Streaming Standard: Madame Web (2024)

 A Film derided (in advance) by many.  It didn't do well in Theaters.  It is now on Netflix.

Let's see if this lives up to the non-hype...

In the 1970s, a man betrays a pregnant Scientist in the Amazon.  She is saved by strange people and gives birth to a child.

In 2003, she's an EMT in NYC who doesn't want to really get close to people.

She has a near death experience and starts getting visions of the future at key events.

She's convinced that she can't help people with this...until she sees otherwise.

This leads to her helping out a trio of young ladies targeted by a strange man.

That is Ezekiel.  He's the guy from the beginning.

He's haunted by visions of being killed by the trio sometime in the future.

He uses the then-new NSA Technology to be just the worst Spider-Man.

Can our reluctant Heroine learn to control the new powers that fate has given her?

Can she put up with the teenagers long enough to save them?

Will she learn to manipulate the Web of Life?
Can anyone stop an evil Spider-Man?

More importantly, can this Film overcome your expectations about how bad it is?

To find out, stream it now.

Is this a great Film?  No.
Is this the worst Film of 2024?  I really, really doubt it.

To be fair, so many things were going against this one.  You had the multi-hit combo of post-pandemic theatergoing, 'superhero fatigue,' people hating Sony's attempt at an MCU AND, you know, the fact that it is about 4 ladies.

I'm not going everyone who didn't like this Sexist.  Just so we're clear.

The Film itself is a bit of a slow-goer and is built around Johnson having an Arc of going from Emotionally Detached to Caring, so that means that she's a bit acerbic and/or off-putting early on.  She doesn't quite pull off the Aubrey Plaza/Jenna Ortega level of 'cool and detached' here.

In all fairness, the Marketing was a bit of a cheat here as it highlighted the trio as Superheroines and that is, sadly, a very small part of the Film.  I did like the look and I'm going to be a bit sad if (and it is likely) nothing comes of this for them.

All things said, I enjoyed the Film for doing some thing different.  The Heroine(s) is never as strong as the Villain and planning/strategy is key to even surviving.  The odds are never even.  The future visions are never a complete 'get out of jail free' card either.

I'm sorry to see this one crash and burn, even if it was never going to be amazing.  Just do something with these outfits and Characters please.

A good example of why you really need to give Films a chance.  I can't guarantee that you'll be swayed into liking this one, but I'm also not going to say that it is as bad as you may think.