Madame Web: Spoiler-free Review

They say no one is truly ready for motherhood, until they have something to protect. This is the main theme of S. J. Clarkson's first feature film Madame Web (2024). With the hundred different spider-people stories Sony is pushing out, it is curious to wonder if these stories can hold their own, without fostering comparison to others. This might be where theming is very important to help distinct one project from another, and this is where Madame Web excels. I felt the theme throughout the film, and it allowed for this spider-person origin story to have its own feel to it. I think Madame Web has a very solid core, and just needed some fine tuning to really make it a standout. 

Madame Web's strongest component was the directing. I was surprised to see that this was Clarkson's first feature film, as the direction of the film was so compelling, and perfectly executed the suspense genre of the film (which I'll admit, I was skeptical about). Clarkson's directing with Mauro Fiore's cinematography gave us some of the most captivating sequences that allowed for us, the audience, to feel and experience the same disorientation that our main character was as her powers began to manifest. This is always one of my favorite tools in directing, and Clarkson nailed it. This comes to a very satisfying head during the climax of the film where we get to see one of the most interesting versions of the "spidey-sense."

What also contributes to the effective directing, is that Clarkson was part of the final screenplay writing team, a decision that all films need to take up! When the director has a hand in the writing, the final product is always better than when not (...freaking Multiverse of Madness, UGH). The story was written by Kerem Sanga, Matt Sazama, and Burk Sharpless, while they finalized the screenplay with Sazama, Sharpless, Clarkson and Claire Parker. This is a rare case where the film actually could have benefitted through a longer runtime, as the story itself would've been stronger had there been enough time to really flesh out the ensemble of characters. In terms of the story given, they did their best to adapt what is actually a longer sequence of events than a typical spider-person origin, and the pacing actually isn't bad. Through some creative directing and editing by Leigh Folsom Boyd, what could be longer scenes are cut short and transitioned into the next. This isn't the most refined work, but it's effective if you don't ask too many questions. 

Part of that awkwardness has to do with the main cast. Dakota Johnson brings our main character, Cassie Webb, to life and I think does so in a double-edged way, effortlessly portraying the character's lack of social skills, but failing to really integrate the change-in-heart her character goes through over the course of the film. Her personality at the end is starkly different than what is really deserved from the changes we get to see. Again, longer run time might actually help this so that we aren't just continuing to cut to the next, and allow for the actors to show their character's arcs. Another character who suffers from this is our villain, Ezekiel Sims (Played by Tahar Rahim), who needs space to develop his motivations and intentions. He's evil, I'll give him that, but generally uncompelling. I don't want to entirely blame Rahim for this, but his portrayal gave goofy more than anything, and did take me out of the film at times. As for the main trio of mini spider-women, we have Julia (Played by Sydney Sweeney), Mattie (Played by Celeste O'Connor) and Anya (Played by Isabela Merced), all "strays" who accidentally find themselves the target of an unhinged Ezekiel. I loved their dynamic, and how even with wildly different personalities, the comforts of girlhood bring them together. I absolutely want more from them, and to see what might eventually be a really fun collection of heroes and how they are planned to be handled by Sony. 

I really want to highlight Fiore's cinematography. He has shown growth since his work on Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), and has leaned more into movement cinematography, which works well for these darker toned Marvel films. I always love seeing the range those behind-the-scenes can have, as it is often gone unrecognized in a society that focuses on actors and directors. 

There isn't much to comment on Johan Söderqvist's score, as it was effective but not necessarily something unique or striking. This is his first American film, so I also can understand if he wanted to play it safe (or maybe this is his style, and I'm just unfamiliar with his work!). I think it did what it needed to in the myriad of action scenes we get, but I did not find myself particularly moved by the music, or found that it did anything special. 

Overall, I do not think Madame Web is anything to write home about, but it is a story that was worth watching, and I had fun while doing it. It is a shame how much potential I see for what could've been a great film, given it had the groundwork for it, but I want to give it some grace considering this was a first for many in the production of this film. For so many newcomers, this was actually quite impressive. For a Marvel film, it is definitely one of the mid-range ones, and I'm not sure it could really stand up to the actual Disney Marvel Cinematic Universe portfolio. Despite that, I still believe it stands on its own merits, and deserves to be watched as it spotlights an exciting future about female-led hero movies finding their footing in the film industry. Yes, you can have both badass skills and mommy-issues as a girl!