Madame Web had its premiere at the Regency Village Theatre in Westwood, Los Angeles, yesterday. The film is set for release in the US on 14th February.
The new Spider-Verse movie adds Madame Web, but it doesn’t really nail her character. Despite having a good cast and cool visuals, the movie’s rating is just 17%.
That’s pretty disappointing for fans of the franchise. They have pointed out one big problem, which is causing Madame Web to receive terrible reviews, much like She-Hulk.
Madame Web‘s Poor Reception Shares Same Flaw with the MCU’s She-Hulk
Madame Web tells the story of Cassandra Webb (Dakota Johnson)— a paramedic turned psychic—and three women destined to become superheroes: Julia Cornwall, Mattie Franklin, and Anya Corazon.
Critics liked the film’s action scenes, but they weren’t impressed with the story and some of its performances. Even Spider-Verse fans are also let down by Sony’s effort to make the female-centered project. They have referred to it as ‘M-She-U,’ which seems to be an MCU focusing on female characters.
Sony wanted in on the m she u now they are getting m she u results
— edictzero (@edictzer0) February 14, 2024
The creators of the Madame Web project might have chosen to skip important parts of Spider-Man‘s story to make it more focused on women.
Madame Web‘s bad reception stems from the same flaw — it prioritizes characters over a solid story arc. Like She-Hulk, it lacks a compelling narrative and relies too much on visual effects and star power.
Check out some more fan reactions:
I hate to say this but with #MadameWeb coming out to awful reviews,I fear with the combo of
SheHulk
The Marvels
Madame WebThat Marvel has set back female led CBMs 20 years & we will see much less of them
The main reason is they dont give them the same TLC as Cap/Logan/Spidey pic.twitter.com/LXh44fjmQO
— ΩStuntman MikeΩ (@Stuntman_Mik3) February 13, 2024
What the heck did I just watch with #MadameWeb. It makes MORBIUS look like an award winning movie. No chemistry at all, editing is bad and the story just doesn't click. Sony Spider-Man Universe needs to reevaluate where to go from here. pic.twitter.com/1t5eDNaUAl
— Anthony – Future OSCAR WINNER 🏆 (@misterfilmstock) February 13, 2024
So is #MadameWeb really that bad, or did everyone collectively agree it sucked before watching it? pic.twitter.com/eJkHhgchQy
— Rudy A (@GenEX_Reviews) February 13, 2024
#MadameWeb is an embarrassing mess. Talented stars wasted on probably the worst comic book movie I have ever seen. Filled with atrocious dialogue, awkward editing, & all around laughable structure. I sat there baffled scene by scene someone approved this. The memes will redeem it pic.twitter.com/wwxBZmzf1f
— Cris Parker (@3CFilmss) February 13, 2024
Most recent MCU shows haven’t been great. They’re not sticking to the comic book lore and seem to be improvising. She-Hulk did this, and now Madame Web is following suit. By sidelining Spider-Man lore to focus on a girl squad vibe, they definitely may have risked alienating Spider-Man fans.
Why Doesn’t Madame Web Join Other Spider-Man Movies?
The film’s director, SJ Clarkson, said that Madame Web exists in its own world and is separate from Spider-Man movies or the multiverse from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Even Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura told ComicBook that:
“We made a decision early on that the advantage in this story was not to attach it to all these other stories. We tip the hat. But really, we wanted to concentrate on a character journey, and I think some of the superhero fatigue that people talk about is because those movies are often not about the central character. And so we felt it was a stronger choice for us to say, ‘This is Madame Web’s story. She comes out of the Spider-Man comic books, but it’s not part of this other giant thing. It is its own standalone, which gave the freedom to really tell the character story.”
The creators decided early on that it’s better not to connect Madame Web‘s story to others. Superhero movies often stray from the main character, so they wanted to keep it centered on her. This way, they got the freedom to tell her story without being tied to a bigger universe.
Madame Web is set to release in theatres on 16th February, 2024.
