Madame Web labeled 'A Crime against Cinema' as reviews paint a harrowing picture

Sony’s Madame Web hit theaters on February 14, 2024, and left viewers disappointed, if reviews are to be believed. Both moviegoers and critics have quite negative reactions to the movie. While fan sites give out scathing reviews, the critics from various media houses are no better, albeit more technical.

Unfortunately, Dakota Johnson's character was unable to reach her full potential, even though she managed to bypass some of the criticism given her undeniable acting prowess. The other actors are also accused of giving lackluster performances that match the choppy movie.

Directed by S. J. Clarkson, the screenplay is written by Clarkson along with Claire Parker, Burk Sharpless, and Matt Sazama. The writers are known for scripting the 2022 movie Morbius, based on the same Spider-Man universe. While many reviewers compare Madame Web to Morbius, which bombed at the box office as well, one reviewer has called the movie “a crime against cinema.”

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers and advises the reader’s discretion.

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Brutal reviews for Madame Web in the first reactions

The Sony Pictures and Marvel combination movie, Madame Web, seems headed for a box-office disaster. The initial reactions from moviegoers and critics are out, and they are not positive. The jury is out, and there are some scathing terms used for the movie, from “weak dialogue” to “worst film of 2024," including one comment that considers the movie "the death of the superhero genre.”

Movie critics from various media houses have not been kind either, although they are more technical and objective in their reasoning. While The Hollywood Reporter calls it “an airless and stilted endeavor," USA Today called it the “worst superhero movie since Morbius.”

Slashfilm, another media house, tries to analyze Madame Web as the “pre-origin story” of all Spider-Women. However, 3C Films considers it “an embarrassing mess” where talented stars were wasted due to “atrocious dialogue, awkward editing, and all-around laughable structure.”

Some fan reactions on Rotten Tomatoes (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

More reactions from viewers (Image via Rotten Tomatoes)

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How is Madame Web’s review score?

IMDb score along with fan reaction (Image via IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes)

IMDb has rated Madame Web with a 3.8/10 from 5.8K ratings. Rotten Tomatoes has given it a 14% positive aggregate out of 146 reviews, with an average rating calculated to be 3.4/10. On the other hand, using the weighted average, Metacritic looked at 48 reviews to score the movie 29 out of 100.

CinemaScore, another rating platform, offered audiences an A+ to F scale to rate the movie. Based on that, the movie received an average grade of C+ on the scale. The movie, set in the Spider-Man universe, was released in 4000 theaters across the US with a six-day opening timeframe. It made $6 million on its opening day and is projected to gross $20–25 million in all.

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What is Madame Web movie about?

The premise of the movie follows Cassandra “Cassie” Webb, who is a New York-based paramedic with psychic powers. As she begins to show signs of clairvoyance, she finds her mission in safeguarding three young women.

Cassie, played by Dakota Johnson of Fifty Shades of Grey and Jessica Jones fame, not only develops the power to foresee the future but also uses the knowledge to change it. While she tracks down and befriends the three women with powerful destinies, she also has to confront her own past.

Both paths of action zero in on a dangerous present that must be fought to protect the future for all. While Cassie has dreams about the oncoming danger, Tahir Rahim’s Ezekiel Sims, the obsessive villain, has dreams about his death by three women. His attempt to change his future, as he dreams, is the premise for the action in the movie.

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Madame Web was released in theaters on February 14, 2024, and there is no information about the movie’s release on any of the streaming platforms as yet.