Madame Web: Dakota Johnson Gives Spider-Man Spinoff Its Bite
By Thom Ernst
Rating: C+
An odd confession, but I keep forgetting that Dakota Johnson is a movie star. And so, seeing her taking the lead as Madame Web was a bit of a surprise.
I know where she comes from—part of a growing Hollywood dynasty that begins with her grandmother, Tippi Hedren, filtering down to her mother Melanie Griffith and father, Don Johnson.
Dakota Johnson's decision to continue appearing in the Fifty Shades franchise and an uncomfortable mother-daughter conflict on the red carpet at the 2015 Academy Awards (over Griffith's understandable reluctance to see her daughter in Fifty Shades) had delegated her, in my mind, to B-list status. I'm wrong, of course, and Madame Web has me reconsidering my unformed opinion of the young Griffith-Johnson offspring.
I do not know the story of Madame Web. I assume it's part of the Spider-Verse and might not be entirely incorrect in believing so, but as far as powers go, Madame Web is (arguably) lame. Without the limiting interference of expectations, I was free to go on a ride of discovery, uninhibited by whatever biases the film takes on the Madame Web mythology. Those well-versed in the Madame Web mythology might have a different take. Sometimes, ignorance is freedom.
More to the point, Madame Web is a lesser entry in the whole superhero universe, which I think would be true of her character outside of the film. But Dakota Johnson as Madame Web is great. Johnson has terrific comic timing, and a delivery that highlights the script’s humour by playing under the joke instead to the joke.
Johnson is Cassandra Webb. (The script ignores the irony that a spider-loving scientist should have the last name Webb. I suppose the extra 'b' throws people off). Cassandra is slightly disengaged from the world. She helps people as a first responder, but don't try to thank her. That kind of humanity triggers memories of her mother (Kerry Bishé), a celebrated arachnologist who Cassandra believes put spiders before the safety of her unborn child.
Things change for Cassandra when she is almost killed during a freak accident at a crash site. Near-death ignites an ability to see a few minutes in the future. A helpful skill if playing Jeopardy, but as far as superpowers go, it's the equivalent of playing the bass drum in an orchestra.
Cassandra's newly discovered abilities, which she does not understand, lead her to protect three diverse but similarly abandoned girls: Julia (Syndey Sweeney), Mattie (Celeste O'Connor), and Anya (Isabela Merced).
The young women (not superheroes yet) are being targeted by the villainous Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim), a super-evil Tony Stark. Ezekiel is responsible for the death of Casandra's mother and is now haunted by nightmares of three young women who he believes will eventually kill him.
This is director S.J. Clarkson's first feature, and there are, in Madame Web, signs of first feature jitters. Clarkson is primarily a television director with credits that include Succession, Orange is the New Black, and Jessica Jones; impressive credentials that occasionally (but far too infrequently) make it on screen.
Clarkson plays Cassandra's experience—a confusing glimpse of accidents, victims, and faces—that makes no sense until they do. It's a mystery that will either engage the viewers (it did me) or frustrate them.
Madame Web is a strange and quickly forgettable entry in the superhero genre. It falls apart entirely in the third reel with an unimpressive final battle and an odd, but not wholly uninteresting, Buñuel-like expose.
Madame Web is more enjoyable than expected, given that it's February, which is the month when lesser films come to life. But the enjoyment exists almost entirely with Dakota Johnson's appearances.
Some credit goes to Rahim's crazed villain Ezekial, as does the film's lighter moments from Adam Scott.
Madame Web. Directed by S.J. Clarkson. Starring Dakota Johnson, Adam Scott, Tahar Rahim, Syndey Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, and Isabela Merced. In theatres now.