassie Webb, You know the best thing about the future? It hasn’t happened yet.
Have you seen Madame Web?
